How to Get Rid of Dandruff

If you have been embarrassed in public with the snow-drift effect that dandruff leaves on your shoulders, it’s time to deal with the problem once and for all.

Seborrheic dermatitis, or dandruff as it is commonly called, is a condition that many have had to deal with at some point in life.

Dandruff can affect newborns more often; it can also occur in people who are 13 and older. Although the problem is fairly common, ignoring dandruff completely can be very damaging to the health of your scalp and your hair in general.

Dandruff can give rise to increased hair loss, weak hair, scalp acne, sensitive scalp, and various other hair and scalp problems.

Socializing may be more difficult for people who have intense dandruff. Dandruff problems can easily alienate you from friends and render you the butt of their jokes. It can ruin your chances at an interview or leave you embarrassed in front of your friends. Since cascading flakes also make people question your hygiene.

As common the problem is, there is a host of simple, easy ways you can get rid of your dandruff. Patience and persistence are the only key requirements.

Here are eight methods that can help you get rid of dandruff.

• Method 1: Using Fenugreek Seeds
• Method 2: Using Curd and Lemon
• Method 3: Using Baking Soda and Lemon
• Method 4: Using Aspirin and Shampoo
• Method 5: Using Banana and Apple Cider Vinegar
• Method 6: Using Tea Tree Oil and Coconut Oil
• Method 7: Using an Egg
• Method 8: Using Neem (Indian Lilac) Leaves

Method 1: Using Fenugreek Seeds

Things you’ll need:

• Fenugreek seeds – 1 tablespoon
• Water – 2 cups

Step 1. Soak fenugreek seeds in a bowl

Put 1 tablespoon of fenugreek seeds into a bowl. Protein-rich fenugreek seeds benefit your hair doubly by acting as an anti-fungal agent as well as a conditioner.

Add 2 cups of water to the bowl and let it soak overnight or for about 12 hours.

Step 2. Strain the water

Strain the water through a fine-mesh colander. The water contains the extract of the fenugreek seeds and also acts as a hair tonic.

In addition to treating dandruff, this hair tonic helps keep scalp acne at bay.

Step 3. Wash your hair with the strained water

Wash your hair, or more specifically your scalp, with the fenugreek extract tonic. Massage the tonic thoroughly into your scalp. Rinse off with plain water.

Repeat this method twice a week until the intensity of dandruff subsides. Then, continue once a week until all the dandruff is gone.

Method 2: Using Curd and Lemon

Things you’ll need:

• Curd – 1 cup
• Lemon, medium-sized – ½

Step 1. Add lemon juice into the curd

Measure 1 cup of curd into a bowl. Cut a medium-sized lemon in half. Squeeze the juice from ½ of a lemon into the curd.

The lactic acid in the curd and the citric acid in the lemon inhibit the fungal growth on the scalp. The lemon also effectively cleans your scalp of the dead skin flakes.

Mix the two ingredients well to make a paste of uniform texture.

Step 2. Apply on the scalp with a hair-dye brush

Apply the paste on your scalp with a hair-dye brush. Cover your head with a shower cap and let it stay on for 30 minutes. Shampoo your hair afterward.

Method 3: Using Baking Soda and Lemon

Things you’ll need:

• Baking Soda
• Lemon

Step 1. Combine the ingredients to make a paste

Put some baking soda in a bowl and squeeze some lemon juice into it. Use enough lemon juice to make a spreadable baking soda paste. Let the fizzing and bubbling subside.

This lemon juice and baking soda paste are excellent at ridding your scalp of flakes and itchiness. It also inhibits the fungal activity on your scalp, making it hard for dandruff to make a comeback.

Step 2. Apply on your scalp

When the fizzing subsides, apply the paste on your scalp with a cotton ball or your fingers. Massage the paste into the roots. Give your hair a break from shampoo. You can easily rinse the baking soda off your hair with just water.

Initially, your hair may feel dry, but in time, your scalp will produce the natural oils, leaving your hair softer and dandruff-free.

Since baking soda has a drying effect, use it once a week. Those with a naturally oily and itchy scalp may do this twice a week.

Method 4: Using Aspirin and Shampoo

Things you’ll need:

• Aspirin – 4 (for long hair)
• Shampoo – your regular amount

Step 1. Crush the aspirin

Crush enough aspirin pills for the length of your hair.

If you have medium-length hair, you’ll need 2 pills, while people with short hair will make do with just 1 pill. Those blessed with long tresses should use 3 or 4 pills accordingly.

