Treating Dry Scalp and Dandruff

If you have Vata imbalances which means having a high wind or air element in your body most likely you have had or are experiencing dry scalp and or dandruff. This embarrassing deficiency occurs more during the cold seasons and has been with me for years after I moved to the U.S. The dry and cold climate here is an extreme opposite to the hot and humid weather in Thailand where I grew up. Changes and especially extreme changes also cause Vata imbalances.

I have tried dandruff shampoos, different oils and even my own herbal Abhyanga oil which works wonder on the skin. I do oleate internally drowning myself with olive oil and ghee, take whole dairies rather than reduced fat ones and choose moistly cooked food over dried and crunchy foods. But alas, nothing gave me a permanent solution for the dandruff. Then, I read Dr. Vasant Lad's suggestion. He wrote "Although dandruff can sometimes be caused by a fungal infection or other skin disease, in most cases it is produced when the scalp doesn't receive a sufficient supply of blood. Consequently there is a lack of protein in the skin, which becomes dry and flaky."

The body system has to take care of its vital organs and tissues. Hair is the least important part of the body hence, if you tend toward vata imbalances and has general deficiency your hair suffers from the lost of nutrients. Beside eating the right foods an extra help can treat the condition effectively. Dr. Lad's suggestion for treating low blood, low protein in the scalp is to use 2 eggwhites mixed with the fresh juice of one lime. Having much faith in Dr. Vasant Lad I am sure this works very well. However, I have a hard time justify using eggs as a beauty treatment. Although, being dandruff free is hardly a vanity and I do eat eggs I opted to search for an alternative.

This year is the first winter I am experiencing free dandruff thanks to a simple solution I found through my experiments. I love yogurt as a Vata pacifying food and now have an extra jar of organic whole plain yogurt in my fridge for the treatment of dry scalp. Here is how it works. Scoop it with a spoon, drop it on your scalp and work it in. Let it coat your scalp for at least half an hour before shampooing normally with lukewarm rather than hot water. This is the beauty of Ayurvedic medicine. If you or your practitioner know the elements and the qualities of the element(s) that cause an imbalance and understand how they affect the physiological functions of the body then a simple remedy of opposite elemental qualities can be found to bring you back in balance. There is always a unique solution for your unique self. Experiment and let me know how it works for you.