Please help me out of my dandruff hell...

[ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts]

I have suffered from dandruff for ages, especially worse since having my kids.

I used to use T-gel to good effect but it was so terrible for my hair. I ended up dry and frizzy and split and totally unmanageable. I stopped using it and my hair is lovely and soft and shiny but the dandruff is back. Argh!

Does a decent anti dandruff shampoo exist that won't wreck my hair?

I got dreadful dandruff on holiday last year, I get it every now and then but hadn't take any shampoo with me. I bought Lidl's el cheapo anti-dandruff shampoo just to tide me over til I go home - and it was way better for my hair than T-gel or H&S .... cleared the dandruff and hair was really shiny. Bought some more recently, less than a pound and I swear, best anti-dandruff shampoo I've ever bought.

That said, depends on what is causing itas to what will work best.... but would def give the Lidls one a go - and even if it doesn't work, you've not wasted a lot of money.

www.oneclickpharmacy.co.uk/loreal-elvive-anti-dandruff-active-selenium-shampoo-normal-hair-250ml-p-120341.html

Expensive here but just so you know what it looks like in Boots. Its active ingredient is selenium which is the same as Selsun - must be why it works so well.

Honesltly, I know that if I were to use Pantene tomorrow within 3 days my head would be a big itchy flaky mess again. bastard stuff

So you can use the elvive one every day? Just as a regular shampoo&conditioner?

I have used elvive range before but it made my hair feel quite heavy, so will look out for trial sizes first.
Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions, good to know what works for some other people :)

The cure for dandruff is nizoral medicated shampoo. You have to get it at the chemists but it is amazing. I only need to use it once a month now and have been dandruff (and sore scalp) free for the fifteen years I've been using it.

The Elvive in the dark blue bottle works wonders for me too, when nothing but Selsun worked before (and wrecked my hair). I did get a Phillip Kingsley trial set on ebay, but it didn't work nearly as well

Yes, I use it every other day and my hair is in fab condition and I only need to use a small amount of conditioner with it.

I looked on boots online and there is no corresponding conditioner. do you just use any other conditioner?

I use the Elvive conditioner for coloured hair in the red bottle which is great. Conditioners (apart from Pantene) don't seem to be a problem, especially as I only put it on the ends of my hair. You won't need a lot as the shampoo is so conditioning so go easy on whatever one you use.

Got some today, thanks for all the suggestions.

The elvive is on 3 for 2 in boots at the mo if anyone needs anymore. :)

Update in a week and tell us how you got on?

I use either Oilatum, or one of the ketoconazole ones (such as Nizoral). Both, when followed by conditioner, leave my hair looking pretty good and with Oilatum I even quite like the smell. Also, as you only have to use them once or twice a week (after the initial period), you can use whatever works best for your hair (and is a bit cheaper!) in between.

I actually found it worked well for me to alternate the two - use Oilatum till I got to the end of the bottle, then a bottle of Nizoral (or whatever) and then back to Oilatum. If I just use one all the time I sometimes find the effect wears off a bit after a while.

I use the L'oreal one too - I find it better than heads and shoulders, that stuff makes my hair feel like straw! Definitely give it a try.

Quick update:

For those of you suggesting Loreal... Thank you thank you thank you! It's great. Hair is fab, flakes barely there. One happy lady :) :)

One more question though... Is it likely to make a hair colour fade more quickly?

Thanks to advice on here I tried the Loreal Elvive anti dandruff for men,black bottle orange cap, WOW this stuff is fabulous, cleared dry crusty dandruff in 3 washes, it contains selenium as does Selsun, and currently on offer in Asda at a bargain £1.50.

Sadly what helped me was to stop blow drying

I had awful dandruff my since my early teens. I tried ALL sorts, all the over the counter shampoos and the medicated ones prescribed by the GP. I tried steroid gel that goes straight on the scalp none of it worked long term. When I tried using a shampoo bar soap the dandruff went away after two washes It never comes back unless I use conventional shampoo. I have used various shampoo soap bars, I always get them from shops that use natural ingredients and scents. Rose ones seem to work well but they basically all work. For me it has genuinely been a 'magic' cure. Could be worth a try.

T Gel didn't dry out my hair if I used it for a first wash and then used my normal shampoo and conditioner after. It still worked to clear the scalp. If used without the second shampoo, even with conditioner, my hair was like straw.