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I shaved my head in June last year and shaved it again last month due to dandruff and crust like flakes. Because I was getting digusted having it all over my pillow and in public. Another reason is I have thick hair and its hard to get rid of it since it get stuck in my hair and looks terrible. Right after I shaved it I regreted since I been wanting to grow long hair for long time and secondly when I shaved it wasn't really much dandruff and just flakes stuck in there since I have thick hair. I wanted to know if anyone has tips how to get dandruff out better? I also used anti dandruff shampoo but that didn't help and I used Suave Coconut anti shampoo one. Right now I have stubble on my head and still I have flaky skin in areas but not bad as with hair. Another question is if I have dandruff still do I need to shave it again since not sure if that would damage hair and start fresh? Because someone said it would block my hair follicle and grow slowly and not sure if this is true. I have few pimples with dried skin over it on back of head also and will that damage hair or should I just leave it alone? I do know I shaved head before last year but never noticed it last time and might be flaky due to the colder weather. I really want to know if anyone has good advice before it gets thick so I can treat better so it doesn't build up in hair. I do have oily scalp if that helps and I know shaving head again to start fresh might not help anything but i want everything to be perfect so I can finally grow it long without thinking of shaving it again due to dandruff.
I've had long hair since 1964. And i've had dandruff.
Cutting my hair was not an option. I use Head and Shoulders
clean conditioner. Gets rid of the dandruff and my hair remains
long. I would think if you don't get relief from the dandruff shampoo then maybe you need to see a dermotologist.
Growing out your hair can reduce dandruff. Oil drawn out by your hair leaves less on your scalp to feed your dandruff habit.
Bill
I also had this experience - losing my dandruff and psoriasis on my scalp once I had been growing my hair for some months. The difference is amazing.
For someone whose dandruff is persisting despite long and well cared-for hair, I recommend seeing a dermatologist. My experience is that sea water does wonders for the skin!
I went for a swim in the sea last week with my wife, and rinsed my hair afterwards in fresh water. My hair felt wonderful after it had dried.
I'm sure that diet makes a lot of difference, and also any contact we have with chemicals and pollution.
Anthony
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Cold water can also make your hair very silky because it closes the microscopic gaps in the cuticle of your hair strands. When swimming, one may expose his hair to colder water than he would put up with in the shower, and this will give a very silky effect.
The silkiest my hair has ever been has been right after a dip in Lake Michigan with the two Johns who post here. Lake Michigan is cold! My hair loved it!
Bill
Shaving your head over & over is never going to get you longer hair. Instead of trying to grow out the "perfect" hair (and worrying that you might have to start all over again), just purchase for yourself a good-quality hair brush. Between shampooing days (which, by the way, if you need to buy a good dandruff shampoo, please do so!), do the following brushing ritual (when your hair and scalp are dry ONLY):
1) Gently but firmly brush your hair with long, slow strokes, from the nape of the neck, towards the crown and the front hairline. You can also do this right before you step into the shower when you are going to shampoo.
2) Repeat as long as necessary, stimulating the scalp (you'll feel a pleasant "tingle" feel, which with both help loosen up the dandruff, and also bring more blood flow to the scalp to nourish the hair follicles...
3) My grandmother's generation used to advise brushing "100 strokes" -- but you don't have to take this literally; just do it until you feel your hair and scalp have had enough.
4) When you do shampoo, make sure to RINSE THOROUGHLY (including ending your shower with cooler water flowing over your head)
5) Once your hair gets some length to it, apply some conditioner into the hair ends; but a buzz-cut is too short to bother with conditioner right now!
- Ken in San Francisco
I've always been under the impression that brushing the hair with
a brush leads to hair breakage, that a wide tooth comb should be used. Am I mistaken about this? Can you avoid breakage with a brush?
I've been using a boar-bristle brush for a while now. Don't feel much in the way of pulling that would indicate breakage. What comes out with the brush seems to be more of loose hairs that are still caught up with the others... clearing out the dead wood, so to speak. I feel more tugs with my comb than with the brush.
As long as I keep a light hand on the brush, when I do feel a "catch" I can back off and detangle with my fingers.
Thank you. I'll try that.
That's exactly how I handle combing/brushing out my hair.Sometimes I'll start out with a wide tooth comb but with a light hand, no aggressiveness what so ever.Then I would finish it up with the boars bristle brush but again with a light hand and stopping if I feel a pull from a tangle.Sometimes I'll put some beneficial oil on the teeth of my wide tooth comb as an assist.Cheers
Mârk
Thank you. I picked up a boar-bristle brush today to give it a try.
I picked up a boar-bristle brush and started today giving it a try. Will see how it goes.
Hi Alastair.
What Bill said is really true. When I had short hair,I suffered with this problem constantly and needed to wash my hair daily, I was using an Anti-Dandruff shampoo just like you and never worked.
After a while my hair was growing up, I didn't have to constantly wash as before, only 2 or 3 times a week and my problem with dandruff improved almost 80%
The problem can't be solved just by shaving your head often, sometimes it can even get worse than it already was.
My experience with dandruff is the same as all the other guys writing here:
I have always been plagued by it with short hair, and always seen a drastic improvement when having long (or longer) hair.
With that said, I still use H&S (the shampoo, not the conditioner) 100% the times I wash my hair with shampoo (about 2-3 times a week), and I experience absolutely no dandruff at all.
If I try switching to some other shampoos, it comes back and is noticable, but still not as much as with short hair.
In other words, the scalp oils are your friend, quit shaving your head :)
Now i've had dandruff with long hair. I use Head & Shoulders clean
conditioner, I don't use shampoo. That fixes the problem.
Refer to the wiki article on dandruff. There are several possible causes. In my own case it was probably fungal. I hardly ever have dandruff now and my hair is mid-back. It was as simple as making sure I didn't go to bed with a wet head. Make sure it isn't even slightly damp. A damp head next to the pillow creates a warm, moist, dark environment--fungi love that.
This may mean changing your routine. Wash your hair in the morning or right after your last heavy exercise of the day. Give it time to dry.
How right! I never go to bed with wet hair if I can help it. I almost never use a hair dryer, but I prefer to do so (for example after getting wet from rain in the evening) rather than put my head on the pillow with wet hair.
Not only is there the risk of fungal infection, but also the hair "sets" very awkwardly during the night. Get ready for a long untangling session!!!
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