Do something different this holiday season. Check out
my list of 34 great gifts you can make yourself!
How I Finally Defeated Dandruff
Thursday, 13th July 2006 (by J.D.)This article is about Health & Fitness, Hints and Tips
If you're new here, you may want to learn what this site is about. I encourage you to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Here’s a tip I cannot believe I’m sharing in public.
For years I’ve battled dandruff. I mean I’ve had it bad. Recently it’s reached nightmarish proportions — my scalp was like North Dakota in January.
I tried all sorts of remedies. I tried Selsun Blue. I tried Head and Shoulders. I tried Denorex. Nothing worked. I even tried not washing my hair at all. That didn’t help the dandruff and just created the added grossness of greasy hair.
Frustrated, I was ready to make a doctor’s appointment, ready to spend vast sums of money to defeat the dandruff. Then, on a whim, my wife bought me a bottle of baby shampoo. You know the stuff: “tearless”, etc. I was skeptical, but willing to try anything. You know what? It worked!
I’ve been washing my hair with baby shampoo daily for the past two weeks. It hasn’t eliminated the dandruff completely, but it has reduced it dramatically. I mean by an order of magnitude. To levels of normality.
I cannot vouch that baby shampoo will work for everyone, but if you too have a dandruff problem, it cannot hurt to try. It’s an easy and cheap solution. And do me a favor: if you try this, post back here to say whether or not it worked for you.
59 Responses to “How I Finally Defeated Dandruff”
Leave a Reply
Subscribe to comments on this post via RSS feed.
July 13th, 2006 at 9:50 am
Try tea tree shampoo. I use Kheil’s brand.
Also, don’t eat wheat products or too much sugar.
July 13th, 2006 at 10:28 am
Just shave your head.
July 13th, 2006 at 10:41 am
Just shave your head.
Believe me: I want to. Higher powers than me forbid it.
July 13th, 2006 at 10:55 am
Hi,
I used to have this problem. The only shampoos that worked for me are T-Gel, or Nizorol (not sure if that is the exact spelling). Use one for a while then switch as I started becoming immune!
July 13th, 2006 at 11:39 am
Don’t shave your head. I never had dandruff until I did just that. My head got a bit too much sun once or twice and since then, dandruff city.
July 13th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
I use vinegar. Only vinegar. I use an old pop-top shampoo bottle and drool it on first thing in the shower. No flakes, no itch.
July 13th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Don’t rely on the anecdotal advice of amateurs, see a Dermatologist. They actually know what they’re talking about.
July 13th, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Yeah it’s true, I’ve been using baby shampoo for about a year now and it’s much gentler than AD shampoos.
I love the blog by the way, there’s something worthwhile every day. Keep it up!!
July 13th, 2006 at 8:25 pm
It could be that you didn’t really have dandruff. My sister had a similar problem when she was little. For her, the solution was to rinse her hair very thoroughly after a good conditioning, and then put some kind of leave-in conditioner in it.
July 14th, 2006 at 7:21 am
I’m willing to try it. I’ve had the flakes since forever and a day. I’m like a snowstorm, so thanks! And I’m excited you went public with it.
July 14th, 2006 at 8:52 am
I have had dandruff as well but found that a high quality shampoo and conditioner deals with it, not the AD stuff, we (my wife and I share) use the herbal essence knock-off from walmart. I wash my hair first thing in the shower and then apply the conditioner and allow it to “work” while I finish washing the bits.
I’ve actually read that this is highly recommended and that most dandruff problems can be solved this way, not in a day mind you, just as wealth creation doesn’t happen in a day or a week, it may take a little time, for me it was about two weeks and pretty much done.
July 14th, 2006 at 10:25 am
It’s the last thing I’d expect to read here but I am giving it a shot because nothing I’ve tried totally did the trick.
If this works, I will be irritated to know that the solution has been staring at me in the face for 2 years. That’s the shampoo I wash my daughter’s hair with!.
Jay
July 14th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
MacGyver Tip: Beat dandruff with baby shampoo…
Dandruff-sufferer J.D. says that he greatly reduced his shoulder snow not with Head and Shoulders or Denorex, but with Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo. I’ve been washing my hair with baby shampoo daily for the past two weeks. It hasn’t……
July 14th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
first shaving your head doesn’t help that much, dandruff is dry skin so you will simply make the problem easier to see. also I’ve heard that Listerine works, i tried it once but i couldn’t bear the burning sensation. but vive for men dandruff control works really well also
July 14th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Dandruff may be caused by different things (dry scalp, fungus, oily skin, eczema, reaction to shampoo…). So, if you see that the dandruff is coming back after a while, find a doctor/dermatologist to look at your scalp and r(x) an appropriate treatment.
