I have heard that coconut oil and (separately, not together) apple cider vinegar are helpful for dandruff. If you have experience with this, did it work? How do you use it? Pour over the scalp? Shampoo afterward?
I don't know if it is hormones from an almost 13 year old, but my daughter washes her hair daily and it just keeps coming back. Any other recommendations that you have tried and work? She is getting very frustrated which then translates into me getting very frustrated :)
Thanks everyone. We tried the apple cider vinegar and she had a fit because I "made" her use it and now her hair smells like vinegar :) I will try the coconut oil next, but if that doesn't work, I will just go to Head and Shoulders. I will check to make sure it is not a fungus. We have never tried the Head and Shoulders so hopefully at least that works.
Alternative treatments never worked for my daughter. She uses Head and Shoulders a few times a week and that keeps it under control.
No two heads of dandruff will be the same. It will take some trial and error and each trial needs to be given at least a week.
The oil will be good for conditioning the scalp. Vinegar is also good, but you can also try shampoo's with tea tree oil, T-Gel, Head and Shoulders. Just keep trying and you'll find what works best for her.
Does she scrub her scalp properly? I have observed that when teens have dandruff, it's usually due to improper cleansing.
Show her how to scrub her scalp vigorously with her fingertips, and then rinse thoroughly. I've done this with some of my kids and their friends.
Does she use a dandruff shampoo? I have had dandruff as long as I can remember and as long as I shampoo every other day with a dandruff shampoo such as head and shoulders it's fine. I haven't had any luck with alternative treatments.
Has she been using dandruff shampoo like Head & Shoulders? If not, stop with the other stuff and switch her shampoo. If it doesn't work after 2-3 weeks, then she probably doesn't have dandruff, but has a fungal infection instead. It is more common than you'd think, and it looks just like dandruff. It can be treated with an antifungal cream.
Rub the coconut oil into your scalp and let it soak in for 10 min before washing it out.
For the vinegar, use 1/4 and add water to dilute to 2 cups.
After you've washed your hair, run the vinegar water over your scalp and hair.
You don't have to rinse it out.
Towel dry then style as usual.
The vinegar smell goes away when it's completely dry.
Hair will be very soft and shiny.
