Dandruff is a fungal infection usually caused by two factors, i.e., either due to dryness in scalp or due to excess secretion of oil in scalp. Let us see the causes of dandruff in detail.
Cause of Dandruff
A flaky, itchy scalp is usually caused by an overgrowth of yeast. Normally, there’s small amount of yeast that lives on our scalp and feeds on the dead skin. And our skin’s good bacteria keep this yeast in check. Problem occurs when the balance of ‘good’ organism and ‘bad’ organism is faltered and the yeast begins to overgrow. The cause of yeast overgrowth is overuse of antibiotics, steroids, stressful lifestyle, and hormonal fluctuation.
Else, if fungus is the cause of your dandruff, then you need to concentrate in your diet and correct the imbalance between good organisms (bacteria) and bad organisms (yeast). To begin with, remove all foods that feed the yeast – this includes breads, fruit juices, alcoholic drinks, soya sauce, and food containing vinegar such as ketchup, pickles, mushroom, peanuts and mature cheese. Also avoid refined flour and sugar. Plain Yoghurt contains healthy bacteria and will help get rid of the root cause of dandruff.
Dandruff can also occur when your sebaceous glands produce too little oil, causing dry, flaky, itchy scalp. Foods containing essential fatty acids feed the skin from inside out and therefore help combat the dryness and also reduce the redness and itching.Now let us see how to get rid of dandruff once for all jus with the help of simple homemade remedies.
Aloe Vera and Lemon juice.
Squeeze the juice from half a lemon and combine this juice with aloe vera juice or gel (1/3 cup). Apply it on your scalp and hair and massage it gently. Wait for ½ an hour. Lemon with its acidic nature and antimicrobial properties fights dandruff whereas aloe vera smoothes scalp. Wash your hair with warm water. Repeat this procedure weekly once.
Fenugreek pack with lemon juice
Soak the 4 table spoon of fenugreek seeds in the water overnight and make a fine paste. Squeeze the fresh lemon and add 1 tbsp of lemon juice to the paste. Apply this paste to the hair scalp and hair ends. Cover the hair with a towel and allow it to dry for 30 minutes. Rinse off with Luke warm water.
Garlic and honey
Garlic works great in eliminating dandruff. Garlic contains an enzyme known as allicin. Allicin is brimming with antibacterial and anti-fungal properties plus antioxidants that prevent infection. To prepare your own anti-dandruff garlic hair mask, crush 5 or 6 cloves of garlic and let it sit for 10 minutes so that it can begin to form allicin. Then, mix in some organic honey to enhance the anti-fungal properties and apply it directly to your scalp. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then rinse with water and shampoo.
Last but not least, avoid shampoos containing chemicals that are harmful, and dandruff shampoos are even worse. And within shampoos and hair products, make sure you avoid parabens, sodium laureth or lauryl sulfate.
