Scalp Disorders: Alopecia and Dandruff

Customers will enter a beauty shop, sit down in the hydraulic chair and wait for their hairdresser to tell them what it looks like on top of their head. Maybe their scalp has been itching for days, maybe they are finding dead skin in their brush or maybe they are losing hair way too early in life. Below are two common scalp disorders that you may be plagued with and a few options you can try to alleviate the issues.

Dandruff

Before getting into dandruff completely, keep in mind that skin cells do shed naturally and in some cases there is no need for worry. That being said, let’s get into dandruff at its roots. A good definition of dandruff is the excessive shedding of skin cells. The problem with excessive shedding is that instead of falling off the way it should, the dead skin cells begin to accumulate on the scalp making it more noticeable.

There are two types of dandruff: the dry type and the greasy type.

Dandruff Treatments

How do you know if you have dandruff? In the case of dry dandruff, the scalp will become itchy with white scales in the hair, on the scalp, and often on clothes. Two of the main causes of dry dandruff is poor circulation or a poor diet. Of course, uncleanliness could also be a cause along with a few different medical conditions.

There are several dandruff treatments you can do at home or you could have a hairdresser take care of at a salon. To begin with, do not use strong shampoos. Switch to a more mild shampoo and do regular scalp treatments. Scalp massages can be done, as well. When shampooing, use the pads of your fingertips to really scrub your scalp. Avoid scratching the scalp with your nails, though.

The waxy type dandruff is where the white scales begin to stick to the scalp in patches and can cause bleeding if pulled away from the skin. Itching is very likely and must be cared for more delicately. If your scalp is bleeding, seek medical attention. To avoid spreading dandruff to others, keep brushes, combs and other hair utensils stored in a different location than other family member’s brushes.

Herbal remedies that may relieve dandruff include: jojoba oil, tea tree oil in shampoo, aloe vera, vitamin E, kelp, black walnut, lemon citrus in shampoo, and rosemary.

Alopecia

The easiest way to describe alopecia is an abnormal loss of hair. Everyone’s hair sheds naturally and from time to time, you might find hair in the drain. Pregnancy and delivery can also cause loss of hair. Sometimes quite a bit of hair will fall out after having a baby, but over time it does grow back.

Alopecia can occur in three different ways: loss of hair due to old age, middle age thinning, and spots of baldness. While there is nothing to be done with hair loss due to old age, thinning and baldness in spots may be helped with scalp treatments and/or herbs.

Herbs that may benefit those with alopecia or other hair loss include aloe vera, Co-Q10, rosemary, sage, mulberries, sarsaparilla, zinc, marigold and chamomile. Other natural rememdies include washing your hair in apple cider vinegar and sage tea.

If you feel there is an underlying health problem causing these disorders, seek medical attention or visit your natural health care provider.


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