13 home remedies for dandruff

Dandruff is among the most common infections in the world. One in every two people is likely to be infected. It’s an itchy fungi growing at the base of the hair on the scalp. But just how can we get rid of it? Without spending much. Is there any home remedy for dandruff?

The causes of dandruff vary from environmental to generic reasons. Lack of moisture on the scalp can also cause dandruff. When this happens, there is the creation of dry flakes. Excess oil on the scalp may also encourage the growth of bacteria and fungus, which may further support the growth of dandruff.

People spend sums of money trying to find a solution to this condition. However, the good news is that this is something you can treat at home. Just like the prescriptions over the counter, homemade remedies could be just as effective. What’s even better is that with the home remedies, you don’t have to go deeper into the pocket.

In this article there are natural remedies and essential oils that can help you get rid of dandruffs at home. They both remove scaly skin and cure your sculp.

Here are some 13 easy home remedies for dandruffs

1. Neem leaves

Neem leaves have antifungal and antibacterial properties that suppress the growth of bacteria. For this reason, it can make just the perfect home remedy for dandruff. It has overtime proven to give a lot of relief from redness of the scalp and itchiness.

There’s no single doubt of a positive result with neem leaves. So if you have dandruff and you can get some neem leaves, here’s what you need to do:

Take the leaves and put them in a container. Then pound until it turns into a soft paste. If that would be long well, grind them in a mixer; it’s even faster. To make the paste thick and sticky, add a few tablespoons of honey and mix.

You can then apply the mask to your scalp and leave for twenty minutes. After washing your hair with cold water, you’ll have a well-nourished scalp feeling fresh and relieved.

If you don’t have time to make a paste or if you may find that difficult to do, then here’s a better option: You can simply boil the neem leaves in clean water for about 1 minutes and sieve. Then keep the filtrate in a spray bottle. You can then spray it on your hair every time just before washing.

If you make any of those a habit, your dandruff may be a story in just two weeks.

2. Yoghurt

I know what you’re thinking, yoghurt on your head! Well, not exactly that. First think of this: Yoghurt has anti-inflammatory and cooling properties essential for dandruff treatment. It can also help a great deal with itchy and dry scalps that dandruff brings about. And it’s not exactly about taking the yoghurt and applying on your hair directly. You need a DIY mask. Here is the simple step.

Take a quarter cup of yoghurt and mix with peeled, smashed papaya. Apply this paste in your hair and on the scalp and leave it for about 30 minutes. Then wash your hair as you normally do. You will have clean hair without the worry of dandruff falling onto your shoulders.

What’s even better with this treatment is that you don’t need to do it daily. Not even weekly. Just twice a month for a couple of months and your dandruff is completely gone.

3. Aloe Vera

For far too long, this has been a legendary herb. No wonder many skin ointments, lotions, and cosmetics use it for an ingredient.

A research in 2020 tested Aloe Vera and proved that is indeed effective against many species of fungi. Fungi being the primary cause of dandruff, Aloe Vera certainly would help a great deal.

Further, Aloe Vera reduces inflammation, which subsequently relieves the symptoms of dandruff.

If the underlying causes of your dandruff are burns, psoriasis, or cold sores, aloe Vera is the best for you.

Cut a fresh Aloe Vera leaf and trap or scoop out the gel. Apply the gel directly to your scalp and massage for about 15 minutes. Then leave it for another 30 minutes and wash.

This treatment will leave you with a nourished feeling of freshness and a soft hair. Make this a habit every once in a month and your hair eventually adapts and remains this cool forever.

Make a point, if you can, to try this out and you won’t regret it.

4. Coconut Oil

Apart from its many other multiple health benefits, coconut oil is a natural remedy for dandruffs. A recent study by Saxena et al., has confirmed that coconut oil has antimicrobial properties. This makes it effective to counteract dandruffs. It’s also packed with effective properties that help calm irritation and counteract their underlying causes.

Moreover, coconut oil helps improve skin hydration, preventing it from drying up; this reduces the risk of dandruff infection. Adding to its counter parasitic properties, it helps with itchiness and relief to the scalp.

A 2020 research likened its effectiveness in improving skin condition to mineral oil. It can also help treat eczema, a skin condition that is often linked to dandruff.

In just eight weeks, coconut oil can improve skin condition up to 68%.

So if you have second thoughts, why not try it?

You can make it right in your kitchen. Just take the coconut and pound it into a soft paste. You don’t even need to sieve. Better yet, if you have an already made coconut oil, you can use it. Take about 4 to 6 tablespoons of coconut oil and lemon juice and apply into your scalp. For extra nourishment and sweet fragrance, you may add a few drops of any essential oils. Allow it to settle for about an hour. Take a shower and shampoo normally. Then sit back and watch your hair glow.

5. Mashed Banana

If you have been keen enough, you must have noticed many hair products using a banana as an ingredient. It’s not by accident, they know the secret; banana has great medicinal value to the hair. The fruit has antimicrobial properties that aids in the clean-up of dry scalps. Their great moisturizing properties also brings about an incredible nourishment to the hair.

All you need to do is take a banana and blend or mash. Mix the mash with a few tablespoons of olive or coconut oil. Note that here blending is preferable because it makes cleaning up of the containers used much easier. Then massage this mixture into the scalp and let it stay for about ten minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water and shampoo.

If you do this just once a week, the results would be amazing in just a few months.

6. Garlic

You may not like its pungent smell, but you will definitely love its medicinal value. Garlic is a strong anti-fungal natural product. Its medicinal components have been extracted and infused in many products, nevertheless, its natural strength and value holds.

It can help reduce dandruff by suppressing the growth of its causing fungi. To get it to work perfectly for you, this is what you need to do.

Pound a clove of garlic or two depending on the size. Mix well with clean water. To fix the smell, you can add a few drops of honey or any other compatible oil. Apply the paste on the scalp and leave for about ten minutes. Then wash with shampoo.

It leaves your hair looking and feeling fresh and moisturized. Do this a few times each week and in just a month, the results will amaze you.

7. Apple cider vinegar

Among many other health benefits, Apple cider vinegar is a workable home remedy for dandruffs. The acidity of the vinegar can help stimulate the shedding of dead skin cells, causing dandruffs on the scalp.

Apple cider vinegar also helps to balance the pH of the skin. A skin with a balanced pH is a death sentence for fungi causing dandruffs.

Test tube studies and anecdotal evidence confirm that this vinegar is an effective home remedy for dandruff.

To try this out, add three to four tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to your shampoo at a time. Alternatively, you can mix with other essential oils and spray it directly onto your hair. After about two weeks, the results will, for sure, be positive.

8. Aspirin

One of the primary components of aspirin is salicylic acid. This acid has great anti-inflammatory properties. For this reason, many anti-dandruff shampoos have salicylic acid as an ingredient.

Salicylic acid loosens flakes and aids in getting rid of scaly skin, making them easier to fall off.

A study in 2019 subjected 21 people with dandruffs to a study to observe the effectiveness of salicylic acid. They were divided into two groups. One group used anti-dandruff shampoos without salicylic acid, while the other used shampoos with salicylic acid. In just four weeks, the results were amazing. The condition of dandruff in the group using salicylic acid containing shampoos was much better than the former.

Now, instead of going the long way of searching through the ingredients of different shampoos, why not take it directly from the source? At home? Aspirin contains a significant amount of the same salicylic acid found in the anti-dandruff shampoos. What’s even better is that it has absolutely no side effects.

Crush two tablets of aspirin and add the powder to your shampoo, then wash your hair and wait to see it glow.

9. Baking Soda

So easy to find and convenient to afford, baking soda is a readily available quick home remedy for dandruff.

It is a gentle exfoliate with an incredible ability to remove dead skin cells, reduce itchiness and scaling. It also has antifungal properties significant to fighting dandruffs.

