Did you know there was a difference between dandruff and dry scalp? Well, there is a difference. The skin on your Scalp renews it cells like any other skin cell on your body. They renew every 24 days by forming new skin cells underneath while the old cells slough off to uncover the new ones.

Dandruff is not caused by dryness but rather too much oil (sebum). “It is usually due to an over growth of harmless yeast,” explains Jessica Wu, M.D., a Los Angeles dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Southern California Medical School. “In some people, the yeast starts to feed on the excess oil and dead skin cells on the scalp, causing the skin cells to shed more frequently and clump into flakes.” -Dailyglow.com

Dry scalp is due to loss of moisture from the skin and can be caused by the application of soap, strong detergents, cold weather, product build up, hard water, and diet (example: caffeine). Signs and symptoms are itching and small white flakes that come off easily. Dry Scalp can be treated by using natural remedies such as apple cider vinegar rinses to help restore the pH on your scalp and remove build up left behind by shampoos, conditioners, and other hair products.  You can also do a light scalp message using natural oils such as extra virgin olive oil, jojoba oil, etc. Yogurt honey masks or any other natural hair masks that will hydrate and bring moisture to your scalp work well to combat dry scalp as well.

Signs and symptoms of dandruff
Dandruff is greasy and yellowish white in color. Dandruff flakes are larger than dry scalp flakes and are harder to come off the scalp. You will experience itching and usually  have scalp odor.

- Excessive consumption of sugar, fat, starch

- Improper nutrition

- Heredity predisposition

- Allergic hypersensitive

- Lack of rest

- Emotional stress

- Hormonal imbalance

- Poor health

- Excessive use of hair products

- Improper use of hair-coloring products or excessive use of hot hair curlers or curling irons

- Cold weather (because you tend to wash hair less) and dry indoor heating

- Stress and anxiety

- Infrequent shampooing of the hair or inadequate rinsing of the scalp and hair

Dandruff can’t be cured, but it can be controlled
Many people believe that less shampooing or no shampoo will help alleviate dandruff, but on the contrary, “Not shampooing enough will only make your dandruff worse — it causes more oil and dead skin cells to accumulate on your scalp, which the yeast and fungi just continue to feed on,” warns Beverly Hills dermatologist Stuart H. Kaplan, M.D.To rid your scalp of dandruff, “you need to clean out all the gunk, which a regular shampoo won’t do.” Dermatologists recommend medicated dandruff shampoo which contains the ingredients selenium sulfide, zinc, or ketoconazole. For courser hair they recommend dandruff conditioner if you don’t use shampoo. For mild cases of dandruff more frequent shampooing can help.
- Dailyglow.com

Diets high in saturated and trans fats cause your sebaceous glands to produce more oil, which makes dandruff worse,” explains Kaplan. “Avoiding these fats, as well as incorporating varied fruits and veggies that contain zinc and B vitamins, will help keep the flakes at bay.” You may also want to consider taking a probiotic — any of a group of beneficial bacteria that can be found in yogurt or can be taken as a supplement — to combat the overgrowth of yeast. -Dailyglow.com

One natural remedy for dandruff is tea tree oil, it helps by balancing the pH levels and helps the hair follicles and cells to be clean and unclogged of debris.