Dandruff is a chronic scalp disorder characterized by excessive flaking of the scalp, which affects millions of Americans. Dandruff is not contagious and rarely is serious. It can however be quit annoying and bothersome to deal with.

The good news is that dandruff can usually be controlled. Mild cases may need nothing more than daily shampooing with a gentle cleanser. And stubborn flakes often respond to medicated shampoos. What's more, researchers have identified a yeast-like fungus that may cause or aggravate dandruff, a discovery that may lead to better treatments and even to a whole new wardrobe.

The symptoms of dandruff are pretty typical in most people: White, oily-looking flakes of dead skin that dot a persons hair and shoulders accompanied by an itchy, scaling scalp But it's not quite that simple — many conditions cause excessive skin scaling, including:

• Dry skin
  
  
• Seborrheic dermatitis
  
  
• Psoriasis
  
  
• Cradle cap (seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp)
  
  
• Scalp ringworm (tinea capitis)
  
  
• Contact dermatitis

In the past, many things such as dry skin, oily skin, shampooing too often or not often enough, a poor diet, stress, and the overuse of styling products were deemed the cause of dandruff. And while some of these factors may contribute to scalp flaking, experts believe a fat-eating, yeast-like fungus called malassezia, formerly known as pityrosporum is the primary cause of this condition.

Malassezia lives on the scalps of most healthy human beings and most of the time, it doesn’t cause any problems. Sometimes however, it can grow excessively and feed on the oils secreted by the hair follicles, which cause irritation that leads to increased cell turnover.

At some point, all skin cells die and new cells replace them. The usual process takes about a months’ time and typically new cells will move from the lowest layer of the skin, where they form, to the outermost layer, where they die and scale off in flakes. Most of the time, the process isn’t noticeable because it happens so slowly.

This cell renewal process can be expedited much faster on scalps where malassezia thrives. In fact, the whole process can take as little as 11 days. This rapid renewal of cells results in a large number of dead skin cells and as the cells fall off, they tend to clump together with oil from the hair and scalp which gives them a white & flaky appearance.

The exact cause of the overgrowth of these organisms has yet to be discovered but factors such as increased oil production, fluctuations in hormones, stress, illness, neurological disorders, a suppressed immune system, infrequent shampooing, extra sensitivity to the malassezia fungus and even heredity may contribute to the development of dandruff.

A natural approach to treating dandruff includes following the regimen outlined below:

The diet should consist 50-75% of raw foods and soured products such as yogurt.

Fried foods, dairy, sugar, flour, chocolate, nuts & seafood should be avoided.

Apply about 8 tablespoons of pure organic peanut oil with some fresh squeezed lemon juice to the scalp prior to washing the hair. Leave the mixture on for 5 to 10 minutes, then shampoo.

Shampoos controlling selenium should not be used on a daily basis even if it aids in controlling dandruff.

The following supplements may also be very helpful:

Essential Fatty Acids, such as Flax seed Oil and Primrose Oil (take as directed on label) - Important for healthy skin.

Vitamin B Complex (100 mg of each major B vitamin twice daily) - Supports healthy skin and hair.

Selenium (200 mcg daily) - Potent antioxidant for the scalp, but intake should be limited to no more than 40 mcg per day if pregnant.

Kelp (1,000 - 1,500 mg daily) - Provides minerals and iodine for the scalp.

Vitamin E (400 IU & up) - Improves the blood circulation to the scalp.

Multivitamin and Multimineral Complex (take as directed on label) - Insures proper nutrition and supports healthy skin and scalp.

Vitamin C with Bioflavanoids (3,000 - 6,000 mg daily) - Important antioxidant to aid in preventing tissue damage to the scalp. Also aids in healing.

Lecithin Granules (1 tbsp 3 times daily before meals) - Provides scalp protection and strengthens cell membranes of the scalp and hair.