Talk:Dandruff/Archives/2013

Vandalism
I just deleted the whole Seborrhic Dematitis, because it was just a bunch of random letters. Dappled Sage 03:57, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

Is dandruff contagious ?
discussion copied from reference desk (Jun 12 2004)

As the article states, various things can cause dandruff. seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis is not contagious. However, I did some reading a little while ago about staph and strep (both mentioned in the dandruff article) in relation to dermatitis and I got the impression that most people are carriers of the bacterium but those with conditions which cause the skin to flake (like those I've just mentioned) are responsible for spreading the bacterium widely in a community. However, I seem to remember that spreading the bacterium does not spread dermatitis (and, by extension, a flaky scalp). I believe those suffering from dermatitis do tend to have higher incidence of staph and/or strep infection, though. But it would be nice if someone with more expert knowledge could confirm that.

Looking at the question another way: lets imagine that dandruff is contagious. I would then expect to see campaigns in our schools about scalp hygiene in the same vein as we have in the UK about lice and I would expect people with dandruff to be far more outcast and shunned than they are. --bodnotbod 18:49, Jun 9, 2004 (UTC)

It seems that large chunks of text in this article come directly from the external link given. Copyvio? 129.2.211.72 23:54, 6 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * I did a large portion of the rewriting and reorganization of this article, and I can tell you that everything from external sources, except direct quotes, was paraphrased and reorganized. So, without comaring the external link to the article in depth, I can tell you that either 1) the external link copied it from here, or 2) there is a common source and similarity in wording is coincidence, because it was definitely not copied from the external source. CyborgTosser (Only half the battle) 09:18, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Article quotes from Joseph P. Bark, M.D. Do we have permission?
 * I'm pretty sure this is fair use, but if possible, we should have a reference to the original interview. Unfortunately I didn't add it when I did the reorganizing and now I am having trouble finding the original source. CyborgTosser (Only half the battle) 07:14, 14 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Simple dandruff does not cause hair loss. Philiphughesmd 04:33, 10 December 2005 (UTC)

Effective Shampoos?
The article refers to salicylic acid shampoos as the 'gold standard' of dandruff treatment, and to other brand as 'less effective', but it lists no evidence of this or explain why this is - whether it's true or not, it comes off as someone trying to take down Head and Shoulders, or something. Any references to support this? Aerothorn 18:48, 12 February 2006 (UTC)
 * The gold standard of treatment is Selsun Blue with selenium sulfide. Other shampoos are inferior. <- clearly not NPOV unless backed up! (this is ZoFreX, too tired to log in)
 * PLEASE SIGN YOUR POSTS WITH FOUR TILDES (~ x4). Stovetopcookies 23:33, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

there are different kind of shampoo for the different kind to dandruff.... saying that a shampoo is the best is a non-sens!

I find the idea that not applying shampoo to your hair on a regular basis preserves your oily base on your scalp instead of overusing shampoo and conditioner that will dry out your scalp. This is of course opinion and I'd love to see if research has been conducted since it would be radical enough to cause detriment to the preconceived notion of always 'rinsing and reusing' during each shower.
 * I know anecdotal evidence is not proof of anything, but I've tried this in the past, and not shampooing my head for 2 days straight (hey, in the name of science! ;-) ) will almost always trigger a severe case of dandruff with itching and lots of flakes, especially in hot weather. So for me, an oily scalp seems to favor dandruff. In contrast, even using a standard shampoo will keep it at bay, or at least, disguise the symptoms. Unfortunately for me, my dandruff occasionally returns in unpredictable cycles, and no anti-dandruff shampoo is truly effective 201.216.245.25 (talk) 20:24, 28 May 2009 (UTC)

Also, does dandruff affect longhaired men or is this only a shorthair problem?

