Millions of people around the world are annoyed by dandruff. Home treatments, medicated shampoos, dermatological therapies, we try everything to get rid of it, but, do we know what’s causing it?
What causes dandruff?
Scalp cells (like all skin cells) have a life cycle and ultimately die. In a healthy scalp, that’s the natural monthly process, where dead cells are gently washed or brushed away in our daily routine without being noticed. However, what we know as dandruff is a phenomenon that occurs with the presence of a fungus.
As noted on the website of a famous dandruff treatment product: “Dandruff itself is not a fungus, although it is caused by the presence of a naturally occurring fungus, Malassezia globose.”
Malassezia feeds on the fatty oils secreted by the hair follicles. Sometimes, for reasons still unknown, the fungus multiplies out of control causing a skin irritation that accelerates the scalp cellular renewal.
This irritation increases scalp sebum production, causing the process of desquamation and cellular regeneration to accelerate, in the search to get rid of the irritating agent, causing the skin to shred into small pieces, similar to those produced by sunburn, forming flakes, stinging and the typical snowy shoulders.
How to prevent dandruff caused by fungus
- Use an anti-dandruff shampoo based on zinc, sulfur or selenium. However, they can be very aggressive with the skin, so once the infection is under control, use it accompanied by moisturizing treatments or natural hair masks.
- Wash your hair with lukewarm or cold water: Using hot water stimulates sebum production. Rinse with cold water to reactivate blood circulation and strengthen scalps skin.
- Minimize the use of hair products like gel, waxes or lacquer, since they can be irritating.
- Improve your hair washing techniques to clean the scalp thoroughly.
- Make sure to follow a balanced diet, with few acidic foods and foods rich in vitamins and vegetable proteins.
