I’m glad you made it here. Dandruff is no fun at all, definitely not the fun that super cool chick from The Breakfast Club makes it out to be. Before I launch into these dandruff remedies I want to do a quick check that it is definitely dandruff you are dealing with.
Skip below, if you are all too certain you have dandruff!
What is dandruff?
Dandruff, officially pityriasis simplex capillitii, is identified through yellowish flakes amongst greasy roots caused by a bunch of stuff – yeast (a form of fungi called malassezia which is found on all healthy skin but can get out of control), irritated scalp, diet.
If your flakes are whiter and your hair feels dry it is possibly just a dry scalp, rather than the more long term problem of dandruff.
Just last week I got a patch of dandruff on my head as I made the mistake of washing with highly treated city water and it just dried out my scalp.
If you have a dry scalp you need to look at your water source and consider other alternatives, and you need to find a far more moisturising hair cleaner. (Notice I didn’t say shampoo – traditional shampoo can bring out the very worst of your scalp!)
You can also take a tiny smidge of coconut oil and rub it into your dry patches every other day.
If you generally have a bit of “scuzz” on your scalp it could just be build up. It could be a build of hair styling products, or shampoo or even baking soda if you are trying out No Poo.
Make sure you are brushing your hair well with a good boar bristle brush to keep the scuzz out! And try soaking the hair in apple sauce for 20 minutes and then washing and brushing out well, will get rid of it.
It’s definitely dandruff? Okay, here we go…
Dandruff Remedies using Rye Flour Shampoo
A few months ago I received this email:
Hi Lucy
Wishing you a great 2016. I just wanted to share my story with you regarding the rye flour shampoo recipe. Iam based in London and I am a male. I had a really sensitive scalp and had issues with dandruff for the past many years. I tried every shampoo expensive to organic. All herbal and other alternate options. So many oils just to solve my issue. I went to many dermatologists they gave me medication and gels but all in vain. I came across your blog while googling a remedy that could solve my issue. Its been 2 months and I cant imagine iam so happy and feels like I have a new scalp on my head.. No dandruff , no itching or flaking no dryness its just all so normal. I just wanted to thank you for sharing your blog and its like an inspiration for me . By the way I use rye flour (wholemeal) and it works great for me…
Regards,
Sami
Here is the rye flour shampoo dandruff recipe:
Put one tablespoon of good, organic wholemeal rye flour in a cup and add enough water to make a paste. Rub into hair, leave for a few minutes and wash out. You will need to brush it heaps when it is dry, unless you sieve your flour first. (Really recommend this!)
Here is the video:
Dandruff Remedies using Honey
I was really convinced by the research Momypotamus cites about the honey method! 30 people with dandruff rubbed diluted honey on their scalps and left it on for three hours every other day saw an almost complete eradication of their scalp issues.
Take one tablespoon of honey and mix with enough water (a couple of drops) to make it less gluggy. Massage into your affected areas for two minutes every other day, leave on for three hours. (If I was doing this I would sleep with my head in a scarf and do it overnight.) Wash, or rinse with water. After two weeks itching and dandruff should be gone. Doing this once a fortnight, once you are on top of it, should keep it away.
Dandruff Remedies using Apple Cider Vinegar
Get your hands on the most organic and the most natural apple cider vinegar you can. Ideally something with the Mother still in it (the original blobby plant thing from which it ferments.)
Add quarter of a cup of vinegar and quarter of a cup of water. Put it on your scalp, half way through a shower. This will be easiest to do using a squirty bottle. Allowing you to get right in on the scalp, covering every bit.
Leave it on for at least 20 minutes and do this three or four times a week.
Warning: if you don’t do a wash after this, the acv will quite possibly make your hair feel quite lank. It will have closed all the shingles on your hair shaft, make it super, duper sleek and shiny – but also looking greasy! (Such a bizarre thing.)
Dandruff often clears up with weeks of using this remedy, but for others it can take up to 6 months.
Dandruff Remedies using Rosemary
One of the remedies I talk about in my No Poo book is based on a pretty ancient scalp-reviving tea rinse. Take a sprig of fresh rosemary and place it in a cup of hot water. Let it steep for twenty minutes and use the rinse on your head, mid shower, every week. (Make it fresh each time or do a huge batch of the tea and freeze it into ice blocks and defrost one each time.)
Dandruff Remedies using Plantain
I recently made a mash of plantain, a weed that grows freely in every grassy field pretty much world wide! And I genuinely think it works!
Take a handful of the weed, add a few dashes of water, blitz it in a blender and place all over your problem areas. I think it exfoliates the dandruff and supports the acid mantle. My little patch of ‘druff hasn’t been back since.
However it is A MAJOR ARSE to wash out. It’s free though, which makes up for it!
This is plantain – it is a longish leaf (often with longer, straighter edges than this – there are two kinds) and it has little lines running from the root to tip. It is found on almost all grassy meadows. Don’t ask me about this kitten. It’s a weird combo. 
Bonus tip while you wait for these dandruff remedies to work:
Brush your hair well every night with a boar bristle brush. But then, when you leave the house, take a tooth brush or a headlice comb and lightly brush away the most offending bits of dandruff.
That’s it, folks! Let these dandruff remedies help you wave good bye to those rascal white flakes.
Come and say hi over on Insta and read my no poo book or do my no poo e-course if you want to find our more about how completely natural hair care can bring out your healthiest hair.
Here is something you can Pin for later:
