10 Tips To Treat Dandruff In An Afro
Dandruff is very common to natural hair because of how susceptible to dryness natural tresses are. Luckily, you can treat dandruff easily.
Almost all of us experience dandruff at one point or another. Those white flaky particles that appear on your scalp can be due to a variety of reasons. Factors including stress, oily skin, infrequent shampooing and dryness, Malassezia (a production of yeast) can all result in dandruff.
The common misconception is that oiling your scalp will keep dandruff away, but that may not be true. Instead, follow these tips to help you treat dandruff in afro hair.
1. Cleanse Thy Scalp
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Say it with me now, "a clean scalp is a happy scalp". Some people believe that "dirty" hair grows faster. Instead, that build-up could not only slow down new growth, but it can also cause dandruff.
Ensure that your scalp is cleaned using a shampoo or clarifyer like an apple cide vinegar rinse regularly. That doesn't mean everyday, because aftro hair, especially can ed up getting dry.
2. Choose The Correct Shampoo
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You want to ensure that you're shampoo is right for your hair. If dandruff is your main concern, use a moisturizing shampoo like Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Extra-Moisture Retention Shampoo, $10.99.
You can also opt for something anti-dandruff. Try Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, $8.60. It's an anti-dandruff shampoo that's dermatologically tested and fragrance-free.
3. Don't Use Your Nails To Scrub
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Your scalp is more gentle than you think, and as such, you need to treat it with care. It's lovely to get a good scrubbing when shampooing but avoid using your nails. Instead, use the base of your fingertips to massage your scalp.
There are also gentle scalp scrubbing tools that can help you, get in there, so to speak. Many of them are made from silicone to be extra gentle and soothing.
4. Massage Your Scalp
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Massages are perfect anywhere on your body. In addition to the soothing feeling you get from a massage, it can actually help you with lymphatic drainage and healthy hair growth while gently removing dead skin.
Scalp massages are also said to promote hair growth because of the increased blood flow to the scalp. So if your also looking for a bit of a groth, a massage may be wortht the try. At the very least, you'll feel more relaxed.
5. Manage Stress
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Correctly managing your stress levels just allows your body to flourish in nearly every aspect, not only your hair and scalp.
Stress that goes unmanaged is detrimental not only to your mental health and wellbeing. Make sure that you're using good coping mechanisms to keep you and your scalp optimum.
6. Tea Tree Oil
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Particularly if your dandruff is caused by Malassezia, tea tree oil is touted for its anti-fungal properties, which will help fight yeast production.
Ways that you can encorporate this all important oil is in your daily spritzer or add a few drops into your shapoo. Like all essential oils, never use tea tree oil as it is witout mixing eaiter with a carrier oil like coconut or jojoba oil or another product.