IS WAVY HAIR MORE PRONE TO DANDRUFF?

They say that wavy hair is the best of both worlds, but does that hold true for dandruff?

Sitting happily between straight and curly, wavy hair is versatile and can be styled in many different ways... But that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to be wary of problems.

Your scalp produces a natural oil called sebum, which works to moisturize both your hair and scalp.

If your hair is wavy, sebum may take longer to travel down the strands, so it may take longer to look “dirty” than in people with straight hair. This means many people with wavy hair can opt for styles that can be worn for multiple days without washing.

Unfortunately, this can mean that oils build up on your scalp. Which is where dandruff comes in.

Dandruff and wavy hair

Sebum plays a key role in causing dandruff.

A naturally occurring microbe, Malassezia globosa, digests the sebum on your scalp, producing oleic acid, and creating an unpleasant odor.

It’s this oleic acid which causes scalp irritation. The signs of this problem include not just visible dandruff flakes, but also itching and dryness.

So, it follows that with more oil on your scalp, there’s more oleic acid being produced by Malassezia and therefore you’re more at risk of dandruff.

How to fix wavy hair dandruff

Since sebum is constantly produced by our scalps, and Malassezia globosa is on everyone’s scalp, dandruff is a chronic condition that will come back without regular treatment.

Luckily, a good anti dandruff shampoo is designed to protect your scalp from dandruff-causing irritants, to help prevent these symptoms: