7 Natural Recipes To End Your Dandruff Woes

Tired of that itchy, flaky nuisance on your scalp? Dandruff can make you want to go urrgh! Of course that comes after you start getting the ‘eww’ and side-eye from people who notice that the top of your coat always looks like you’ve been in a snowstorm, even in sunny weather.

If you let your frustration with dandruff get to you, you will rip your scalp to shreds raking at it with your nails or with a comb, but we can’t have that when we are in pursuit of healthy hair.

In case you are still wondering why these pesky flakes keep coming back, it is important that you know it’s most cases it’s not simply product buildup and it’s not always just dry scalp. Dandruff can actually result from psoriasis, a scalp condition known as seborrheic dermatitis, eczema or even an overgrowth of fungus that operates like yeast.

There are loads of dandruff shampoos on the market (remember Selsun Blue and Sulphur 8?), but if you follow the curly girl method and are on a no-poo regimen, or the dandruff shampoos are not easily available where you are, you might be interested in finding natural means of addressing your dandruff situation.

So with that in mind here are 7 natural recipes to end your dandruff woes.

1. Callaloo Leaves

Yep! Believe it or not that green leafy vegetable callaloo is great for dandruff that is caused by eczema. All you need to do is get three leaves, and put them in boiling water in a covered pot (the pot must be covered to keep all the goodness from escaping in vapors}. The water will take on a green tinge.

Let the leaves sit in the water until the water is about lukewarm, then either douse hour scalp and hair with it or put it in a spray bottle for a more controlled application.

This is applied after shampooing and right before conditioning. You can let it sit on your scalp under your conditioner or you can choose to wash it out before applying your conditioner. Just make sure to let it sit on your scalp for at least 15 minutes.

2. Round Turmeric

You are probably used to seeing the powder in the spice aisle at the supermarket but fresh turmeric comes from the yellow ginger plant and also looks vaguely similar to fresh ginger. Some research has shown turmeric to contain antibacterial and antifungal properties which may stop dandruff in its tracks.

To prepare, you need to pound the rhizomes to a pulp and then massage the juice onto your scalp and hair. Leave it on overnight then rinse and continue with your moisturizing regimen as usual.

3. Gugo Bark & Calamansi

Gugo Bark (Entada Phaseoloides) comes from a very large tree found in the Philippines where it is widely used in hair care.

Saponine is a group of chemical compounds found in gugo bark and is beneficial for treatment of hair fall, eczema and dandruff.

Calamansi (Filipino Lime) comes from the citrus family and is said to be slightly different than regular lime. The calamansi is used because of its vitamin C* potency and we all know Vitamin C* is great for hair and for promoting healing properties in cells.

When the gugo bark is  soaked in water it will produce a lather which may be used as shampoo. To prepare your gugo bark cleanser soak the gugo bark in water for at least 30 minutes.

Squeeze out the juice in the water and put in the juice of 3 calamansi. Mix well and use this as your cleanser. It is supposed to cut down dandruff and use over time should prevent dandruff altogether.

4. Sabila aka Aloe Vera Leaves

This is just another name for the Aloe Vera. In the natural hair community you know we sing the praises of aloe vera ever so often and here’s another reason we hail this plant; it has dandruff fighting properties!

Pare off the green outer skin of a leaf until you get to the gel inside. You can cut out the gel and blend it then apply it to your scalp and rub it in as you would your shampoo. Cover your head with a plastic cap and let it sit for 15 minutes then rinse.

5. Baking Soda

There are contrasting views on the use of baking soda on your hair. With its high alkalinity and when used too often it may increase the porosity of your hair too much. Of course this is fine if your hair is low porosity anyway and when practising regimens like the maximum hydration method.

To use, wet your hair and rub some baking soda onto your scalp. The combination of the mild exfoliating effect and baking soda’s anti fungal properties will subdue the overactive fungi that causes dandruff and effectively stop dandruff in its tracks.

6. ACV Spritz

Owing to the acidity of apple cider vinegar* yeast will have a hard time growing and creating dreadful dandruff when you use an ACV mix to spritz your scalp. Just mix a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar* (ACV) with a quarter cup of water.

Transfer the mixture to a spray bottle  so you can spritz your scalp. After applying, allow it to sit anywhere from 15-60 minutes, then wash your hair as usual.

7. Lemon Juice

Massaging your scalp daily with lemon juice and rinsing with water or doing a lemon rinse will inhibit the yeast-like growth on the scalp.

This tends to be effective because of the acidity in the lemon which helps balance the pH of your scalp. By doing so often you will successfully control the environment and make it virtually impossible for dandruff to grow.

Well there you have it, quick and easy natural solutions to banish dandruff from your scalp. Now you have one less thing to worry about.