--Jmnage 18:19, 23 March 2006 (UTC)


 * I find that mine gets worse when my hair is longer. Jack Cain 21:58, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

I used to have terrible dandruff; not even the "anti-dandruff" shampoos would get rid of it to a satisfactory standard. To my surprise, one use of common baby shampoo eliminated it almost instantly, and on a second usage it was completely stripped (at least 99.99%) of the white flakes! I discovered it through Lifehacker80.47.196.152 22:32, 30 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Something similar. I've had dandruff for ages, and have tried many different varieties, but then somebody gave me Selsun Blue AND told me to use it only once a week, while using Baby Shampoo rest of the week. Works like a charm, and I have been free from dandruff for some time now :) So, I think that combination of anti-dandruff (try several untill you find what works best for you) and baby shampoo is best. Shinhan 18:08, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

a dandruff sufferer
i have suffered dandruff for nearly 20 years, i have now been reguarly using coal tar shampoo for several years and it has only made perhaps a slight bit of difference as my jacket at work reguarly shows white specks.In my teens you could visibly see the dandruff on the back of my head even after a wash -which caused me enormous disconsertion and withdrawal, it isnt that bad now but nevertheless my barber makes a mention of my dandruff problem every time he cuts my hair and has suggested rubbing mustard oil on a towel after washing my hair -not to keen to try this as it will make my hair prematurely oily.Furthermore there is no flakeiness elsewhere on me and there are no itching problems with the dandruff. problem with coal tar shampoos is that they apparently become less effective after a certain while, also it is very true that oily hair causes dandruff as i have this as well. the psychological effects are the most damaging as i have suffered considerable years of unemployment due to low self esteem and shame of having a "dirty unhygienic" condition.


 * Have you tried a Tea Tree shampoo? My father uses t-gel to keep his under control, but it never worked for me, so I started trying Tea Tree. I use paul mitchell brand about twice a week, and it works wonders. Jack Cain 12:44, 21 March 2006 (UTC)


 * Try oling (I think I spelled that wrong) your hair. It worked for me.ch 16:20, 24 March 2006 (UTC)


 * Goodness, no, there is no "best" shampoo because no shampoo is best! Use apple cider vinegar as a rinse and it will solve your problem -- at least, it did for my terrible case of dandruff. The first time you use it your scalp will really hurt, but with continued use you will notice no pain, because your scalp will be healing. I use a spray bottle of vinegar. Sometimes I do vinegar before shampoo (I use mild baby shampoo); sometimes I do vinegar after; sometimes both -- and sometimes only vinegar, no shampoo. The vinegar is not only an antifungal agent which will retard the fungus which causes dandruff, but more importantly it helps to loosen and wash away the build-up of skin cells which eventually clump together and appear as dandruff on your shoulders. Not only is vinegar far more effective than any shampoo, it is way cheaper, and best of all natural -- no need to worry that your dandruff treatment is giving you skin cancer. Please try it. Really. It works. I use vinegar four or five times a week, but I think a person could use it less often with a different treatment. I have heard that some people will apply lots of vinegar in the evening and let it sit overnite, then shampoo in the morning to wash away the pre-dandruff scalp buildup. I have tried that too, and it also works.216.67.0.242 20:40, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Images?
I'm surprised there are no images to illustrate this condition. Could one of the dandruff sufferers who have posted here perhaps take a photo or two for the benefit of the encyclopedia? BigBlueFish 20:44, 1 April 2006 (UTC)
 * Done. Steelbeard1 15:02, 16 May 2007 (UTC)
 * OMG no. whoever added that image needs to delete it. it's a giant perferated skin flake and looks completely gross. i was trying to read the article and had to place my hand over that part of the screen until i could scroll down, so i didn't vomit all over the place. that shit is disgusting. seriously. i've watched videos of people shooting themselves, used to visit rotten.com frequently and have seen lots of disgusting shit and i never had a problem with any of it. the picture on this page however is just disgusting.69.212.159.115 13:38, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Gross or not, I'm going to see about getting that image back; it never should have been deleted in the first place. There was no discussion here about it. I've seen pictures of cervical cancer protruding from the vagina of woman in late eighties (as part of my biomedical degree) - "gross" pictures can be educational. That dandruff picture was very illustrative; I had never even known that dandruff could occur like that. Seans Potato Business 00:44, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Thwarted by a technicality; it seems it can be argued that the image does not belong here on the basis of the common definition of dandruff (being from the scalp). But I'm not through yet; you haven't heard Edgar J. Browning!! Seans Potato Business 01:09, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

RE: The OMG NO! comment above, come on people, this was obviously someone having a bit of fun with sarcasm. Don't take it seriously, go back, read it again and have a giggle. (I mean please, he visits rotten.com frequently and watches vids of people shooting themselves for fun but can't stomach a pic of dandruff?!) 24.92.217.175 (talk) 23:33, 28 April 2010 (UTC)

POV?
"The gold standard of shampoo brands is..."? 151.199.59.227 21:28, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

