Saturday, April 2, 2011

Mission: D.A.N.D.R.U.F.F.

I've been gone for a while because of spring break. I flew to Tennessee to stay at my grandma's house to visit her, my cousins, aunts and uncle.
Lately, my dandruff has really been bothering me. A lot. I know it has something to do with my hair not growing at the rate I think it should be growing. (Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. Healthy scalps do not have dandruff). I really should have tackled this problem months ago, when I first started my hair journey. BUT I thought I did get rid of it.
When I started my HJ it was the first time I ever moisturized and sealed my hair. I thought I was supposed to use the oil directly on my scalp. Doing that didn't get rid of my dandruff, it just masked the issue. I've realized that to really get long healthy hair, I have to quit running from my scalp caring for my scalp.


I've stopped using oil directly on my scalp. (I actually don't think I need oil on my hair everyday-maybe a few days a week I'll moisturize and seal, other nights I'll just moisturize.)


1. What's causing the dandruff?
I've looked up causes of dandruff many times, and few causes apply to me.
  1. overactive oil glands (maybe, but I never thought I had 'oily' hair. Especially since I'm black and black hair tends to be dry)
  2.  food allergies (none that I know of)
  3. stress (Nope...not this either)
  4. excessive perspiration (No, I don't work out that often and I'm not a naturally sweaty person)
  5. harsh shampoos (Maybe...? Not sure. But I've switched shampoos so often, I'm sure one wasn't that harsh)
  6. dry skin (maybe on my scalp, not on my face though. Does your scalp and face have two different skin types?)
 2. Plan to get rid of the dandruff.
Easy. Pre-pooing. However, this time, I'm going to use Witch Hazel. Witch Hazel is a stinky plant that is good for everything! I originally bought witch hazel to be used as a facial toner (before clinique). (Tip for summer: I also use it as after shave to prevent razor burn) I've also read that it can help with dandruff. My plan is to put this directly on to my scalp to let it sit for at least thirty minutes then wash as normal, or then put what ever pre-poo mixture I want to use that day on my hair and let it sit for a while.



This is the brand I use.
I bought it at Target for around $3.
side note: witch hazel is also a crazy witch lady on looney tunes
There are other home-remedies that I want to try also, here are some that sound interesting to me:
-crushing aspirin into shampoo, letting it sit for two minutes, rinsing it out.
-returning to apple cider vinegar rinses
-cleaning my hair brushes more often

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