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Brush off those flakes
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Here’s how to have healthy hair free from dandruff
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Dandruff is a very common problem. To have a few white flaked cells on the scalp is normal for it is simply the sloughing off of matured skin cells and waste material through the pores of the scalp. It is only when this becomes excessive that it has
to be considered a problem. Well-looked after, clean, healthy hair with the proper acid balance does not have dandruff
There are two forms of dandruff — oily and dry.
Dry dandruff appears as loose white flakes and the scalp itches a great deal. Oily dandruff is sticky and yellow in colour and makes the scalp smell. Oily dandruff occurs most often among adolescents and adults with an excessively oily skin and scalp.
Causes
The basic causes of dandruff are faulty diet, emotional tension and stress, hormonal disturbances, infection due to disease, injury to the scalp, unwise or excessive use of hair cosmetics and dry weather.
The reason why so many adolescents have dandruff is that at their age they secrete an excess of androgen hormones which cause sebum, the skin oil.
Dandruff can be got rid off by washing your hair and scalp frequently — it could be daily or every other day depending upon how stubborn your dandruff is. If your hair and scalp are oily, you should use herbal shampoo, since washing hair frequently with strong shampoo can be harmful.
Massage and daily brushing are extremely helpful in treating dandruff. If you have dry dandruff, use an oil to massage your scalp, especially before washing your hair. Lastly, eat less animal fat and more poly-unsaturated vegetable oils. Avoid nuts, chocolate, fried food, shellfish and iodized salt. Follow a diet high in greens, chicken, fish, milk and its products and food high in vitamins A, E and B complex.
Dandruff can easily be taken care of with some home-made recipes.
For oily dandruff
Mix rose water, two drops of lemon essential oil with equal quantities of cider vinegar or malt vinegar and massage lotion in the scalp gently and leave it on. Use as a nightly massage. Shampoo it with a mild shampoo in the morning.
Soak two spoonfuls of fenugreek (methi) seeds in water overnight. In the morning, make a paste of the seeds, add two drops of lemon and apply on the head. Leave the hair pack on for half-an-hour, then wash the hair with herbal shampoo. Do this once a week.
For dry dandruff
Massage your scalp with one teaspoon hot castor oil, one teaspoon coconut oil, one teaspoon til oil and two drops of cedar wood oil. Leave it on for about half-an-hour and then shampoo. Follow this routine twice a week, especially in winter.
Take about five tablespoons of yoghurt and squeeze half a lime in it. Add two drops of cedar wood oil. Take two spoonfuls green grams and powder them. Mix in the yoghurt. Apply on scalp and leave for ten minutes. Wash hair thoroughly with a creamy shampoo.
Follow this routine at least once a week.
Aromatic cosmetic care
Take one tablespoon jojoba oil, one tablespoon castor oil, one tablespoon soya vegetable oil and boil together with one bay leaf for 20 minutes on a slow fire. Strain and add two drops of sandalwood oil and two drops of lavender oil. Massage everyday and leave overnight before shampooing.
Boil one bay leaf in one glass of water for 20 minutes. Strain and add two drops of lavender, two drops of lemon. Massage every other day. Leave overnight.
BLOSSOM KOCHCHAR
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
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Visakhapatnam
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