Dandruff vs. Dry Scalp: How to Recognize and Heal Both

Before you attempt to treat yourself for dandruff or dry scalp, it is important to know which problem you have first. Then you can figure out what causes it and how to treat it. One of the biggest misconceptions about dry scalp is that people mistake it for dandruff. As a professional, I work with clients all the time who think they have dandruff ,but in reality they are just suffering from dry scalp, or even extreme product buildup. Be cautious, because dandruff is actually caused by a bacteria, and is contagious if persons with dandruff share brushes, combs and hats with other people.

So how do I tell the difference?

1. Dandruff is a mixture of sebum(oil which comes from the hair shaft), sweat, bacteria and scalp tissue. It is always yellow or orange colored because of the sebum and sweat.

2. Dandruff can flake out of the hair or stick to the scalp, which is known as honeycomb dandruff. It usually appears in large areas of the scalp at a time, and is distinctly different than dry scalp if you see them side by side.

3. Dry scalp is an over shedding of dead and dehydrated skin cells of the scalp caused by itching, scratching, over combing, and due to severe dehydration of the sebaceous glands. This shedding will be white in color, in fact the white colored flakes you may see in dandruff shampoo commercials is actually dry scalp not dandruff. There is also not a bacteria present in most cases, and the skin has not combined with sweat and sebum.

3. Dry scalp, in a sense, is the opposite of dandruff, although similar treatments can be used for both, dry scalp takes less care to battle, and is usually attributed to bad products being used.

4. You may also have a severe buildup of product on the hair and scalp. An easy way to tell is to take the edge of a comb or your fingernails and glide down a strand of hair with them. If you have a powdery white substance on your nails or comb when you are done, it is probably from product buildup. This occurs when shampoos or conditioners either fail to remove hairspray, and styling products from the hair, or when the fillers in the shampoos and conditioners themselves leave a buildup.