In a test tube study to measure its effects in counteracting dandruff, baking soda proved efficient in 79 percent of the specimen in just seven days.

In a different study, baking soda proved to significantly reduce itchiness and irritation in 43 people with psoriasis. Baking soda baths helps bring great relief from itchiness resulting from dandruff.

To get the best out of this, try applying baking soda directly to your moist hair, then massage into the scalp. Leave for about two minutes then shampoo the hair as usual.

10. Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties necessary to treat dandruff. It can, therefore, provide great relief from the symptoms of dandruff. In fact, tea tree oil is effective at straining the fungus, causing dandruff and dermatitis. It also clears pores, bringing about a great moisture to the hair.

If you refer to (Saini 2018) experiment, you find that tea tree oil was effective in relieving half of the sample population of their dandruff symptoms. The other half who were not subjected to other treatments showed lower improvement from their initial condition. Tea tree oil also improved itchiness and greasiness in the patients.

You can try this incredible homemade remedy for dandruff.

However, be forewarned that tea tree oil may cause a mild irritation, especially to persons with sensitive or other underlying skin conditions. It is therefore advisable to dilute by adding a few drops to carrier oils like coconut oil without applying in the body.

11.  Probiotics

Most bacteria are not good for health, but probiotics is one of the very few exceptions. Their benefits include protecting the body against allergies, increased weight loss and lower cholesterol levels. Better yet, probiotics help boost immunity, making them suitable to help fight dandruff.

Of course, this is tested and proven. A 2017 study, on 42 people with dandruff confirmed that after 45 days of taking probiotics rich food, their condition significantly improved. This is, therefore, one of the most efficient homemade remedies for dandruff.

Probiotics also increase the skin conditions, like dermatitis and scales, on the skin. Its ability to improve the conditions is, however, more significant in children and infants. But what exactly are probiotics, and where can we get them?

Probiotics are available in supplement forms for convenient and quick doses. They can also be found in many fermented foods, including kimchi, tempeh and sauerkraut.

How about you try adding some probiotics to your diet?

12. Consumption of Chia seeds for Omega-3

They play a significant role in the body immunity development, including enrichment of the skin. This makes the fatty fish a perfect homemade remedy for dandruff.

Omega-3 not only makes up the cell membrane but also boosts the function of the heart, lungs and the immune system. They are also important in boosting skin health. Omega-3 help manage oil production and hydration of the skin. It also helps boost the healing of wounds and prevents premature aging.

When a person’s body is deficient in omega-3, they may show symptoms like dry skin, dry hair, and dandruff. That the more one consumes omega-3, the better they stand to fight against dandruffs.

Omega-3 can also relieve one of the uncomfortable symptoms of dandruff, like irritation.

The sources of this nutrient include flaxseed, Brussels sprouts, and walnuts.

13. Minimize stress levels

Apart from the physical treatments, emotional and psychological conditions can also worsen not only dandruff but also other health conditions.

 Stress, for example, affects significant aspects of life. Physical and psychological. Hormonal imbalance, which affects the body’s ability to fight infections, characterizes high levels of stress; a condition that fungal infections capitalizes to thrive.

Although stress does not cause dandruffs, it escalates symptoms like itching and dryness. This creates a good condition for the continued growth and spread of dandruffs.

Ideally, by reducing your stress levels, you are making it harder for the fungi, causing dandruffs to grow and multiply.

A study in (2021) on 78 people with seborrheic dermatitis showed that about 90 percent of the patients had preceding conditions of stress. Seborrheic dermatitis is one of the most common causes of dandruffs.

People with stress not only find it difficult to recover from the other health conditions but also to recover from dandruffs. Working on your stress levels is one significant step closer to recovering from dandruffs.

If you want to save some cash while getting rid of dandruff, try one or two of the above. You will feel the effects almost immediately and in just a few months, the ultimate freedom at last.