What Causes Dandruff? Let's Finally Figure This Out
You know that annoying moment when white flakes show up on your black shirt? I used to think dandruff meant I wasn't washing my hair enough. Turns out, understanding what causes dandruff is way more complicated than that.
So What Causes Dandruff?
After way too much research, here's what I learned:
There's a fungus on your scalp right now. Don't panic – it's totally normal! This guy called Malassezia usually minds its own business, but sometimes gets too comfortable and irritates your scalp. Your skin goes into overdrive, producing flakes everywhere. This is actually the main answer to "what causes dandruff" for most people.
Your scalp might be super oily. All that excess oil creates a perfect environment for our fungal friend, plus makes dead skin cells stick together in visible clumps.
Or it's bone dry. Plot twist – sometimes what causes dandruff is actually having a parched scalp. These flakes are smaller but just as annoying.
Your products might be the problem. Sometimes your scalp just says "nope" to certain ingredients.
Finding the Right Dandruff Shampoo Ingredients
Once you know what causes dandruff, you need dandruff shampoo ingredients that actually work. Most anti-dandruff shampoos either smell awful or leave your hair like straw.
I discovered Ivy & Lily's Ocean Breeze Flaky Scalp & Dandruff Shampoo and loved that the dandruff shampoo ingredients actually made sense:
Piroctone Olamine – Gently targets that Malassezia fungus without turning your scalp angry and red.
Salicylic Acid – Breaks up oil buildup and sweeps away dead skin cells before they become visible flakes.
Tea Tree Leaf Water – Natural antifungal power that actually smells good.
Aloe Extract – Keeps your scalp balanced so you don't trade dandruff for desert-dry hair.
A Solution That Actually Gets What Causes Dandruff
Ocean Breeze doesn't just hide the problem – it addresses what causes dandruff at the source. After using it, my scalp stopped itching, flakes disappeared, and my hair actually looked good instead of lifeless.
Now that you understand what causes dandruff and know which dandruff shampoo ingredients to look for, you don't have to keep playing flake whack-a-mole. Your black shirts will thank you.
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