Hey everyone!

Well, I’ve been basically dealing with very heavy dandruff and mild scalp itching for the past year or so. I was wondering if there were any particular shampoos which would help my condition. And Im also wondering if it is okay to scrape the scalp with my finger nails lightly when im washing my hair, to remove some of the dandruff.

P.s I am a 19 year old male.
THanks !

Dandruff (pityriasis capitis) is present in about half of the human population. There is an associated small yeast cell associated with it called pityrosporum ovale which multiplies as the dead skin in those with dandruff is higher than in those people without it. The pityrosporum ovale yeast form a cake of sorts with the dead skin cells that cause the classic dandruff flake. You can nudge off the flakes when you shampoo your hair, but be careful not to pick too much on them as you can produce hair loss from picking them.

There are many dandruff products out there and some work in different ways than others. For example, there are shampoos that contain zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, ketoconazole, salicylic acid, and tar. CNN has a nice list towards the bottom of this page — Dandruff. I do not recommend any particular dandruff shampoos. More popular shampoos include Selsun Blue (with selenium sulfide), Head and Shoulders (zinc pyrithione), Nizoral (ketoconazole), and Neutrogena T/Gel (tar). You should try a few (or all of them) and pick what suits you the best. As each person is different, one type of shampoo may work better for you than another.

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