This Is What’s REALLY Causing Your Dandruff

Check out how to make this soothing DIY hair moisturizer:

That’s why it’s key to have a shampoo with a yeast-nixing ingredient. (One option: Head Shoulders Clinical Solutions Collection (starting at $7.99), a prescription-strength formula that uses selenium sulfide to stop yeast-growth in its tracks.) It’s also important if you have dandruff to keep your combs and brushes clean, to avoid adding more irritating germs into the mix. If you’re not seeing results from an OTC shampoo, it’s probably smart to head to the doctor’s office for more help.

Even if you don’t have dandruff, you can take care to, well, take better care of your scalp. Nowadays, we put our hair through the ringer, using chemical processes (such as coloring) and products (dry shampoo, cough, cough) that can be irritating. “With such a high concentration of oil glands on the scalp, it is very rare for the scalp truly to be dry,” says Zeichner. “However, some hair care products or processes may cause irritation to the scalp which can lead to flaking as well.” (We like this all-natural, organic shampoo from the Women’s Health Boutique!)

Luckily, dryness like this generally tends to go away once you stop using the product that caused the irritation. So you might just need a slight tweak to your routine in order to banish those pesky flakes.