Do You Still Have Dandruff When You Shave a Bald Head?

”Your hair flows as the snow falls, which scatters away hot tears…”

The image is from the article “What is dandruff and itchy scalp trying to tell you?”

Once my mother heard me play this song, she asked me, “Too much dandruff? There’s no need to feel so grieved, is there?” I, who was drinking, was so shocked and fevered that the beverage shot out of my nose.

However, it’s indeed a sad thing to have a lot of dandruff.

I believe that many patients with “lazy cancer” have even thought: washing hair was too troublesome, but if they didn’t, there would be too much dandruff. So it was better to shave a bald Head to save future trouble.

However, does baldheaded really mean no dandruff?

The image comes from the cartoon Ikkyū-san

Does a Bald Head Have Dandruff Trouble?

To figure out whether a bald head has dandruff trouble, we should first know where dandruff came from.

The dandruff is a product of metabolism of epidermal cells of human head. The production process of dandruff is the keratinization process of human epidermal cells and a normal phenomenon.

The image comes from the article “If the skin is irritated (by ultraviolet rays, food and stress, etc.), epidermal cells will be activated, and produce inflammation.”

However, why haven’t we seen people going out with dandruff on their heads? Is that because they often wash their hair? Does much dandruff imply that one is not hygiene-conscious doesn’t his/her wash hair?

So the problems suddenly increase? Now let’s solve them one by one.

Why Can’t You See Dandruff at Ordinary Times?

The reason why we can’t see dandruff most of the time is that normally speaking, the dandruff size is less than 0.02 mm, and the minimum size of particles that our eyes can discern is 0.1mm. That means it is not easy for us to see our own dandruff.

However, when we use improper hair care products, or are exposed to undesirable external stimuli, the keratinization of epidermal cells will speed up and result in pathological desquamation.

So what’s the biggest dandruff you’ve ever seen?

The image comes from Beard Girl’s answer to the question “What’s the biggest dandruff you’ve ever seen?” on Zhihu

As a matter of fact, I once had a patch of dandruff as big as the picture above, but I hadn’t thought of taking a photo or contending for a Guinness World Record. Seriously, no one has ever found a record for the largest dandruff, so it is a chance.

Back to the point, pathological dandruff, i.e., pathological desquamation, is triggered by stimuli, which can destroy the ecological balance of scalp, make scalp cells metabolize abnormally, and make dandruff increase and enlarge.

However, it’s not in the least to assert that the presence of dandruff imply pathological desquamation. Poor hygiene and not washing hair do indirectly increase dandruff (although not the leading causes).

The purpose of washing hair is to wash excess grease and dirt from hair (and scalp), keep hair clean, smooth, odor-free and scalp pores unobstructed. If you’re not afraid of greasy, messy and odorous hair, then it doesn’t matter whether you wash hair or not.

Why is Your Dandruff Like Snow?

There are many reasons for dandruff. When we suffer from excessive stress, work and rest irregularly, wash hair with hot water, or hair care products contain excessive irritating chemicals, scalp redness, itching, pain, local swelling and other symptoms will probably occur.

In this case, the metabolism of epidermal cells in the head will change, and the secretion of grease by sebaceous gland will also be affected (generally speaking, the secretion of grease will augment). The excessive grease will block pores, reduce scalp permeability, and make bacteria and fungi reproduce prolifically and disrupt the ecological balance of sebaceous membrane.

This weakens the defense function of scalp, more epidermal cells will be dead or damaged, and more epidermal cell metabolites will be produced, i.e., excessive dandruff.

A comparison of the protective effect of sebaceous membrane.

Image source: knowledge sharing on 118buy

Scientists have discovered that a group of bacteria called Malassezia thrives when dandruff emerges in large numbers.  

If you don’t wash your hair for a long time, too much grease on the scalp can easily clog pores, making it impossible to discharge sweat through pores. The itchy scalp will make you eager to scratch, increase the friction between scalp and hair, and cause skin injury. As nutrients, grease and sweat may cause Malassezia to multiply, induce folliculitis, accelerate the moisture loss of scalp, make hair dry and coarse. The friction between hair and scalp and the loss of epidermal moisture will also stimulate hyperkeratosis of epidermal cells. And in order to reduce the loss of scalp moisture, the sebaceous gland will be stimulated to continue to secrete grease. Finally, the disease will worsen in this infinite loop, and then you will find that your hair loss will be aggravated due to the weakening of scalp defense, the invasion of germs and the disorder of endocrine.

The dynamic image comes from the dynamic expression in Stephen Chow’s movie

After a series of explanations above, it’s up to you whether to wash hair or not.

What? Still fancying that shaving a bald head can solve the problem?

The image comes from the article “Even a shaved head has dandruff on the forehead! Dandruff after a bald head shave. Strong taste, click with caution!”

Actually, as long as there is scalp, there will be scalp metabolites. What’s more, without the protective effect of hair, environmental stimuli, such as excessive sun exposure and climate changes, will directly act upon scalp. On this account, people with a bald head are no less dangerous than those with much hair.

How to be Fresh and Cool, without “Dandruff”?

What can we do to get rid of dandruff?

(1) Wash hair regularly according to hair quality.

Greasy hair has a high grease yield and can be washed frequently, while neutral and dry hair can be washed once every 2~3 days. If the frequency of washing is too high, the water holding capacity of grease will be impaired, the scalp will lose too much moisture and become dry, which conversely intensify the excessive secretion of sebaceous gland.

(2) Choose hair care products according to hair quality.

Depending on different hair qualities, hair care products vary in dosage and the types of moisturizing, degreasing and emulsifying additives. The scalp is second only to eyelids in terms of sensitivity. Therefore, the selection of hair care products should be taken seriously.

(3) Keep an eye on the hair washing methods

Don’t scratch your scalp when washing hair, but massage it with your fingertips. When washing for the first time, comb the wet hair with a comb. The water can’t be too hot, or else the scalp will be stimulated.

Dilute and lather the shampoo in the palm of hand, and then then rub deep in the hair. Do not apply conditioner to the root of hair, but to the end of hair.

If none of the above methods can alleviate symptoms, be sure to seek professional help from a doctor in time, for example, use a proper amount of B vitamins and antifungal agents (ketoconazole, zinc pyridinium and selenium disulfide, etc.).

As a conclusion, may all of you have a fresh hair without “dandruff”!

References：

[1] “Doctor, I can’t seem to shake off my dandruff. What should I do?”. www.decentrossi.com. [2019-10-17].

[2] Wei Shiyu, Du Yijie and Li Li, et al. Progress in research work field with respect to the mechanism of dandruff and biochemical changes of dandruff scalp [J]. China Surfactant Detergent & Cosmetics, 2017, 47 (12): 713-718.

[3] Jourdain R, Moga A, Vingler P, et al. Exploration of scalp surface lipids reveals squalene peroxide as a potential actor in dandruff condition [J]. Chinese Journal of Dermatology, 2017, 50 (4): 311-312.

[4] https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%B4%97%E5%A4%B4/6245880?fr=aladdin, the part about hair washing method is excerpted.