OK I'm sick of seeing this uncited and in all probability advertising paragraph:

There are shampoo brands available specifically for those who have dandruff. The gold standard of shampoo brands is Selsun Blue with selenium sulfide. A shampoo that contains salicylic acid, such as Denorex Extra Strength or Neutrogena T/Sal  were found to be marginally acceptable in clinical tests submitted to the FDA for the final monograph. Other less effective products are Head & Shoulders, which contains zinc pyrithione, Neutrogena T/Gel, which contains coal tar; and various generic products with the same active ingredients. For more persistent or severe dandruff, as well as dandruff due to seborrheic dermatitis, shampoo containing 1% or 2% ketoconazole, such as Nizoral, can be used. These anti-dandruff ingredients are either fungicides, which kill the Malassezia furfur fungus, or acids which break down the oils on the scalp that lead to visible clumping of dead skin flakes.

So I've removed it from the main article for now. I don't think discussion of brands even if "studies show that..." has any place here. If anyone has studies showing the effectiveness of say coal tar vs ketoconazole or something, that would be a good replacement.ZoFreX 18:35, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

Any truth in this
Is there any truth in the claim I have heard, that if you use an anti-dandruff shampoo and then revert to a regular type, the dandruff will return worse than before. I've heard that from a number of people, but no solid evidence. 128.232.250.254 21:57, 19 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Not in my experience. Seems illogical.
 * Please sign your posts and no, it's just a matter of perception. Stovetopcookies 23:32, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Kill off the fungus
Just writing to support the 'try different ingredient shampoos and rotate idea; here's why:

I've been living with it for years. For a long time Head&Shoulders or the generic version every week or two worked (regular shampoo the rest of the week) but lately it hasn't worked well; I have to use it every time. I may try using ketoconazole-based shampoo.

It seems that if you use a strong effective product (or a weak fungus), you can knock it out (until you get re-infected) while the less effective products just keep it from multiplying enough to make the symptoms bad.

PLEASE SIGN YOUR POSTS WITH FOUR TILDES (~ x4). Stovetopcookies 23:32, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Terbinafine spray
This antifungal (for athlete's foot or jock itch) worked great when I tried it on my dandruff; I'll try to find it in a shampoo. For months, I had a sore I thought was (and my doctor confirmed) was hemorroids, but I tried the terbinafine spray I had for athlete's foot on it, as a shot in the dark, bam! It's been gone ever since (2 months). I'd tried talc, vaseline, tea tree oil, Selenium sulfide shampoo, all with little, short-term success. It was after this that I tried putting Terbinafine spray on my scalp.


 * Ketoconazole (in Nizoral) is an anti-fungal, as is miconazole (I think that might be in perscription-only shampoos though). 75.36.128.21 06:10, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

PLEASE SIGN YOUR POSTS WITH FOUR TILDES (~ x4). Stovetopcookies 23:32, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Infection
The article suggests that scratching-to-the-point-of-bleeding is dangerous because of infections (it specifically lists staph and strep, which I know suck a lot, odd that they can survive with all the fungus around though)... Would a person such as myself be in danger if, oh, say, there was a rather bad case of scalp acne in conjunction with the dandruff, resulting in a scalp perpetually covered in open sores? Cuz.. I've had that for the better part of a decade now without any problems that I know of.. I just know I'd look really gross bald.. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 64.122.208.51 (talk • contribs) 18:33, 4 December 2006 (UTC).

vandalism staying for more than 3 months
I've reverted to a revision which was several month old, due to the fact that several people continued editing the page instead of immediately reverting it to the unvandalised version. Please, merge the changes from the last few months appropriately, I don't have time nor the knowledge to do it myself. MureninC 20:58, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Waxy buildup
This is a confusing article. The general subject is, flakes from the head. But the article says, it is caused by shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp. What about a "waxy buildup" on the scalp? Is this dandruff, or what? What causes it, and what could control or cure it? -69.87.202.110 13:47, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

Color of dandruff
Please mention the color, as in Talk:Human_skin_color. Jidanni 11:52, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

Baldness
Do bald people also suffer from dandruff. Meursault2004 12:27, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

good solution (for men at least)
A lifelong male sufferer of it, I have found that keeping my hair ultra-short--about like a U.S. Marine's "high and tight" buzzcut--reduces dandruff to more than manageable levels. Once my hair gets more than 4-6 cm long, it invariably begins to itch and flake. Shampoos make little difference: when my hair is really short, even the cheapest general shampoos work just fine, but once I let it grow out, even the strongest medicated stuff, like Denorex, is useless. Any comments?

Uh, I don't know how old this post is (since no-one dated it), but if your hair is "itchy and flaky," it's probably not DANDRUFF. A lot of people confused a flaky scalp for dandruff; the difference is that flakes just sort of fall out and are dry and such, while actual dandruff is usually waxy and slick. One is caused by an over-oiled scalp (dandruff), the other by a dry scalp (flaking), and using one treatment for the other just increases it. I thought I had dandruff for a long while until my barber told me otherwise, and noticed that anti-dandruff shampoos never did jack for me. In the end I started washing my hair daily and using moisturizing shampoo, and now have very little flaking, if any. Not sure if this will help anyone else, but whatever. 64.253.217.50 (talk) 04:40, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

Incorrect Treatment conclusion
At the bottom of the Treatment section, it is claimed that "Ketoconazole is the most effective antifungal agent concluded by multiple studies." and has two footnotes as back up. However, the first reference links to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7014286, which concludes that Selsun Blue had the most improvement, which has, according to the same section, selenium sulfide as the active ingredient, not ketoconazole. Obviously, one or the other is wrong... The second reference concludes that Nizoral is the most effective, and it uses ketaconazole. Thus, I'm removing the footnote and rewording to remove "multiple". Nfirvine (talk) 08:53, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.227.195.252 (talk) 22:44, 4 May 2009 (UTC)

Fingernails
When I was young, I used my fingernails to scrub my scalp because I thought it was getting my head more clean. However, the dandruff was terrible. When I used only my fingertips, without my nails, my dandruff problem was significantly reduced. 32.97.110.61 (talk) 23:47, 3 August 2009 (UTC)

Folk Remedy?

 * In the case of aggressive and embarrassing dandruff to the point of scaling that does not respond to standard treatments listed above, a simple but rigorous home treatment is usually effective. Two large bottles of brown (only brown) Listerine® Antiseptic/Mouthwash are procured. In the shower while hair is still dry, soak hair and scalp with the Listerine®. Endure a 5 minute soak. Be sure to include any facial hair, eyebrows, et cetera in the treatment and scrub the Listerine® a bit behind and in the outer areas of the ears and next to the nares on the sides of the nose each time. Then shampoo as per normal routine. Change pillowcase. If a favorite headgear is worn, soak in Listerine® and rinse and dry. Consider the collar of any cold weather gear that touches the head or hair for treatment. Wait several days and repeat procedure including changing pillowcase and soaking favorite headgear. Wait several more days and repeat procedure a third time. It will be difficult to do a fourth time nor should it be necessary.

I question the validity of the above paragraph and I have removed it. There are no references for the "treatment" given here and it looks like someone's attempt at humor. (Well, it is a little bit funny, but it doesn't belong in the article as a valid treatment.) If it is a true folk remedy, then it should be referenced and labeled as such. Without the silliness and excessive Branding®. --Jamal WillsT/C 01:13, 24 October 2010 (UTC)

Rosemary
I have used rosemary before, and it did give relief, but was not a cure. I have read (in the book by Richard Flannigan, The Sound of One Hand Clapping, that it may have been used by Croatian refugees in Tasmania, to relieve Eczema, but note that such a suggestion is not included in the Eczema article... Take a bunch of rosemary, boil it in water, allow water to cool and then soak affected areas in it. If there are any scientists reading, it would be great to hear back on any possible reasons for the relief offered by common rosemary. Who knows, with development this seemingly forgotten remedy might lead to better formal treatments! Leighblackall (talk) 21:23, 13 April 2011 (UTC)

the image
is it correct?--தகவலுழவன் (talk) 06:19, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Malassezia furfur image
In this article there is an image of Malassezia furfur with the caption: "Malassezia furfur species causes dandruff." However, just to left of that is: "Older literature cites the fungus Malassezia furfur (previously known as Pityrosporum ovale) as the cause of dandruff. While this species does occur naturally on the skin surface of both healthy people and those with dandruff, in 2007 it was discovered that the responsible agent is a scalp specific fungus, Malassezia globosa,[11]..."

If we accept this cited fact to be true, the image is patently false, correct? Shouldn't this image be removed (or, at the least, the caption corrected to "Malassezia furfur species were believed to cause dandruff")?

