Okay i still havent gotten my braids yet and i'm wondering should i still get them. I have a bad case of dandruff or dry scalp and if i get braids then i wont wash as often because i want to keep my braids in for at least 3 months or more if it will hold up. My dandruff or dry scalp problem ( whats the difference between the 2?) is really bad and if i dont wash my hair often enough i can actually pick sheets of shedded scalp out of my hair . I'm thinking i should treat this problem before investing in braids but at the same time i've tried treating it and nothing worked. Please share your opinions and comment if you can relate or have advice for me.
This is an excerpt about dandruff from WebMD
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Brushing Up on Dandruff Facts
Dandruff is a persistent scalp condition in which skin cells on the head shed excessively. It is also often accompanied by itching and redness. Because most people struggle with the condition without seeking a doctor's care, no one is sure of its exact prevalence. But it is believed to be the most common scalp condition, affecting about one of every three adults, including more men than women.
Even on a healthy scalp, the shedding of skin cells is a normal process; new cells are continuously forming on the lower layers of the skin, gradually making their way to the top layer where, during about a 28-day renewal cycle, they replace those that are above it. But if you have dandruff, there has been an acceleration of this process and an overgrowth of the cells. As dead cells are rapidly cast off, they tend to clump together (with the help of the natural oils from your hair and scalp) in what look like small white flakes.
To make matters worse, these dead skin cells are filled with chemicals that can be reabsorbed by the scalp. These chemicals, says dermatologist Jerome Shupack, MD, may trigger inflammation, redness and itching.
But why does this cell proliferation shift into overdrive and shed at such a rapid rate? No one knows for sure, but a yeast-like fungus (called Pityrosporum ovale) could play a role. This fungus lives naturally on everyone's scalp in small amounts. But if its numbers increase, the body's immune system may mount an attack from time to time in an attempt to get rid of it. "When that happens, there are increased cell turnovers, redness, and dandruff," says Shupack of New York University School of Medicine.
A number of other factors - including heredity, hormonal fluctuations, illness, and stress -- can also contribute to the development and worsening of dandruff. "We sometimes see entire families with this problem," says Karl Beutner, MD, PhD, a dermatologist at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.
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This is an excerpt about dandruff from WebMD
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Brushing Up on Dandruff Facts
Dandruff is a persistent scalp condition in which skin cells on the head shed excessively. It is also often accompanied by itching and redness. Because most people struggle with the condition without seeking a doctor's care, no one is sure of its exact prevalence. But it is believed to be the most common scalp condition, affecting about one of every three adults, including more men than women.
Even on a healthy scalp, the shedding of skin cells is a normal process; new cells are continuously forming on the lower layers of the skin, gradually making their way to the top layer where, during about a 28-day renewal cycle, they replace those that are above it. But if you have dandruff, there has been an acceleration of this process and an overgrowth of the cells. As dead cells are rapidly cast off, they tend to clump together (with the help of the natural oils from your hair and scalp) in what look like small white flakes.
To make matters worse, these dead skin cells are filled with chemicals that can be reabsorbed by the scalp. These chemicals, says dermatologist Jerome Shupack, MD, may trigger inflammation, redness and itching.
But why does this cell proliferation shift into overdrive and shed at such a rapid rate? No one knows for sure, but a yeast-like fungus (called Pityrosporum ovale) could play a role. This fungus lives naturally on everyone's scalp in small amounts. But if its numbers increase, the body's immune system may mount an attack from time to time in an attempt to get rid of it. "When that happens, there are increased cell turnovers, redness, and dandruff," says Shupack of New York University School of Medicine.
A number of other factors - including heredity, hormonal fluctuations, illness, and stress -- can also contribute to the development and worsening of dandruff. "We sometimes see entire families with this problem," says Karl Beutner, MD, PhD, a dermatologist at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.
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