In the past decades, the occurrence of dandruff had been blamed to a host of other problems like oily skin, dry skin, ineffective and bad shampoo brand, stress and the use of too many hair styling products. Some even cited poor diet for the problem. But because of thorough and serious research efforts, it has been established that the real culprit is a type of fungus that exists like yeast. That yeast in the scalp is called malassezia.

Studies have found that malassezia or pityrosporum is naturally and usually found in the scalp of almost all healthy individuals. In its natural and usual state, the fungi do not cause any problem or discomfort. The problem starts to occur when malassezia starts to grow rapidly until it becomes totally out of control. The fungi would then feed on the natural oils that are produced by the follicles of the hair. In the process, irritation occurs and cell turnover in the scalp is accelerated significantly, causing the formation of flakes, which are actually dead cells. These cells eventually would fall off and accumulate in the scalp and hair. They then appear as visibly flaky and white films or flakes.

Common symptoms or manifestations of dandruff are crusty scalp and of course, the very noticeable and annoying itching. The flakes fall off from the hair and are very evident at the shoulders, especially if the person is wearing black or very dark shirt. Sometimes, the flakes also stay and cling to the hair strands.

There are also risk factors. All adult individuals are susceptible to developing the condition. However, according to studies, people start encountering problems from dandruff from their young adulthood age until their middle years. Men are proven to be more prone to develop the condition than women. Several researchers assert that male hormones may have something to do with this observation. Another interesting fact is that most adults with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological ailments are said to be more prone to develop dandruff for still unexplained reasons.

It is very easy to find appropriate and effective treatment. First, there are numerous shampoos with active anti-fungal ingredients that are proven to help eliminate the problem. Shampoos with zinc pyrithione and coal tar are known to help treat and prevent the scalp and hair problem.

Ketoconazole shampoos are probably the most popular and advertised anti-dandruff regimens out in the market. These shampoos are so far the youngest and latest among all other anti-dandruff regimen. This type of shampoo has been in use for years now. The products, interestingly, are sold with prescription or can also be accessed over-the-counter.

Seeking help from experts and dermatologists surely would be significant in making anyone dandruff free. By lessening stress, suppressing immune and infrequent use of shampoo, hair care experts assert that such measures would help all girls make their hair more of an asset. Dandruff is natural and is sometimes inevitable. It is a common hair problem so there is no need to spend too much on the effort.