Aspirin contains salicylic acid, which is a key ingredient in many anti-dandruff shampoos.

Step 2. Mix the aspirin in shampoo

Mix the powdered aspirin with the amount of shampoo you use normally. This is one of the most convenient ways to apply aspirin in your hair.

Step 3. Wash your scalp with the shampoo mixture

Wet your hair and massage this medicated shampoo onto your scalp. Leave it on for about 2 minutes before rinsing your hair. Shampoo again, but without aspirin this time. Rinse well.

Give this method a try every time you run out of your anti-dandruff shampoo.

Method 5: Using Banana and Apple Cider Vinegar

Things you’ll need:

• Banana, medium-sized – ½
• Apple cider vinegar – 1 cup

Step 1. Mash ½ of a banana

Mash ½ of a banana with a fork.

Being rich in potassium, bananas are very good for the health of your hair. Bananas are great for dry hair and balance the drying effects of the vinegar.

Step 2. Mix in apple cider vinegar

Pour 1 cup of apple cider vinegar into the mashed banana and mix well. Your hair mask is ready. You can easily double or halve the proportions in appropriate to the length of your hair.

Apple cider vinegar is great at balancing the pH of the scalp. Thus, it inhibits the bacterial as well as fungal growth and helps with flaky skin and itchiness.

Step 3. Apply the mask on your hair

Apply the hair mask from roots to tips using a hair-dye brush. Cover your head with a shower cap and leave the hair mask on for about 30 minutes. Then, shampoo your hair thoroughly.

You can easily repeat this twice a week until the problem subsides.

Method 6: Using Tea Tree Oil and Coconut Oil

Things you’ll need:

• Coconut oil – 2 tablespoons
• Tea tree oil – 4-5 drops

Step 1. Mix tea tree oil and coconut oil

Put 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a small bowl. Add 4 or 5 drops of tea-tree oil and mix well.

Tea tree oil is antibacterial and anti-fungal, so, it attacks the problem at its root. While the coconut oil acts as a carrier oil for the tea tree oil, it also nourishes and conditions the hair and moisturizes the scalp.

Step 2. Apply on the scalp

Apply the mixed oil onto your scalp with a cotton ball. Cover your head with a shower cap and leave it for 1 to 2 hours. Afterward, shampoo your hair thoroughly.

If you have particularly dry skin, you can also leave it on overnight. Repeat this method twice a week for best results.

Method 7: Using an Egg

Things you’ll need:

• Egg – 1

Step 1. Break an egg and whisk until frothy

Break an egg and empty contents into a bowl.

Whisk the egg thoroughly. Eggs are yet another all-natural remedy for dandruff. They significantly reduce dryness and itchiness as well as soothe the scalp.

Step 2. Apply on your scalp with a hair-dye brush

Apply the egg in your hair with a hair-dye brush. Cover your head with a shower cap, and let the egg stay in your hair for about 30 minutes. Rinse, then shampoo thoroughly. Skip your regular conditioner this time.

The best thing about this hair remedy is that you can use it as often as you like, and it will leave your hair healthier and conditioned as a bonus.

Method 8: Using Neem (Indian Lilac) Leaves

Things you’ll need:

• Neem leaves – a handful
• Water – 2 cups

Step 1. Boil a handful of neem leaves in water

Put a handful of neem leaves and 2 cups of water in a pan. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. This will help steep the goodness of neem into the water.

Step 2. Strain the water and let it cool

Strain the water through a fine-mesh colander. Save the greenish water and let it cool down.

The germicidal properties of neem help eliminate the bacterial and fungal strains in your scalp. This neem extract will also help treat scalp acne and other scalp problems.

Step 3. Wash hair with neem water

Wash your hair with the neem water, massaging it into the scalp. Follow with a plain water rinse.

Repeat this method twice weekly until you see results.

Additional Tips

• Keep in mind the ratio of the ingredients in the different recipes. Prepare the required amount depending on the length and volume of your hair and how much of the product you’ll need to use.
• When using aspirin, be sure to use the non-coated variety. Don’t use aspirin with any anti-dandruff shampoo.
• You can also grind the soaked fenugreek seeds and apply the paste on your scalp for 1 hour, following it with the fenugreek-extract rinse.
• Rinse the neem leaves with water before boiling.
• If using the egg method, you can add a little lemon juice to tone down the pungent smell.
• Shampoo twice to completely clean your hair when using hair masks, and three times to get rid of the potent smell of the eggs.