Flakes are probably the most well-known symptom of dandruff. But what causes them to appear?
What causes dandruff?
There’s a naturally occurring microbe present on your scalp called Malassezia globosa. It breaks down your natural scalp oils into other substances including oleic acid, to which around half of people are sensitive.
This causes irritation, and the skin’s natural response is to increase cell turnover to replace the damaged cells.
How do flakes form?
The scalp tries to shed the irritant along with the skin cells. In just a few days, a dandruff sufferer can actually produce as many new cells as a healthy scalp produces in a whole month!
The excess skin cells clump together and become the flakes that we recognize as dandruff.
Unfortunately, when new skin cells are being produced so rapidly, they don’t have quite enough time to develop and mature properly. This means that dandruff skin has an unhealthy and more disorganized structure.
The weakened skin is “leaky” – less effective at protecting us from our environment and keeping essential moisture in.
How can you get rid of the flakes?
Head & Shoulders Classic Clean Shampoo is our best-selling anti-dandruff shampoo.
It’s been proven to tackle dandruff and the associated flakes from the first wash, leaving you with soft, manageable and up to 100% flake-free hair.1
You could also try our Smooth & Silky Shampoo – its rich, decadent lather nourishes hair and leaves it shiny and beautiful.
Watch the video below to learn more about the science behind dandruff with Veritasium.
More about dandruff
More tips and advice from the experts:
1visible flakes with regular use.