What a charming topic to write about. I’ve discussed this with several other missionary wives and it seems to be a common problem. I believe there are multiple reasons why, the main one being that our scalps are exposed to water varying in harshness and different things that irritate the skin. Whether its well water or city water its never consistent due to us never being in the same spot for very long. It’s an embarrassing problem, especially when you feel like you always need to look presentable.
Here are a few solutions I’ve come across.
Change shampoos-
I’ve found that a lot of shampoos cause build up on the scalp. Brands like Pantine and Fructise always caused problems for me. I switched to brands like L’Oreal and Paul Mitchell and that seemed to help.
Not buying the same brand every time but switching up brands every other buy seemed to help as well.
Make sure you’re rinsing well –
Some of these seem obvious but making sure to rinse out all the shampoo and conditioner can prevent it from drying on your scalp and leaving it itchy and irritated.
Lather, don’t scrub –
For a while, I thought the harder I scrubbed with my nails the cleaner my scalp would be. I quickly realized I was just irritating my scalp and causing more dandruff. Try using the tips of your fingers to lather the soap instead of using your nails to scrub.
These last two I feel like make a huge difference! They help to fight the growth of dandruff.
Coconut Oil Treatment –
I’m not going to pretend as though I know the science behind this because, truthfully I do not. However, if I understand it correctly, coconut oil fights bacteria growth. I have struggled with dandruff for months at a time and with one coconut oil treatment it clears up the majority of it.
For the treatment: I use Pure Unrefined Coconut Oil. Take a small amount and let it melt slightly on the tips of your fingers. Then lather into scalp and roots, focusing on the problem areas. Let it sit for a couple hours or however long you like. You may have to wash your hair twice to get most of the oil out and even then your hair will still be slightly oily. As a precaution to my hair I try not to use any heat on it until I’ve washed it again a few days later.
As a side note: I think Coconut oil belongs in every medicine cabinet. Whether it’s a diaper rash, sensitive teeth, eczema, dandruff, etc. coconut oil is a miracle worker!
Tea Tree based shampoo –
This doesn’t work as miraculously as coconut oil but I try to use tea tree based shampoos to help ensure the dandruff doesn’t come back. Again, I’m not completely sure of the science but I believe tea tree helps with bacteria growth. I use the Paul Mitchell Tea Tree shampoo. The big bottles can be expensive but you can usually get travel sizes buy one get one free if they’re one sale and they are the perfect size for deputation.
To summarize this article, there are a few habits and changes you can make to prevent dandruff. Personally, I have found that coconut oil is the most efficient at fighting dandruff.