THE FLAKE DEBATE

It’s the UK’S biggest beauty complaint, yet we rarely talk (or read) about it. Rosie Green gives the low-down on dreaded dandruff, its proliferation and how to see it off – forever

How to see off dandruff for good

So I like to call my scalp “challenged”. My friend Amanda likes to call hers “dehydrated”. We both have flakes, but don’t use the D-word because that’s what old men in dirty rain macs get. Embarrassment aside, it’s not surprising we’re confused about how to label the problem. The experts disagree about whether the term dandruff only describes those characteristic greasy flakes, or is an umbrella term for every kind of flaky scalp. I say let’s go with the NHS definition (it’s an expert without any products to sell), which defines anyone with flakes as having dandruff, whether it’s triggered by seborrhoeic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, psoriasis, or is just chronically dry.

So, what type of dandruff is yours? If your flakes are large (ish), and your roots oily, then it’s likely you have seborrhoeic dermatitis, aka the most prevalent form of dandruff, thought to be caused by the overgrowth of a yeast called malassezia globosa. It lives naturally on all our scalps and produces oleic acid. Some of us (lots of us) react negatively to this acid (especially if there’s an excess), and get an itchy, irritated scalp followed by a proliferation of flakes. So technically, it’s an allergy (which may or may not make you feel better).

Contact dermatitis is another flake fueller. It happens “when you react to a certain product,” according to

Jane Martin, a trichologist at Philip Kingsley. If your dandruff suddenly flares up, is more dusty than sticky, and itching or even burning besets your scalp, this is probably the problem. Martin cites allergens in hair dyes, bleaches and formaldehydes as culprits, as well as certain shampoo. Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), the foaming agent present in a huge number of shampoos, is also

considered a sworn enemy for scalps. A beauty editor friend says she’s cured countless head scratchers by telling them to ditch shampoos which contain it. Martin says there’s no solid evidence to confirm this. When it comes to who’s right, only your scalp will tell. Mine, for example, can tolerate certain shampoos with SLS, but not others – it’s a process of elimination.

Finally, you could have psoriasis, which, Martin explains, is characterised by “pink patches covered in a silvery scale that bleeds when it’s scratched off.” And while it’s much less common, I do know people who get it (one friend, who gets it around her temples, says it flares up when she’s stressed or rundown).

Recent research by beauty giants Proctor & Gamble suggests half of all women suffer, or have suffered, with psoriasis at some point, while The Hair Spa at Harrods’ muchfrequented Urban Retreat say it’s their customers’ joint biggest concern (the other is hair thinning). At best it’s mildly irritating; at worst it’s embarrassing and depressing. Mine reached critical levels recently (more flakes than Aspen), and when I posted on Instagram about it, I was deluged with “me toos”. It seems we are suffering more than ever, but why?

Dr Rolanda Wilkerson, a principal scientist at Head & Shoulders, thinks modern lifestyles are a factor: “Oxidative stresses, such as heat, pollution and smoking, and even burning the candle at both ends, exacerbate dandruff.” She says our busy schedules and workout culture (doesn’t athleisure make it so much more acceptable not to shower for hours after exercising?) create a scalp environment that encourages microbes to thrive. She feels her own scalp start to itch in the morning when rushing around after her kids makes her hot-headed.

A key to managing dandruff is frequent washing, but with such great dry formulas around, we get a build-up of microbes, then oleic acid overload – flake city.

Dandruff can be seasonal, too. “Certain foods we seem to eat more of, like cheese, cream and very sugary and spicy foods, appear to trigger the yeast that can cause dandruff,” says Anabel Kingsley, a trichologist at Philip Kingsley. Then there’s the cold outside and central heating inside – a formula for drying out scalps as well as skin. And that cute bobble hat? Instant scalp humidity.

But here’s the thing – it’s stupidly simple to treat. Just use the right shampoo. One with a flake-fighting ingredient (such as zinc pyrithione, piroctone olamine, coal tar or salicylic acid) and dermal soothers such as vitamin E, plant and/or omega oils. The key is to use them regularly. We use our nice-smelling, #shelfie-ready bottles and only go to our dandruff formulas when we’ve reached critical flake because we don’t want to be “dandruff sufferers”.

Well, now brands are giving us bottles that don’t feel like a shameful secret, like the delicious purifying range from Christophe Robin, whose Cleansing Purifying Scrub With Sea Salt (£39) is a real luxury experience. Philip Kingsley’s well-established Flaky/itchy Scalp Shampoo (£24) is also chic. And whereas before the formulas used to give us hair drier than the Atacama Desert, new combinations of ingredients leave hair in great condition. The new Supreme range by Head & Shoulders uses piroctone olamine to keep flakes at bay, but also leaves hair feeling nourished.

We should also make time for the odd scalp “facial”. The Philip Kingsley salon has been offering a classic scalp treatment for years (mask, massage, steam, shampoo), and Aveda’s nationwide service is also incredibly popular. It includes scalp dry brushing, a nourishing mask, head massage, a scalp-soothing concentrate and blow-dry, from £50. Elsewhere, Goop is advocating new regimes, such as scalp exfoliation with Epsom salts (it works). And then there are lifestyle tweaks: cutting out quick sugars, reducing the intake of dairy and grains, taking a probiotic and reducing stress. Is it all worth it? Yes, looking after your scalp also helps your hair grow stronger and glossier. If that isn’t a reason to own your dandruff – and resolve it – I don't know what is.