SEVERE DANDRUFF? JUST 1 INGREDIENT FOR LONG LASTING RESULTS

I never really had dandruff my whole life, but this one time, and I’m talking about years ago, when I happened to accidently use my brother’s Head & Shoulders! Yes, the shampoo that’s supposed to get you rid of dandruff, gave me severe dandruff. I realised this only after using the shampoo a couple of times. After I stopped using the shampoo, it dried out my scalp so bad, that even after switching back to my regular shampoo, the stubborn dandruff wouldn’t go. After trying a lot of hair products, the dandruff kept coming back. As long as I was using these dandruff removal products, it was good but as soon as I discontinued them, the dandruff said HELLO again! So I went online and researched a lot about home remedies and there were tons of remedies. I kind of experimented a lot, but I’m going to talk about the one thing that worked for me in this article.

Why now after all these years? Well, for some reason (and this is not because of any shampoo I used this time), I started experiencing severe hair fall. This is almost a fortnight back. Every time, I ran my fingers through my hair, 10-12 long strands of hair would just seperate from my scalp and land on my fingers. My husband and I started noticing hair everywhere. I got really worried and scared even to wash or comb my hair for fear of losing more. On further inspection, I realised that my scalp was severely affected by dandruff and that was causing my hair to fall off just like that. My roots had become very weak. I consulted doctors on Practo but all gave the same old medicines and creams to apply on scalp and I didn’t want to spend more on crap I knew wouldn’t treat the root cause except maintain the problem. I suddenly remembered what I used years back that solved my dandruff in just a few days and completely wiped my scalp from dandruff. I’ve had no dandruff for more than 10 years since then, until the last fortnight.

The product I’m talking about is White Vinegar! Such a simple ingredient but so marvellous! You can also use Apple Cider Vinegar. I haven’t used the latter, so I cannot comment on how long this will take, but ACV should work too. Most of you will have either of these 2 ingredients at home, so trust me and don’t spend on any new hair product, at least not before giving this holy grail for dandruff and most scalp/hair issues, a try.

I tried this remedy Saturday night and today it’s Monday and my scalp is clear in just 2 days! I’m going to use this for a couple more days and then stop. I made my husband check it for me an hour back, just to be extra sure before I write this and share this wonderful remedy with all of you. Also I am not really seeing massive hair appear on my fingers while combing or handling my hair.

So before I come to how exactly I used this on my scalp, let me dive into details to tell you why and how this remedy works so well.

We need to first understand what causes Dandruff. It could be anything, from dry flaky scalp after using too many hair products, blow-drying on high speed too often to pollution, stress, excessive sweating, excessive washing of hair leading to dry scalp or not washing hair frequently leading to oil buildup, further leading to yeast and fungal growth, leading to hair fall. There are many reasons, but the underlying cause of dandruff or flaky, itchy scalp is the change in its pH levels. Dandruff is basically dead skin, clumped together into flakes. So some may have an oily scalp and get dandruff and the rest may have a dry scalp and still get dandruff.  It isn’t contagious or serious, but can be really embarrassing and difficult to treat. Some even experience an itchy scalp! So not comfortable!

To give you a start, stop using hair products or equipments you think are causing this, at least don’t use often if you can’t completely avoid. The pH of your scalp is naturally a little acidic, which can get easily disrupted by all the hair products we load on every day and that messed-up pH can lead to rough, frizzy, brittle hair due to open cuticles. The ideal pH of the scalp is approximately 5.5, which is slightly acidic. Water has a neutral pH of 7.0 while substances that have pH values higher than 7.0 are alkaline. Most hair care products don’t address hair pH when they should. Also commercial shampoos, including those that manufacturers describe as anti-dandruff products, have pH levels higher than 5.5, which are alkaline! Vinegar, with its acidic base, can help balance the pH of your scalp’s acid mantle and close those cuticles. It also contains acetic acid that acts as a natural hair cleanser, which helps unclog pores and hair follicles and prevents fungi from growing on your scalp. The restoration of pH thus inhibits the growth of yeast. Vinegar not only treats the root cause of dandruff, but it also makes your hair smoother, softer and way more shinier.

Yesterday which was a Sunday, I also used some yogurt on my scalp before heading for a shower. Yogurt is another great ingredient you will find readily at home. The lactic acid in yogurt helps reduce dandruff considerably. The antibacterial properties of this dandruff remedy will ensure that the protein in it strengthens hair from its roots.

