text: FIGHTING DANDRUFF THE RIGHT WAY! | NAIJA HAIR CAN GROW NAIJA HAIR CAN GROW: FIGHTING DANDRUFF THE RIGHT WAY!
  FIGHTING DANDRUFF THE RIGHT WAY!
  How's everyone doing?! I have been getting a number of messages asking about treating dandruff. Usually when I get such messages, I ask the sender what she is doing to treat the issue, what products she is using etc and what I have noticed is that a lot of ladies use the wrong products to treat/manage a very manageable issue like Dandruff. Below are a few tips on how to effectively fight and curb dandruff.
  *THE SHAMPOO- If you want to treat dandruff using a mild shampoo or a co-wash or even most black soaps, they will not be effective enough to deal with the problem. You need 'medicated' shampoo that has chemicals like Selenium Sulphide, Ketocanazole, Salicylic acid, Coal tar, Zinc pyrithione as active ingredients in the shampoo. This is because these chemicals are strong enough to remove the flakes on the scalp and treat whatever yeast that may be responsible for the excess production of sebum on the scalp.
  The chemicals in regular shampoos are made to just gently cleanse the scalp without affecting the yeast/sebum on it, co-washes are even milder, that is why a person with dandruff will experience some level of relief for like the first day after shampooing but soon after, the dandruff comes in full force!
  Medicated shampoos tend to dry the hair out, so it's best to get the ones that are a shampoo and conditioner combined or they should be followed with moisture deep conditioning treatments.
  MEDICATED SHAMPOOS & TREATMENTS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AT THE HUB- Link to purchase them are under each product.
  *THE PROCESS- It's one thing to use regular shampoo to cleanse the scalp, it's an entirely different process if you want to effectively use a medicated shampoo for dandruff. When you apply the shampoo to the scalp, allow it to do it's work. After lathering up, leave the lather on for at least 15 minutes on the scalp to lift up all the scaly skin and neutralize the yeast. Avoid using hot water when rinsing out the shampoo so you do not aggravate the issue, hot water will further dry out the hair and can damage the scalp and hair shaft, cooler water will soothe the scalp and seal the moisture on the hair strands.
  *THE STYLING- After you are done with shampooing and it's time to style, avoid heat as much as possible, so blow drying and using heat tools should be avoided.
  Avoid using thick moisturizers like puddings, shea butter on the scalp because they will cause build up on the scalp, stick to lighter moisturizers and oils when moisturizing and sealing. The oils I recommend are; Tea tree oil (E), Peppermint oil (E), Castor oil, Grapeseed oil, Rosemary oil (E), Eucalyptus oil, Lemon oil (E). All the oils with (E) are essential oils and should be diluted with carrier oils like olive oil, coconut oil etc to avoid harsh reactions. Personally, I apply tea tree oil directly on my scalp when it itches and while I feel a little sting, it's just temporary discomfort which is followed by a soothing relieve. But as always advised, please do a patch test first when using essential oils to see how your scalp will react to them.
  Ointments that claim to treat dandruff etc should be used with caution especially if they contain petroleum jelly and sulfur (usually in high amounts) because those can cause build up on the scalp too and lead to more flaking.
  Once you notice you have build up and flakes, repeat the cycle. You can start with every week and as the dandruff is curbed, you can reduce to every other week and then to once a month.