The good news is that dandruff can usually be controlled. Mild cases of dandruff may need nothing more than daily shampooing with a gentle cleanser. More stubborn cases of dandruff often respond to medicated shampoos
One home remedy is to rinse your hair with a mixture of 3 table-spoons of vinegar and a cup of water. Rinsing with lemon juice also helps. Or you can shake a tablespoon of salt into your dry hair and rub it in before shampooing.
To find more home remedies do an online search for “dandruff home remedies.”
Treatment options
According to Wikipedia, shampoos use a combination of ingredients to control dandruff. Salicylic acid (used in Sebulex) and coal-tar (used in Tegrin) removes dead skin cells from the scalp and decrease the rate at which these cells are created. Zinc pyrithione (used in Head and Shoulders) kills pityrospora. Selenium sulfide (used in Selsun Blue) achieves the results of both salicylic acid and zinc pyrithione.[11]
Simply increasing usage with normal shampooing will remove flakes.[12] However, elimination of the fungus results in dramatic improvement. Regular shampooing with an anti-fungal product can reduce recurrence.
Soothing preparations may contain Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda),[13] and coal tar based products.[14]
The most common antifungal agents used are Zinc pyrithione[15], Selenium sulfide and Ketoconazole[16] Other products used include Tea tree oil[17] and Piroctone olamine (Octopirox).[18]
Anti-fungal/anti-dandruff shampoos (includes Head and Shoulders, and Selsun Blue) containing ketoconazole have been shown to be more effective than zinc pyrithione.[19] Although a 1981 study reported selenium sulfide as being the most effective of the tested shampoos at treating dandruff, [20] a 1999 comparative study concluded that ketoconazole was the most effective antifungal agent.[21] (Although ketoconazole had been approved by F.D.A. in 1981[22], it was not approved for topical use in a shampoo until 1990[23], and was therefore not included in the 1981 study.)
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