--TheMatt (talk) 12:28, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

To Johnson & Johnson, an email
KilmerHouse@ITS.JNJ.com

To Margaret Gurowitz re Listerine

Margaret,

I am a fan of Listerine (brown) for a particular application which I will detail below.

Although Wikipedia serves a valuable need on the internet, they are PC to a fanatical extent and also pathologically shy of any controversy. Alas, they also have no ability to check for bias or propagandistic promotion in the people who edit the various articles on the site. I have been trying to add information to the site, the page labeled "Dandruff", for some time and have run into ignorance masquerading in Latinesque quasimedical terminology from individuals who clearly have no idea what they are talking about or who are poorly or inadequately trained or seem to have have commercial interests in the treatments mentioned in the article and want to exclude competitors.

Below is the text that I have been trying to add. The content is my own (and others') experience dealing with a particularly persistent organism whose origin is in SE Asia. I came upon this on my own after spending much money on physicians and the other lesser treatments mentioned in the article. I have referenced the J&J site but to no success. I feel this is important information for anyone troubled with persistent dermatitis and particularly fungal types for which the existing Big Pharma agents are worse than useless. My login at Wikipedia is Bjornsonw and my password is '      ' [no quotes] if you wanted to try your hand at editing the page, but it would probably be better to create a new identity if someone there at J&J shared my feelings regarding the efficacy of the treatment described below. Again, I care not for the attribution nor the profitability of any particular corporate product but feel that there are people out there who need this information and are being denied it by ignorance or fraud. Possibly someone in the J&J marketing area would have more success than I have had. Again, I know this works and, if done properly, works long term. You know, yourself, from your historical studies that Listerine is effective in the treatment of mycogenic skin conditions. If you view the editing history of the page, you will see that this page gets a lot of traffic and even controversy. The official J&J imprimatur regarding this info may be all that is necessary to allow others to have the benefit of a safe, effective (if rigorous) aid for a seriously socially (and possibly health) debilitating condition. Thanks for any help or referrals of this message you may be able to provide.

Bill Bjornson Aloha, Oregon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandruff http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dandruff&action=history

Content:

Folk Remedies
[===, creates 'header']

In the case of aggressive and embarrassing dandruff to the point of scaling that does not respond to standard treatments listed above, a simple but rigorous home treatment is usually effective. Two large bottles of brown (only brown) Listerine® Antiseptic/Mouthwash are procured. In the shower while hair is still dry, soak hair and scalp with the Listerine®. Endure a 5 minute soak. Be sure to include any facial hair, eyebrows, et cetera in the treatment and scrub the Listerine® a bit behind and in the outer areas of the ears and next to the nares on the sides of the nose each time. Then shampoo as per normal routine. Change pillowcase. If a favorite headgear is worn, soak in Listerine® and rinse and dry. Consider the collar of any cold weather gear that touches the head or hair for treatment. Wait several days and repeat procedure including changing pillowcase and soaking favorite headgear. Wait several more days and repeat procedure a third time. It will be difficult to do a fourth time nor should it be necessary. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bjornsonw (talk • contribs) 14:43, 17 May 2012 (UTC)

Coal Tar
Why is coal tar not covered? It is a pretty common and uncontroversial (af far as effectiveness) dandruff shampoo ingredient. Was it an oversite or lost in some vandalism or removed for some reason? --Ericjs (talk) 05:53, 27 July 2012 (UTC)


 * I've added a very brief section for this. --Ericjs (talk) 06:12, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Prevention
Not using shampoos containing sodium laureth sulfate may help prevent Dandraff starting.

Sodium laureth sulfate is known to irritate human skin and is the second most important ingredient in 99% of shampoos, including Baby shampoo, Natural shampoo and even Anti dandruff shampoo.

So there is a good chance of eliminating dandruff by using a shampoo that is SLS or SLES free. These SLS free shampoos don’t strip the scalp of all it's natural oils leaving an itch free and dandruff free scalp. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.162.229.19 (talk) 09:16, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

From WikiHow "Avoid Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS). It's a foaming compound that's a mild irritant. Some people find that using specialist soap without SLS as a shampoo for a couple of weeks makes their dandruff go away. You'll probably get it back if you switch back to ordinary shampoo." wikihow Prevent-and-Treat-Dandruff — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.162.229.19 (talk) 09:34, 10 June 2013 (UTC)