I also made a hair oil for hair re-growth which I will start using in a few days. Keep reading to know how to make and use all of these remedies above. Although vinegar by itself will do the trick, these additional remedies will help you get your lost hair back and strengthen your roots.

How to Use Vinegar?
Like I mentioned above, I used White Vinegar and can only guide you on this. You can try ACV and let me know in comments if that worked for you. I will say, it should work. So the first time I used this, I didn’t have a spray bottle, so I diluted Vinegar with plain water and splashed it on my hair and went to bed. Washed off the next morning. Did this thrice a week. Dandruff zero!

This time, I had an old plastic spray bottle. Use glass or plastic and not metal containers for anything acidic. I filled this with undiluted White Vinegar. I sprayed this all over my scalp and using my fingers further spread it all over. Just my scalp and not my hair and left it overnight. This was Saturday night. The next morning, I used whisked yogurt on my scalp, roughly spread all over my roots and scalp area. After 20 minutes, I had a head bath with lukewarm water. Rinsed it with a mild shampoo by Mamaearth and little conditioner by the same brand on my hair ends. This was yesterday morning. After letting my hair dry naturally, I didn’t see any dandruff. Also my hair felt manageable. That same night before going to bed, I sprayed a little Vinegar at major dandruff spots and went to bed. I didn’t wash my hair today and my hair feels great! I might do this for 2 more nights at max and then rinse it off. Don’t overdo anything. A few days is ok.

This is a tried and tested remedy. But everyone’s hair is different and there is a possibility it may not work for a few. The best way to know if anything is beneficial for you is to bring it into your hair care routine, and see if it works for you personally. You wouldn’t know unless you try. But I really hope this benefits everyone. If it doesn’t, do consult a dermatologist because the cause of dandruff may be something else, like an underlying health or skin condition. The earlier you diagnose, the better.

Since Vinegar is acidic in nature, it can be irritating to sensitive people. You can dilute and use in this case or wash off after 20-30 minutes of application. The results may not be overnight, but you will definitely reach there if you consistently use this remedy for a few days in a week. If you are super sensitive, do a path test by rubbing some vinegar to the back of your hand. If you don’t notice redness, itching or burning even after a few hours, it should be safe to use on your scalp.

For the hair oil, I took half a cup of extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil. To this I added a tablespoon of powdered Fenugreek seeds (Methi Dana) and Onion Seeds (Kalonji). I ground them up separately in a mixer. Onion Seeds are also known as Nigella Seeds or Black Seeds. Mix well and heat this, till the mixture comes to a boil. Let it cool down. Add this to a glass jar or a plastic jar. Add the rest of the coconut oil. So if you are using 100 ml of coconut oil, use around 50 ml or less of Castor Oil since the oil is very thick. Mix all these 4 ingredients well. Let it sit for a day. You can now add any essential oil. I used a few drops of lemongrass essential oil. This will not only give a soothing aroma to your oil but lemongrass is great for your hair too. You can use lavender or ylang ylang oil or anything you like. Let the powders settle to the bottom of the jar before using the oil. You can transfer just the oil to another bottle or let the oil get infused with the powders for a few more days. Apply at least once a week and leave it overnight before washing it off the following day.

I’m yet to try this but I’m sure this will help because of all the potent ingredients that’s added.
– Onion Seeds help keep hair healthy and shiny. It contains anti-fungal properties that prevent fungal infections and scalp diseases that lead to hair loss. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nutrients strengthen hair, improves hair growth and may prevent premature graying. In short great for your tresses!
– Fenugreek Seeds on the other hand, thickens hair structure, strengthening it by rebuilding the hair follicles.
– Coconut Oil is very nourishing. It’s also very light and gives your hair a healthy appearance by making it less brittle and reverses any hair damage you may have.
– Castor oil which is thick in consistency enhances the health of hair follicles, helps hair to regrow by increasing blood flow around the scalp area. It has been known to delay the process of hair from greying as well.

So, don’t let these underrated ingredients just sit in your home or kitchen. From the above list, I trust Vinegar for Dandruff blindly. It’s one of the most undervalued and ignored hair product which not many are aware of. Vinegar works like a magic wand for all your annoying scalp and hair issues and yet we run behind expensive but ineffective hair products, some of which are loaded with chemicals that do more harm than good.

So the next time you look at Vinegar, remember it doesn’t just add flavour to your food, but it’s also a great hair product. So go on, try these above remedies and you can also have hair that’s not just dandruff free, but also stupidly shiny, smooth and pretty, without spending a ton of money!

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To happy and healthy hair days, now & forever 🙂

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