Tea Tree Oil for Dandruff
Why use tea tree oil for dandruff? Because, the majority of dandruff cases are caused by a scalp specific fungus that causes the skin of your scalp to start flaking. The fungus that causes dandruff is specifically a yeast, one that feeds on sebum or sebaceous secretions.
The most common treatment for dandruff is the use of specialized shampoos however many of them contain strong chemicals in relatively small amounts. The chemicals are designed to help reduce or eliminate the fungus or yeast infection.
There are natural alternatives and home remedies available for dandruff.
A good tea tree oil dandruff shampoo may be just as effective or even more effective than the usual over-the-counter chemical preparations available at your pharmacy or drugstore.
How to Use Tea Tree Oil for Dandruff
What dandruff shampoo works best? In some studies using a 5% solution of tea tree oil significantly reduced dandruff and test subjects with mild to moderate cases of dandruff.
The results were based on a four week study typically. You can make your own 5% solution of tea tree oil medicated anti dandruff shampoo to use on a daily basis, using a simple formula.
For each 8 ounces of shampoo use 2.5 teaspoons of tea tree oil, or you can add 30 drops per ounce of shampoo.
There are 30 ml per oz of tea tree oil, or 6 teaspoons. An easy way to remember how much to add is one drop per milliliter of your favorite shampoo, conditioner, cream or lotion.
There are nearly 100 drops per teaspoon (98.58)
So, for instance, if you have 1000 mL of shampoo (1 liter), the result is 1000 drops per mL. You
would add about 1000 drops or 10 teaspoons of tea tree oil to create a roughly 5%
solution.
Use this tea tree oil for dandruff shampoo daily, and if you're like most of the folks in the studies in about four weeks you to may find your dandruff gone completely. You may find that your favorite shampoo might just be the most effective shampoo for dandruff once you've added a little tea tree oil.
The Australian Tea Tree Industry Association recommends different concentrations of tea tree oil depending on the scalp problem you might be having.
The Best Thing About Dandruff Is...
I know, I'm unusual but I think it's pretty interesting how this little yeast or fungus can take the sebum from your head and convert the triglycerides in sebum into a pretty neat little lipid byproduct called oleic acid.
Oleic acid is a model unsaturated fatty acid that's often used as replacement for animal fat in restricted diets and also in the manufacturing of egg and butter substitutes. It's not the metabolizing of the sebaceous secretions that causes the dandruff specifically though.
What actually happens is that the fungus penetrates the top layers of skin and causes an inflammatory response or irritation. It's that irritation that causes the skin flaking that appears on your clothes.
So, although the yeast produces a useful byproduct, I wouldn't encourage anyone to start eating dandruff flakes on their corn flakes in the morning to get those extra Omega 9 oils into your diet.
Other scalp problems and conditions can cause itching, dryness, and flakes, like a scalp fungus. Thanks for coming by the tea tree oil for dandruff page.
What Causes Dandruff?
According to the Mayo Clinic, dandruff is caused by one or more of six conditions.
- Dry Skin and Scalp
- Irritated and oily skin, otherwise know as seborrheic dermatitis. It appears as flaky white or yellow scales on the skin, and can occur in any area rich in oil glands. Common areas are the scalp, eyebrows, sides of the nose, back of the ears, breastbone, groin area, and armpits.
- Infrequent shampooing. If your hair is greasy, oily, and dirty, dead skin cells may build up and shed as dandruff
- A yeast like fungus called Malassezia that is on most adult scalps can irritate the scalp.
- Contact Dermatitis, or sensitivity to hair care products. Watch out for products that contain paraphenylenediamine in particular.
Who is most likely to have dandruff?
There are five common risk factors for dandruff.
- Age. Being a young adult up to middle age means you have a good chance of having dandruff
- Being a guy. It's thought that male hormones may be a factor.
- Having oily hair and scalp
- Having a poor diet. Your body needs good nutrition to make healthy skin and hair.
- Certain illnesses. If you have eliminated the other factors, get to a doctor, because dandruff may be trying to tell you that there are other health issues to consider. Among them are
- Parkinsons
- HIV
- Stress
- Heart Attack and Stroke
- or a compromised immune system.
With regular use, a shampoo with tea tree oil for dandruff may help soothe the itching and help you get away from dandruff issues in just a few weeks.