Why Do You Have Drandruff?

It is cold now, and my scalp gets pretty flaky during the winter months. I cannot believe that I have so many hair/scalp issues. But writing about them helps you with your own hair issues, so I will continue to do so even though talking about dandruff can be mildly embarrassing.

Dandruff is caused by too much sebum, an oil. (Photo: Tops Images)

First of all, dandruff is not necessarily flaking skin (it could be for some people), but for the most part it comes from overproduction of sebum on your scalp that makes it very oily. Oils are good for your scalp and are needed to grow healthy hair, but too much gives you dandruff, those tiny white flakes.

When you scratch your scalp, it makes the flakes even worse. When you shower you think that the flakes should be washed away, right? Well they aren’t. If you wash your hair with too hot of water, it will make the flakes worse because really dry skin causes dandruff. Just like how your skin gets flaky when it is dry right after shaving or when your arms get tiny white flakes when winter starts and you have to moisturize day and night? I really hope it isn’t just me that experiences all this.

Hot water makes your flakes get worse, and it actually makes the oils melt and stay stuck to your head. But cold water isn’t that great either because it won’t work your shampoos and conditioners into a lather to remove dirt, oils and hair products. Head and Shoulders says that the right temperature for washing your hair is body temperature.

So around 100 degrees, but taking an extremely hot shower is the best feeling on Earth because it feels like the crazy week is being expelled from your pores when you watch the steam rise from your tub — unless you are a dyed blonde who doesn’t have new roots every 2 weeks. Then your dandruff will be seen from a mile away.

If you must wash your hair every day, use body temperature-water to help clean your scalp but not dry it out. (Photo: Shutterstock)

You can try what I do. I tie my hair up and take extremely hot showers, but don’t wash my hair with that same temperature of water. I wait until my shower is over, then I lower the water temperature to be on the warm side and wash my hair. I use shampoos that are made for flaky scalps and alternate mid-week to my regular purple shampoo for blonde highlights and deep conditioning. It really does help to use a shampoo for flakes until your scalp is not producing so much sebum.

Another suggestion my hair stylist gave me is to not wash your hair everyday if the issue is that you are showering with piercing hot water. (Surprisingly a lot of women do this.) I like to wash my hair everyday because it looks fresh, and I am able to keep my scalp with minimal dandruff by washing with warm water, using a dandruff shampoo and using my leave in light conditioner, which nourishes my scalp but doesn’t weigh it down.