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Last Updated: Jan 30, 2021
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Dandruff v/s. Dry Scalp - What's The Difference?

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Dr. Nitin JainDermatologist • 29 Years Exp.MBBS, Diploma in Venerology & Dermatology (DVD), DDV, MD - Dermatology , Venereology & Leprosy
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The skin on your scalp renews its cells like every other skin cell on your body. They restore every twenty-four days by forming new types skin cells underneath the old cells to reveal the new ones eventually. Dry skin and dandruff are caused due to many reasons, however, are different than each other. Here are a few signs and causes that separate the two:

Dandruff
Dandruff is not caused by dryness but instead an excessive amount of oil. In a few people, the yeast begins to feast upon the excessive oil and dead skin cells on the scalp, making the skin cells shed off and form flakes on the head. Here are a few reasons why dandruff is caused:

  1. Excessive intake of sugar, fat, starch
  2. Improper nourishment
  3. Heredity problems
  4. Allergies or sensitive skin
  5. Lack of rest
  6. Emotional anxiety
  7. Hormonal changes
  8. Poor well-being

Dry scalp

Dry scalp is caused because of loss of oil and moisture from the skin and can be caused because of certain shampoos, cleansers, climate, water, or even your eating routine. Signs and side effects include itching and tingling and little white flakes that fall off excessively.

Here are a few ways in which you can fight dry skin:

  1. Dry scalp can be dealt with by using normal cures, for example, apple cider vinegar since help in normalizing the pH on your scalp and remove the flakes and residue left behind by shampoos, conditioners, and other hair items.
  2. You can likewise do a light scalp message using regular oils, for example, additional virgin olive oil, jojoba oil, and so on.
  3. Yogurt and honey can help the hair recover by hydrating them and adding dampness to your scalp to fight the dry scalp.

Here are a few ways in which you can treat dandruff on your scalp:
Wash your hair consistently with a delicate shampoo to decrease the amount of oil on your scalp. qIn case that your dandruff is more serious or a normal shampoo doesn't work, try an anti-dandruff shampoo. Most dandruff shampoos contain solutions like Pyrithione zinc and Selenium sulfide that kill the fungus on your scalp or evacuates flaky skin.

  • Pyrithione zinc: It contains antifungal properties that kill the bacterial growth on your scalp that causes the flakes to appear.
  • Selenium sulfide: This helps in diminishing the signs of dandruff growth and keep an excessive number of skin cells from being killed along with it. In case you have coloured hair, ask your specialist before using the dandruff shampoo containing selenium sulfide. It can change the shade of your colour.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult a specialist & get answers to your questions!
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