No More Dandruff, Naturally
In the social and business arena, having dandruff can be a real detriment to your career and social life. It can be downright embarrassing. There are lots of over the counter remedies for dandruff, if you don’t mind putting chemicals on your scalp. Since the skin absorbs substances into itself and the warm water opens the pores of the skin, you can be doubly sure that whatever touches your skin will be absorbed.
You can find all kinds of toxic ingredients like resorcinol, P-Phenylenediamine, eugenol and ethanolamine in dandruff shampoo. DMDM hydantoin is a form of formaldehyde that is an intoxicant for the immune system and a toxic skin irritant, also found in dandruff products.
There can be a number of causes of dandruff, notably, too alkaline a pH on the scalp, yeast overgrowth from too high refined carbohydrates in the diet and dehydration and over-drying of the skin.
Over alkalinization of the skin and scalp can destroy the acid mantle, which is a slightly acidic waxy layer which is the first line of defense against surface invaders. Since the skin should be slightly acidic, it is wise to use pH balanced shampoos, so as not to destroy the protective properties of the skin and scalp.
The skin and scalp are chronically challenged to maintain their pH balance due to their constant exposure to environmental onslaughts. As they are the first line of exposure for any environmental substance and the skin cannot self-correct needed changes in pH, it is literally at the whim of whatever touches it. If we look at what potentially touches the hair and scalp, we find shampoos, conditioners, hair dyes, perm solutions, gels, mousses, glitters, hair sprays and stiffeners, which can all leave the skin in an alkaline state.
Realizing what these unnatural substances do to your skin is the first step. Finding a good pH balanced shampoo with no foaming agents and parabens in them is the next step. Finally rinsing your hair with an acidic based water is a good last step. This will keep your scalp on the acidic side of the pH scale. You can make an acidic water at home by mixing 2 parts of apple cider vinegar with six parts of warm water. If you don’t have long hair, you can mix two spoonfuls of apple cider vinegar to six spoonfuls of warm water.
The next step is to drink the right kind and amount of water. Right kind of water, you ask? Yes, some water is stagnant and dead. Although it is supposed to be clean, it seems to have little beneficial effect on the body. Water in, water out. No matter how much you seem to drink, it seems to all come out very quickly. If you were to switch to alkaline, ionized water, you would notice the difference in your skin and how your body feels within a week. The first day or so, you notice that most of the water you drink is being absorbed, you pee very little. Your cells are drinking deeply. Depending on the level of water in your body, you could take six months or more to fully hydrate, drinking the proper water. The average person needs half their body weight in ounces of water every day, three-quarters if the weather is hot.
The final consideration is your diet. Did you know that some people are more prone to yeast and other skin infections and irritations? They seem to have an over-sensitivity to carbohydrates, particularly sugars, wheat and any foods containing wheat. In the presence of these foods, the body produces sugars which feed Candida and other yeasts. The scalp is an ideal haven for yeasts to proliferate. The skin becomes irritated and itchy, producing flakes that cascade down onto the shoulders and the back. Most of the yeast build-up starts in the intestines where they are first exposed to their favorite foods. The toxins produced by the waste from these little critters creates an acidic condition in the body which produces many more symptoms than just dandruff. To wean yourself off the wheat and sugars may create what is called a kill-off. By gradually withdrawing the sugars and the wheat, the yeast starts to die because there is not enough for them to eat. As they die, they may start to produce fuzzy thinking, abdominal distress, headaches, a bad taste in your mouth, among other symptoms. Despite the mild discomfort, it is worth the effort. Drink lots of water to minimize the symptoms, hydrate your body and your skin and before you know it, you’ll be flake-free, without the chemicals.
