Dandruff is a bothersome problem sometimes thought to be associated with inefficient hair care. Nothing could be further from the truth - anyone who has dandruff knows that!
In fact, dandruff is a medical problem which is really caused by a fungus. It is a hypersensitive reaction of the skin to the fungus P.ovale. This fungus is a normal inhabitant of the human skin and therefore never disappears entirely. Inexplicably, in some people it grows faster - at three times its normal rate.
Recent research findings have shown that the skin scales associated with dandruff are a result of, rather than the cause of, this medical condition. It would be fair to say that as the presence of this fungus is a natural occurence we cannot get rid of it completely without the help of medication.
Sometimes I wonder if there was a cure for dandruff than many of these pharmacy companies would find themselves with one less product to sell and less revenues to report in their quarterly stock report.
If dandruff is a fungus or a bacteria then I would assume--and I am assuming--it is contractable from other people.
Hence, came the uses of Head and Shoulders, tar shampoos and alike. Finally, when my friend’s brother came back from army boot camp training, he told us how he got rid of his dandruff. Believe it or not, we use it everyday in our showers!
The army shaved his head almost bald, gave the trainees a simple black comb and soap to use for their showers. No shampoo. The guy took a shower every day for the next six weeks at boot camp and cleaned his hair with--you guessed it! Soap!
Heck, since he tried it, I tried it. But not that extreme. I have a nice headfull of hair that I didn't want anyone cutting. For the next two weeks I showered everyday, shampooed my hair with regular soap. Not with Caress, but the hard core kind of soap like Dial, rinsed, then poured Listerine (Listerine used to advertise dandruff control on their label) over my head and massaged that into my scalp for a couple of minutes and then shampooed with my regular shampoo and conditioner. Another important fact to remember and to do: while I showered, I soaked all my combs and brushes, wiped the steel part of my curling iron with either Listerine or alcohol to kill the fungus and to keep it from transferring to my clean scalp.
And guess what, after two weeks my dandruff went away! I haven't had dandruff for nearly two years. It had nothing to do with my way of eating or if there was stress in my life like some of the articles I read contributed to dandruff. Also, sensitive skin beware, soap and Listerine can be harsh on the scalp.
But really, how much do you think it cost me to get rid of my dandruff? I'd say about $5 at the most! Good luck!
This article is Contributed by our user Carrie Thompson from Michigan, USA. She is a Working Lady and mother of Two Boys. You can comment on this article
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