Nizoral works fine for me when I get dandruff, but other shampoos sometimes made it worse.
good luck!
July 14th, 2006 at 7:56 pm
[...] Pequeño secreto del casposo de Get rich Slowly: [...]
July 14th, 2006 at 10:09 pm
I lived with bad dandruff for 30 years and finally went to see a dermatologist. He told me to try t-gel (extra strength) and it totally works. i can even wear dark shirts again. its not completely gone, but almost.
glad to hear the baby shampoo worked for you.
July 15th, 2006 at 12:25 am
Try using Shikekai shampoo. Shikekai is an indian ayurvedic herb with amazing anti-dandruff powers. It has been an indian traditional remedy for centuries!
In any case, herbals are the way to go. I strictly avoid ones like Head and Shoulders as they are full of chemicals and may damage hair. Try ones from ‘The body shop’ - their ginger shampoo has been working for me for almost half a decade now.
And yes, eliminating dandruff is not just all-shampooing. It requires eliminating bad eating habits. Junk food (especially oily ones) and aerated drinks are known dandruff catalysts.
July 15th, 2006 at 5:06 am
well I have made a mixture that works for me:
add in a baby shampoo a smalla mount (like 10% - 20%) of Head and Shoulders Sensitive.
This mixture works PERFECTLY for me. I use it for almost a year. Problems solved since.
try it…
July 15th, 2006 at 5:52 am
I’ve had dandruff for quite a while now, and the only thing that has really made me beat it was a combination of using coal tar shampoo (I used Ionil T), plus a topical application of Beprogel after drying my hair. It only took a week or so for the dandruff to start disappearing. I use coal tar shampoo maybe twice or thrice a week, and I’ve managed to be dandruff free, yay!
July 15th, 2006 at 11:07 am
I’ve been through everything, so I saw a dermatologist who recommended Clobex. It’s the only thing that’s ever worked. Clobex sounds scary (it’s got a steroid in it) but it works like a charm with no side effects from what I’ve seen.
July 15th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
Hey J.D. I’m using J&J’s baby shampoo regularly every week. It’s so “mild” that it wont hurt your scalp and it will keep you healthy. My heardresser told me and i was a bit skeptical, the way you were, but she said that that’s the best shampoo and if i had dandruff again, then use the anti-dandruff shampoo once per week along with the baby-sahmpoo. I use 3 different ones (H&S, T-Gel and a Spanish brand, all of them with different “active ingredient”) so my scalp doesnt get used to any of them.
Best regards from Bilbao, Spain.
July 15th, 2006 at 4:15 pm
It might be because of the the ingredients in the Baby shampoo. Most shampoos use an ingredient, the detergent agent, that is pretty strong - sodium lauryl sulfate. It’s probably stripping the natural oils out of your scalp so much that you end up with dry skin, not dandruff.
Baby shampoo tends to use a similar but less strong detergent agent called sodium laureth sulfate. You were probably overcleaning before and now the baby shampoo leaves more natural oil on your scalp.
If you haven’t yet, I highly encourage you to read up about all sorts of cosmetics issues at Cosmetics Cop by Paula Begoun. She’s an authority in the area of cosmetics and body product marketing and how the industry is so misleading. She has an article about dry scalp issues here.
July 17th, 2006 at 7:52 am
I find that using conditioner daily causes dandruff to increase. Since I stopped using conditioner, my dandruff has completely gone away. Has this worked for anyone else
July 17th, 2006 at 8:21 am
thanks for sharing the tip - here’s mine. i’ve had a variety of dry scalp issues that were greatly reduced when i switched hair styling products. I’ve used hair sprays, gels, waxes, etc. and they all irritate my scalp - and i’m talking angry red blotches. My solution was using a tiny bit of jojoba oil. It doesn’t hold very strongly but it conditions the scalp and has actually increased the body of my hair.
July 17th, 2006 at 1:40 pm
Baby shampoo did not work for me. I gave it a very fair chance — at least 2 months. My hair just got greasy sooner between shampoos and the flakes kept coming. My hair has never been so flat to my head.
I’ve tried everything under the sun. Lately, I tried Nioxin Step 1 shampoo and scalp therapy. It seems to be working. Kind of. For now. The scalp therapy (aka conditioner) seems to do its thing best if you leave it on a while before rinsing.
July 18th, 2006 at 4:14 pm
Sticking to one shampoo never worked for me, but I noticed that the first week after changing they actually worked.
