Curls And Afro Hair: How You Get Rid Of Annoying Dandruff?

Curly hair often struggles with dryness. This doesn't make treating dandruff easy. An expert shares her care tips...

Dandruff is extremely annoying. In addition to the nasty itching, they are also an aesthetic problem for many people: especially on dark clothing, dandruff can hardly be overlooked and increases with every movement of the hand through the hair. Treating dandruff is unfortunately not exactly easy either.

According to the expert: How you care for curly hair and Afro hair with dandruff?

Thanks to their structure, curls and afro hair pose particular challenges for their wearers during treatment. Jen Martens, the founder of the natural cosmetics brand osmetmaka and expert in hair care for curls, answered all of our questions on the subject - from effective acute help to the prevention of dandruff.

With her brand, Jen has set herself the goal of developing natural hair care for curls and afro hair

Treating and preventing dandruff: everything about the right care for curls and afro hair

To what extent are curls and afro hair with dandruff facing a particular challenge?

"The treatment is similar to that for straight hair. However, curls and Afro hair are often drier because of their structure and need a lot of attention: Our hair roots are connected to calcium glands, which produce what is known as sebum, i.e. hair oil. That makes the scalp and hair is nice and supple, but with waves and curls, it is much more difficult for the sebum to get to the ends of the hair because of the structure.

Anti-dandruff products are often used for too long, which then has exactly the opposite effect and severely dries out the scalp and hair. This is mostly due to the strong surfactants it contains, such as sodium Laureth sulfates or sodium lauryl sulfates. But if you are already prone to dryness, a cycle quickly develops and dandruff keeps coming back. "

How can dandruff be successfully combated despite dry hair and scalp?

"There are different types of dandruff that play a role here. If it is a real dandruff disease, you should see your doctor right away. However, clever home remedies can often help with oily dandruff without drying it out too much."

How to properly treat dandruff when you have African hair?

What home remedies, for example?

"Olive oil can remove light dandruff. However, if you have an oily scalp, you shouldn't use too much of it. Argan oil is also great: Simply massage a few drops of the oil into the scalp and leave it on for one to two hours or overnight. Then rinse and you are rid of some flakes. However, if they are really stubborn and do not decrease, I would also recommend visiting a dermatologist. "

Are there any other home remedies you can recommend?

"Rinses can also help against dandruff. However, black tea rinses dry out the hair further, which is why I would prefer a sour rinse here: Mix one liter of cold water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and use like a conditioner after shampooing leave and then rinse - or let it linger in the hair. It may smell strange at first, but it evaporates immediately.

How can dandruff be prevented?

"Many styling products can irritate the scalp and also lead to build-up. This means that the products wrap around the hair like a layer that can then no longer be cleaned properly with shampoo. Then the scalp cannot breathe properly and start to itch. Heat styling should also be approached carefully. In winter, it is better not to blow dry your hair completely on a medium setting and leave the rest of the air in the room.

And while many people apply lotion to their body after showering, the scalp is often not thought of, although it also needs an extra dose of care. Just so as not to dry out. After showering, simply spread a drop of argan oil in your hands and apply it to the damp scalp. As a result, water and oil combine and generate a lot of moisture.

As with many skin problems, diet also plays an important role in dandruff. For example, those who reduce sugar, alcohol, wheat flour, and coffee can build up the organism in such a way that the skin's sebum production is better regulated. In addition: It is essential to protect the scalp from the sun. "

Which care products can you recommend to prevent dandruff?

"Shampoos with strong surfactants not only remove dandruff, but also the hair oil. As a preventive measure, I would therefore recommend milder shampoos. For example, we use sodium cocoyl isethionate, which is skin-friendly, lathers well do not dry out the scalp, and cleanses wonderfully."

The mild shampoo from Ōmaka is specially designed for dry curls and afro hair:

Which care products can you recommend to prevent dandruff? | Curls and Afro hair: How you get rid of annoying dandruff?

Solid shampoo for afro hair and dry curls with BIO broccoli seed oil - ŌMAKA

If the hair is completely dried out now - how can it be nursed back to health?

"My absolute go-to care tip for moisture - and especially for stressed curls and Afro hair: the LOC method. In other words: Liquid, Oil, Cream. After washing, liquid comes into the hair first - either simply the water or a leave -In conditioner, then oil seals the liquid and then a hair butter comes on top.

The butter forms like a silicone film around every single strand. You just have to slowly approach the amount that suits your own hair best. But then they are nicely moisturized for several hours. And that's what we want - because a dry scalp tends to have a flaky scalp. "