Rid Your Hair of Dandruff Naturally – the Indian Way

Dandruff occurs from poor nutrition, zinc deficiency, constipation, unhealthy scalp, fungus and yeast infection, excessive use of harsh shampoos & hair styling gels, over exposure to extreme weather conditions and stress.

Our body sheds dead skin constantly - which is normal and not usually noticeable - in order to rebuild itself. Dandruff is also a type of dead skin shedding but it becomes noticeable, when a fungus called malassezia goes haywire, thereby shedding more skin that needed, causing greasy or dry scales.

There are two types of dandruff. Dry dandruff found on dry hair types and oily dandruff found on oily hair types. Dry dandruff fall off your hair onto your eyebrows, shoulders and clothes, whenever you comb or brush your hair. In oily dandruff, the dry scales mix with your hair sebum, become thick and greasy and settle on your scalp. Although oily dandruff will not fall on your face or clothes, it will thickly coat your brush or comb whenever you comb your hair. You can decide on a suitable home remedy for dandruff, based on the type of dandruff you have.

There are several home remedies for treating dandruff. You can either try any one remedy or more than one remedy in order to increase the effective of your treatment.

Mix 3 tbsp henna powder, 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp thick curd (yogurt) &1 egg white and leave it overnight. Next morning, massage coconut oil into your hair and leave for an hour. Then apply the henna paste to your scalp, leave it for an hour before rinsing it off with a mild shampoo.

 Add 10 to 12 drop of tea tree oil to a small amount of mild shampoo in your hand and massage it into your scalp, leave it for ten minutes and then rinse it off with warm water.

Soak 2 tbsp of fenugreek seeds in a little water overnight and grind it to a fine paste the next morning. (Save the water used for soaking the seeds as a final rinse for your hair. Alternatively, soak a cotton ball into the water and apply it to your scalp after shampooing and drying your hair). Apply the paste in your scalp and leave it for ½ hour. Wash your hair well with herbal shampoo, preferably of soap-nut or acacia concinna. This is a good remedy for dry dandruff and should be done twice a week for first two weeks, reducing it to once a week for the next two weeks and then once in two weeks for next month or so.

Vinegar is excellent for treating dandruff. Mix 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar with 1 tbsp water. Add this mixture to a little mild shampoo and massage your scalp with it before washing it off. Or apply the apple cider vinegar with water mixture to your scalp, cover your scalp with a cloth, leave it overnight and wash it off the next morning.

Thyme leaves boiled in a little water, sour yogurt and lemon juice are excellent remedial treatments for dandruff. Mix them together and massage onto your scalp and leave them on for 15 minutes before washing them down.

Mix 1 tbsp coconut oil with ½ tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp neem juice. Massage it to your scalp and leave it on for 15 minutes before washing if off with a mild herbal shampoo.

Use the hot oil massage therapy. Massage your hair with hot sesame or olive oil before going to bed. Next morning, use half a lemon and rub it gently to your scalp 15 minutes before washing your hair. Alternatively, wrap your head with a hot towel after the hot oil massage for 10 to 15 minutes. This is good for dandruff as well as for hair loss.

Mix 2 tbsp of green gram powder to 1 tbsp of curd and apply it to your scalp for 15 minutes before hair wash.

Soak 3 lemon peels in 3 tbsp coconut oil for 10 days out in the sun. Strain it and apply it to your scalp and leave it for 15 minutes before you wash your hair.

Exposing your hair to the sun rays for about 10 minutes is also beneficial for treating dandruff. Additionally, you can also get vitamin D, which is vital for your body.

Massaging your head with a mixture of warm olive and almond oil before your head bath is good for getting rid of dandruff and keeping your hair shiny and healthy.

You can try any one or more of the above remedies for treating dandruff, but remember, you need to be patient. Each one of these remedies will take at 3 months before they start showing results. So, it is important to persist with the treatment and not give up half way. I will post an article on some important do’s and don’t’s about maintaining a dandruff free hair.

(the leftover tea tree oil and olive oil mix can be preserved in the fridge)