Therefore, my regimen has worked since first started, everyday I use a shampoo with a different active ingredient, these include: selenium sulfide, tar, salicylic acid, zinc pyrithione, ketoconazole, and tea tree oil.
Also, not entirely necessary, but it helps if your hair is not growing wild lenghts.
Hope this helps. I will try the baby shampoo by itself, for a week; see if I add it to my arsenal.
July 30th, 2006 at 3:34 pm
It worked! One usage and it was almost gone. Two, and it was. It used to be really bad and now it’s delicious (-ly smooth and clean!). I suggested it should be added into the Wiki page for Dandruff, leaving a note on the discussion page (linking to the Lifehacker article).
August 21st, 2006 at 11:22 am
I tried this, actually all I had around was Johnson’s and Johnson’s Head to toe wash, and it worked for me, Ive also had no luck with Tgel, Selson Blue or anything, I exhausted any over the counter stuff, and was about to goto the doctor myself, when I saw this. Thanks!
August 23rd, 2006 at 5:48 am
johnson’s works
August 25th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
The baby shampoo didn’t work for me. My best treatment is Philip b anti-flake relief shampoo. The price is not cheap but it’s worth it. I have used it for years and nothing compares. PureBeauty carries it and they have a satisfaction guarantee policy so if it doesn’t work you can take it back without a problem.
February 5th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
I got eczema, but not too bad - can’t really notice genrally.
But dandruff ? - oh goodness.
I can only wear light shirts / jackets.
I have a real nice dark suit, and some cool black shirts etc that I couldn’t even think of wearing for past 3/4 years.
I tried T-Gel, all sorts.
When I was young I also had the problem but it was cured with some weird sulphur smelling stuff I had to put on at night, and wash out in the morning with a strong-smelling shampoo that stung - this was all under hospital supervision (I had bad eczema back then) - but it worked - I was in a week, and when I came out it was like 100% sorted!
So - I agree with Charles (post number 7) - I’ve tried all the herbal stuff, etc - but the dermatologist knows best dudes - if it affects your quality of life, see a doctor.
Otherwise - if you can’t afford it, just shave your head and plaster your wooden-top with cortisone and vaseline - 2 days you will be brand new.
If your wife won’t let you, tell her you got the advice from the doc - sorted !!!!
Whats the worst can happen ? - it’ll grow back in a few weeks anyway - and in the meantime it’s a good excuse to not have to go out shopping with the old dragon anyway - stay inside and watch T.V.
That’s my idea of fun
February 11th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
baby shampoo also smell good
March 2nd, 2007 at 7:11 am
I have it very bad.. But i put listerine in my hair when it looks bad.. a few seconds later its gone .. not sure about long term but if your going to go out in a few hours and your stressing.. use listerine.. and i shaved my head once and it looked worse!
March 23rd, 2007 at 3:50 am
Apple Vinegar. It works for me and it has worked for many ppl before me.
Put a good amount on a wet hair and give it a good 3-4min massage.
Wash it out with cold (or warm) water and a small amount of baby shampoo.
Cheers,
/bosnawi
March 29th, 2007 at 9:15 am
You can prevent dandruff using many cheap and effective home remedies.Warm coconut oil, lemon juice, apple cidar vinegar are other home remedies at http://www.wellnesstalk.org/dandruff.html will prevent further problems.
April 27th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
heat sesame oil with ginger and lemon juice.apply on the head when it’s warm,then shampoo with H&S,it really works.
June 29th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
I’VE TRIED EVERYTHING NOW I AM TRYIN THIS SHAMPOO CALLED QUEEN HANSEN DANDRUFF SHAMPOO AND IT WORKS BUT MAKES MY HAIR FEEL LIKE CRAP AFTER I DNT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO TRY BABY SHAMPOO MADE MY HAIR WORSE I USE TO BE ABLE TO AT LEAST WHERE BLACK EVERYONCE IN AWHILE BUT NOW IF I MOVE MY HAIR IT IS LIKE BEING IN COLORADO AGAIN HELPPPP!!!
September 16th, 2007 at 9:42 am
What follows below does not constitute medical advice.
No, no, no! Try this. First, cut your hair off with scissors. No need to by an electric razor. Now, shave your head with a razor that has at least three blades using a gel for your head. Let the hair grown for a week and use a natural bristle brush to wash your hair every other day. Do not go out in the sun with your head uncovered.Repeat this for three consecutive weeks you just let the hair grow normally and, most importantly if you are not allergic to it, wipe your hand with some alcohol-no, not beer or wine or booze-in it over your naked scalp. Don’t ask me why but this works for me. Meanwhile, visit Katrineholm, Sweden’s Katrineholm Review, OK?
