The cause of dandruff
Dandruff is caused when 3 things come together:
• A microbe that’s present on everyone’s scalp called Malassezia globosa
• Natural oils on the scalp known as sebum
• A sensitive scalp
As the Malassezia globosa breaks down the sebum on your scalp it produces oleic acid.
And if you’re scalp is sensitive to it – and around 50% of the world’s population is – your scalp can become irritated, leading to the symptoms we know as dandruff.
Explore the causes of dandruff in more detail
When does dandruff start?
Dandruff often starts with puberty as your hormones start to change, causing you to produce more scalp oils for the dandruff-causing microbe Malassezia globosa to thrive on.
But it can also appear at other times when your hormones change such as in old age or during times of stress.
More about when you get dandruff
The symptoms of dandruff
The easiest way to spot dandruff is flakes appearing on your shoulders, but there are other signs too including:
• Itching
• Redness
• Dry scalp
These can all arise as the result of irritation as a sensitive scalp reacts to the dandruff-causing microbe.
More on the symptoms of dandruff and how to treat them
How to get rid of dandruff
Luckily, treating dandruff and treating flakes, itching and dryness is easy – just use an anti-dandruff shampoo that’s been proven to work on all the symptoms of dandruff.
There’s a whole range of different shampoos depending on your symptoms, your hair type and how you want your hair to look whether it’s thicker and fuller, or smooth and silky.
They all contain the active ingredient zinc pyrithione, which has been proven in hundreds of clinical trials to get rid of dandruff when used regularly.
Get advice and tips on how to get rid of dandruff.
