Does Conditioner Worsen Dandruff?

If you suffer from occasional or regular dandruff, chances are you've bought many products to try to help combat the unwanted, itchy, and unsightly flakes. Head & Shoulders revealed that a microbe called Malassezia causes the flakey stuff. While we all have it, not everybody experiences sensitivities to it. If you're among those who do, though, you might struggle to keep it under control. According to Self, your dandruff could be something you're genetically prone to having, or it could merely be a reaction to something in your haircare routine. 

What you might not know is that if you have a sensitive scalp, regular shampoo and conditioner ingredients may cause irritation, making your dandruff woes worse. You might already realize that buildup from your regular styling products exacerbates the problem, and perhaps through trial and error, you've eliminated a few (via Head & Shoulders). However, there's one sneaky culprit in your hair care routine you might not expect — conditioner. Read on to find out if your conditioner might be aggravating your dandruff instead of simply making your hair more hydrated and manageable.

While you might not think that conditioner plays much of a role in dandruff, Head & Shoulders revealed that may not be the case. According to the popular drugstore anti-dandruff shampoo brand, your conditioner could sneakily cause your anti-dandruff shampoo to work less effectively. 

Your regular conditioner could contain ingredients that wash away the active ingredient in your anti-dandruff cleanser. That means you should purchase a conditioner specifically formulated to work with your anti-dandruff shampoo. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, you should use the specially formulated cleanser and conditioner twice a week, or once a week if you have natural hair. 

While you might believe your flakes come from a dry scalp, Self reported that for some people, dandruff is due to an oily scalp, so if you continue to have problems even after trying anti-dandruff shampoos and conditioners, you might want to see your dermatologist to ensure that there's nothing else going on with your scalp to cause the itching and flaking.