how do i fix my dandruff while not having brittle, ugly hair

Organichu

(unfortunately i just got a haircut so any pictures i might take wouldn't really showcase the problem)

so

my favorite hairstyle, generally, is reasonably short- a 2 clipper on the sides and back, with the top scissor cut shortish

it pretty much looks like this:



when my hair is like this, i am mostly fine. i've used a few different shampoos (usually with tea tree oil), and as long as i shampoo pretty regularly i can keep my flakes at bay

but

a.) eventually i start to develop 'real' bangs and general length, and i don't want to have to get a haircut every few weeks

b.) eventually i want to 'try' other hairstyles

and the issue is that my hair gets brittle

it starts to look kind of dry and frayed and like hay- i don't really know the terminology, but i guess it has no 'body'

sort of like when you're out in a really harsh wind and afterwards your hair looks kind of beat up and dead?

that's how my hair often looks, when i let it get some length/weight



this is with like, hair cream- and soon after a shower, so it's not so bad

but if i ever let my hair get that long, i pretty much have to choose between

a.) flakey

or

b.) dead looking

how do i get the best of both worlds? what practices or products do i need to implement?

Arivia

outside of recommending head and shoulders, I have no idea

gotta say though

you look good in those pictures, 'chu

you can be my frankenstein anyday

radroadkill

Lush, Soak and Float shampoo bar.

It's pretty epic and don't let the campfire smell dissuade you.

Feral

I have similar issues.

First off, your regular drugstore dandruff shampoo is murder on dry hair. I used this instead:



Second, I don't use it every time I shampoo. Do you shampoo every day? You probably shouldn't. Shampoo every other day, and then alternate between a dandruff shampoo and good moisturizing shampoo. I like this stuff.



Finally, are you exercising right now? I find my dandruff gets worse when I'm not sweating on a regular basis.

Organichu

thanks y'all

yeah feral i'm running around 30 miles a week

Feral

The other thing that's worth a try is to try different active ingredients.

There are basically four active ingredients on the market for dandruff:

- Pyrithione zinc (Head and Shoulders)
- Selenium sulfide (Selsun Blue)
- Coal Tar (T-Gel)
- Ketoconazole (Nizoral)

Try each one! One of them is going to work better than the others.

I personally find that pyrithione zinc and coal tar work best for me. Nizoral makes it a lot worse, and selenium sulfide doesn't work quite as well as the others. But YMMV.

Feral

By the way, I don't work for Biolage, I swear. I just love their products.

Especially this:



This is the best stuff ever for dry fine brittle hair.

radroadkill

If you want to do research into ingredients to compare/learn fun things the one the the shampoo bar I recommended is cade oil. Smells like smoke, great for flakies and itching. Also the lavender in there will help any sort of oil imbalances on the scalp.

Lachrymite

I've had good luck with goatee dandruff shampooing it with T-Gel.

Raif Severance

Feral wrote: »

The other thing that's worth a try is to try different active ingredients.

There are basically four active ingredients on the market for dandruff:

- Pyrithione zinc (Head and Shoulders)
- Selenium sulfide (Selsun Blue)
- Coal Tar (T-Gel)
- Ketoconazole (Nizoral)

Try each one! One of them is going to work better than the others.

I personally find that pyrithione zinc and coal tar work best for me. Nizoral makes it a lot worse, and selenium sulfide doesn't work quite as well as the others. But YMMV.

These are all great recommendations and I would try them in the order that Feral has them listed. The thing to remember with the head and shoulders and selsun blue is to make sure you shampoo them in and then leave it on for at least 5 minutes before washing it off. If you don't let it absorb into your scalp it won't do anything for you.

I'm not sure if you're using conditioner, unless "hair cream" is conditioner. If you aren't, then you should since that's the best defense against the whole brittle hair thing.

One more thing: Tea tree oil can be allergenic and can actually be worsening your condition so I would use that with caution.

Zeon

T-gel is the best, i liked it when i used it.

