FOOD AND DANDRUFF – WHAT’S THE LINK?
Is there a link between dandruff and food? Can your diet cure your flakes? Find out with our guide.
Look online and you’ll find a diet for every ailment – including dandruff. But is there really a link between food and dandruff?
The short answer is that this link doesn’t really exist. To explain, we’re going to look at how dandruff forms, and how diet can affect your hair.
What is dandruff?
While there are a lot of conditions that cause dandruff-like symptoms, dandruff is actually caused by sensitivity to oleic acid, a by-product of an organism called Malassezia globosa.
Malassezia globosa is a yeast-- a single-celled fungus -that lives on the scalp. It survives off the natural oils present on your scalp, and for many of us it lives a perfectly harmless existence.
Unfortunately, sometimes it causes dandruff. For those who are sensitive to it – and that’s 50% of the world’s population – oleic acid irritates the scalp.
The natural renewal of cells becomes disturbed, causing the white flakes, irritation and itchiness that we associate with dandruff.