Natural Cures for Summer Dandruff

When I was a kid, I was always getting summer dandruff. What do I mean, summer dandruff? You know, the kind you get after swimming in chlorinated pools, romping on the beach or soaking up the sun? I spent a lot of time doing just that. Luckily, my Mom knew a natural cure for everything. She wasn't as natural as she was cheap. I mean thrifty. Still, those were the days when natural and cheap meant the same thing. So how did my thrifty Mom cure my summer dandruff naturally?

She massaged my scalp with olive oil. Olive oil moisturizes the scalp to loosen flakes. Just rub it in. Follow with a good scrub and rinse. This dandruff treatment works on cradle cap too. It's even better if you warm it. The warm oil doubles as a pre-wash conditioner. It's also nice used prior to a clarifying rinse like apple cider vinegar.

There are two other natural cure scalp conditioners you might want to try. The first is mayonnaise. The oil moistens and lifts dandruff flakes. The egg whites condition and strengthen hair follicles. One of my all time favorite conditioners to get rid of summer dandruff is mashed avocado. Just work it in as you would any conditioner, then rinse.

What is it about apple cider vinegar? My Mom used vinegar for a lot of natural cures. We drank it, gargled with it and used it to wash our windows. For dandruff, we used it as a hair rinse. Apple cider vinegar strips impurities from hair, leaving it squeaky clean and flake free. Not only that, it medicates the scalp to inhibit dandruff infection.

Tea makes another effective summer dandruff rinse. Any tea will do it. It's the tannin that fights dandruff, dry scalp and build up. It also effectively removes chlorine. What's my favorite dandruff rinse tea? That would be mint. I make it myself using mint from my own garden. Just steep mint leaves in hot water and strain. Mint tea makes your hair fresh as a summer breeze and dandruff free.

Rid your hair of oily build up with lemon juice. Dandruff isn't always caused by dry scalp. Sometimes oily scalp and debris are the problem. If you have summer dandruff but your hair feels greasy, you might want to try a clarifying rinse using freshly squeezed lemon, grapefruit or lime juice. So, condition your scalp with olive oil, mayo or avocado. Follow with a tea, lemon or vinegar rinse and say a fond farewell to summer dandruff.

More from this contributor:

Keeping Feet Soft and Pretty in Spring and Summer Sandals

Natural Dry Skin Remedy

Natural Dyes for Gray Hair

Source:

Personal experience