Also what helps is NOT shampooing your hair every day. You can get it wet, run your hands through it, get the water all over your head, but dont use shampoo. Everyones a bit different in how long they can get away with it, but i generally only shampoo every 4th day or so. If you have really oily hair you might only be able to skip one day, if you have really really dry hair you might be able to go a full week. Not shampooing every day has drastically improved my hair and my scalp, i used to have pretty bad dandruff, now i dont really have any.

Namel3ss

Feral wrote: »

The other thing that's worth a try is to try different active ingredients.

There are basically four active ingredients on the market for dandruff:

- Pyrithione zinc (Head and Shoulders)
- Selenium sulfide (Selsun Blue)
- Coal Tar (T-Gel)
- Ketoconazole (Nizoral)

Try each one! One of them is going to work better than the others.

I personally find that pyrithione zinc and coal tar work best for me. Nizoral makes it a lot worse, and selenium sulfide doesn't work quite as well as the others. But YMMV.

Well, I tried them all, in that order actually and the only one that worked for me is Nizoral. I used to have it really bad, but I used Nizoral daily until it went away and now I just use it once a week with that Biolage Matrix shampoo listed above for the other days. My hair is the best its ever been.

Harridan

My girlfriend has this same issue with her chinlength (and in trying to grow it shoulder length) hair and scalp. She has extremely dry hair, so she shampoos every other day and works in the dandruff shampoo, as other have stated.
As her hair grows out it is brittle and her curls fray out. The only thing that has helped her is to use aloe vera gel (100%) on her damp hair (as if it were product), and her hair markedly improved. She now occasionally uses an alojoba shampoo/conditioner since the aloe was such a success, i think its bumblebumble brand.

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

I have the same problem (and arrived at a similar haircut as a solution, natch.)

I have pretty good like with the otc t-gel shampoo; I also often carry some facial lotion to rub on my frontal scalp when it gets really dried out.

The advice about not shampooing every day is also good. Skin is pretty decent at regulating moisture, but washing too often can throw things off.

If you really want to wear your hair longer, it might be best to seek the advice of a professional stylist. That'll be expensive and you'll probably wind up spending to try a bunch of different product, but it really is a matter of finding something that works for you.

Wassermelone

I have had the same problem - and then some. I had terrible itchy scalp as well - it was like it was on goddamn fire.

After Selsun blue/Head and shoulders did nothing for me (my head would stay itchy even while I was washing it), I tried a shampoo called "Nourish + Moisturize" and it was like a lightbulb appeared over my head. Its by Aveeno who is, apparently, really well known for their products for treatment of skin conditions or some such (this knowledge later came in handy when I got shingles).

Another thing you can do which seems to help is coconut oil. You put enough virgin coconut oil in to coat your hair and leave it in for anywhere from an hour to over night, and wash it out. Seriously. Just try it.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5000732_use-coconut-oil-hair-treatment.html

wogi

I use a pharmaceutical supplement. It goes on after you wash your hair, and really has no affect on the hair itself. Go Rx, screw Denorex, that stuff is worthless.

Xaquin

Selsun Blue Moisturizing is the only thing that worked for me. Head and Shoulders and T-Gel did nothing for me. I find that using Neutrogena shampoo once a week gets rid of any buildup.


I'd also worry that you're apparently about to be killed!

bowen

I remember the salon I got my haircut at when I was a teenager carried medical shampoos that were much better than normal shampoos. I had horrible dandruff that none of those others fixed. The saloon shampoo was amazing. Made my hair soft and got rid of my dandruff permanently. Basically they advise you to use it for about 3-6 months straight, and then ween yourself slowly off.

I think it eventually turned into that Matrix product someone else linked. Try that.

wogi

The lesson from the last three posts being this - just about every case of dandruff is different. Fortunately, most of these places will send out samples, or in some cases, refund your money if the product doesn't work. Shop around, try a bit of everything, make sure you allow 2-3 days before changing to a different shampoo, as some only work after a time.
In my experience, some of the shampoos have made the condition worse, some of them have made it better for a bit and then stopped working, and some of them smelled fruity, but did nothing else. Nothing worked the way it was advertised, (denorex smelled nasty and made the condition worse) so I got a prescription that works wonders.