November 7th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Hi All,
This problem is horrible!!i donno when and why this dandruf started anyways.
My experience is using H&S,clinic plus AD would stop it for some time. if one does not work I switch to other.It works.
and use a mild shampoo in between.
But my biggest problem is after using these so called AD shampoo my hair becomes crap and becomes so unmanagable…Okiee i will be back after using baby shampoo for some time.
November 8th, 2007 at 6:15 am
I had ddf for last 2 mnths . I just tried
1 tbl spoon oliveoil
1 spoon almondoil
1 spoon lemonjuice
1 spoon mild shampoo
make mixture of it and apply on sclap .
after 10 mins rinse off hair just in 3 days you can know the result
November 12th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
My boyfriend has terrible dandruff - His scalp is so dry it literally comes off in HUGE flakes and sometimes there’s even scabing, but lately it’s just been flakes ALL OVER his scalp and nothing I do seems to get rid of it. He’s bought tons of hair products that have never worked (he just bought Nioxin today so we’ll see how that goes) but I will definitly have him try the baby shampoo! Thanks for the advice and I’ll let you know how it goes.
November 22nd, 2007 at 8:45 pm
Use a Jojoba based shampoo. Jojoba is a shrub from the Southwest and the oil it contains works wonders. It works wonders for dry scalp, oily scalp, itchy scalp and of course that pesky dandruff!
December 4th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
I had dandruff FOREVER i was starting to think nothing would help it was so embarrassing. i had long hair and all the girls wanted to touch it but i said HELL NO. i bought selsun blue it didnt help. Then i bought this stuff called Nizoral i put it on 2 days ago and i noticed a change dramatically and u use it 2 times a week for 8 weeks and bam its gone. i have short hair now and i use gel. WOW gel makes it so worse. so ima grow my hair back out.
February 12th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
18 hrs. out of 24 hrs in a day, I keep thinking about my dandruff problem……..the rest 6 hrs i sleep.
i’m not even sure if its dandruff or some scalp problem…..everytime i comb my hair, it takes me 5 minutes to shove the snow flakes and pieces of hair , off the back of my shirt and shoulders……..god its 1000 times better to be bald……i even tried that…..but when the hair grew, along came the dandruff
February 13th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Lush’s Soak and Float bar works for me (added benefit - smells like my favorite tea, lapsang souchong), but I haven’t tried the baby shampoo. The Lush is almost gone, so before getting another bar I’ll try the J&J. Thanks!
February 13th, 2008 at 9:16 am
My outragious dandruff turned out to be psoriasis. I felt like I tried every shampoo, cream, whatever… and the only thing that worked was Luxiq, a VERY expensive prescription medication. But, man, it WORKS!
February 13th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I found I was actually allergic to ingredients in shampoos and this caused the dandruff. I now use Arbonne tea Tree oil shampoo and it has not only rid my head of dandruff, but I don’t have sinus reactions to the fragrances in other shampoos. It may seem a bit pricey, but it has a metered pump and I am the only one who uses it. I use only a 1/2 pump and my first bottle lasted 2 years. (no I am not a representative of Arbonne, but I have bad allergies to fragrances. This was the FIRST one that I didn’t react to immediately.)
February 16th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
hey!
)
argh, this dandruff is itchy!
i don’t know what to do with it! it my family saids to run it under olive oil, but its didnt work. I am really glad to hear about your expermenet, and that it was worked. i have try this tomorrow! when i have tomorrow go to his shop to buy his eggs to me, i have tomorrow buy the shampoo for babys, bot for me! thankyou alot much for the informacion, and mani thanks from my family, becos they have not to see my horribel her anemore! Luumi
(excuce me for the wreting, if wrong, i do not speaked english usully!
March 3rd, 2008 at 3:16 am
dude, me too! not the wife thing but the dandruff thing. i used H&s and a bunch of others it would work for a bit then iut would get worse. I think i got dandruff from shampooing my hair too much, or from shampooing it with anti dandruff shampoo when i didnt have it. i used the no tears stuff and it did wonders, it was gentle on my hair and i no longer have the problem.
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:12 am
I have an 8 month old baby so already had J&J. I could not believe after first wash, those awful flakes were about 90 percent gone. I could not believe it. After two weeks of use it’s all gone! My husband and I will continue to use it. I have used other OTC shampoos, it must be baby shampoo has no harsh chemicals. Thank you so much for going public!
June 4th, 2008 at 12:19 am
All AD Shampoo’s are NASTY for your hair, they might work for a while, but they were never designed to be used exclusively (even though the directions don’t say this), once a week should be enough & only when you have dandruff, the rest of the time use a very mild shampoo like J&J Baby, No tears formula. Experiment. You just might be allergic to the one your using or you may be using to much, try just enough to lather up your hair & only one wash, try with & without Conditioner.
I use TRESemme Vitamin E & Aloe
Colour Revitalising Shampoo & NO Conditioner, it uses the same AI as J&J Baby NT, Sodium Laureth Sulfate. No problems at all now, costs a bit, but it is large 900ml, so lasts a long time.
It’s because of the the “active” ingredients (AI) in shampoo’s, this is usually listed on the front, otherwise it’s first on the back, this detergent usually is very strong:-
These two are particularly Nasty:-
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
These two are very mild:-
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
These fist two are probably stripping the natural oils out of your scalp leaving you with dry skin, not dandruff.
Baby Shampoo’s use a similar but less strong detergent agent called Sodium Laureth Sulfate, don’t know if there is one with Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, but look at them all, check out all the Baby & Kids shampoo’s.
Some of the ingredients in Shampoo’s, make you wonder if it’s castoff’s from a dangerous chemical dump!
Also if you have dandruff & you use other hair products like Hair Gel, Spray, Oils, Creams or Colours , stop using these first to see if that helps.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:37 am
hi there,
Me too, i have a bad case of dandruff. I use Kerastase Bain Gommage shampoo. It takes out the itch and reduces it to an acceptable level.
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:22 pm
I took Apocimedidene to induce immune(wart in hand)to fight HPV with nitrogen freezing treatment. 6 months past, now I don’t have any visible warts. One thing I noticed was that my head itching stopped while I was taking apocimedidene tablets. Now it came back. I went to the doctor & got prescription again. Will let you know, if it goes away.
If this cures or stops it, then I have to find a way to boost immune system & or reduce acid level in my food. apocimeditine is basically the same as anti-acid tablets.
September 7th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
I used to have the same problem with Dandruff. As a kid, I was diagnosed as having Psoriasis on the scalp. Over the years, I tried a variety of shampoos (pretty much every one mentioned here) and many herbal remedies but, nothing seemed to help. What worked for me was… wait for it…Working out! That’s right! Exercise!!
I noticed one day that, all i need to do is run a couple of miles. In other words, run until the point that I worked up a good sweat and that took care of my ’snow’. Half an hour swimming laps in the pool also works just as well. One thing to point out is that if there is a break in my workout regiment of more than a week, the condition flares up right again. So, this isn’t an absolute solution. You have to keep exercising to keep the dandruff off your head. But exercise never hurt anyone, right? Plus, it’s free and with the money you save on those expensive anti-dandruff shampoos, you could get rich just that little bit quicker.
September 8th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Make a rinse with Vinegar and water. Be sure to massage into the scalp. Rinse a bit to take away vinegary smell. Some dradruff is caused by a fungus (like athletes foot) and vinegar helps to kill the fungus. Thank
October 15th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Ive had dandruff for as long as i can remember, it is so embarassing especially back in school when it used to pile on my shoulders. I used head and shoulders which was hopeless, i used to oil my scalp (mum told me that helped) everything. Only recently i got a free tester of this l’oreal evlive Active Selenium S Shampoo and conditioner. Incredible, worked like a charm, havent had dandruff since it touched my hair. I couldn’t believe it. I recommend everyone who has dandruff to try it.
November 10th, 2008 at 8:46 am
I had horrible dandruff problem for the past 4-5 years. Flakes of skin would just come off my skull. The worst part was it used to itch in the skull most of the times. It was almost a nightmare for me, since I didn’t had dandruff before that. I had dried H &S, Nizorol, Pantene, Garnier, and even some herbal shampoos! None of them were of any great use, because the flakes would appear the day after I wash my hair, no matter what.
I was researching about dandruff remedies and I came across this article of J.D.’s. I thought of giving it a try and bought a small bottle of JOHNSON’S® Baby Shampoo at ShopRite. Oh boy….I don’t know what this shampoo does or what contents it has, it just made my dandruff problem disappear…almost!
I wash my hair 3 times a week and I should say the dandruff has reduced more than 75%.
http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/product.do?id=47
Cheers to Johnson’s baby shampoo and J.D. for sharing the secret
November 10th, 2008 at 8:55 am
@ my last comment
The worst part was it used to itch in the “scalp” (not skull) most of the times.
Sorry for the typo people.
I will keep you guys updated about the dandruff situation.