What is Dandruff?

One of the most common concerns I hear amongst my clients is dandruff. It's the white flaky stuff that covers our head and falls on our shoulders. Forget about wearing black clothing because everyone will see the snow-like dust that sits on your shoulders.

Did you know that dandruff usually starts around the teenage years?

What causes dandruff is a tiny little fungus that most mammals have, called Malassezia. Malassezia is common on most healthy adults; however, it becomes active on some, not all. It likes to feed on sebum, which is overly active around the teen years. Hence, there is a correlation with the development of dandruff around that age.

From my experience behind the chair and from my own personal experience, I have noticed that the type of shampoo and conditioner can affect the health of our scalp. Certain products will have more active ingredients that can over-stimulate the scalp. The more active the ingredient, the more our scalp will require to balance and restore the pH levels. Therefore, if you are using harsh ingredients, our scalp will need to secrete more sebum as a natural defense. In other scenarios, the product may have many filler ingredients that eventually build up on the hair and scalp.

I have been using Rikoko shampoo for the past 8-9 years and I have seen great results. It is why I always recommend it and why it is always available at the salon. I find the shampoo and conditioner to have the perfect balance of ingredients to create the right pH balance. Not to say that this line of product works on everyone, which is why I have other lines that are also great and are carefully selected to help with hair needs without causing havoc on the hair and scalp.

Happy Hair Day.