Dandruff is caused due to the irritation when a germ called Malassezia globosa which is present on everyone’s scalp, breaks down sebum or the natural oil present on your scalp. If you’re scalp is sensitive to the by-product produced – and around 50% of the world’s population is – your scalp can become irritated, leading to the symptoms we know as dandruff.

Dandruff often starts with puberty as your hormones start to change, causing you to produce more scalp oils for the dandruff-causing fungus Malassezia globosa to thrive on.But it can also appear at other times when your hormones change such as in old age or during times of stress. Know more about dandruff causes and factors affecting its growth.

The easiest way to spot dandruff is flakes appearing on your shoulders, but there are other signs too including itching, redness and dry scalp.

The scalp tries to shed the irritant along with the skin cells. In just a few days, a dandruff sufferer can actually produce as many new cells as a healthy scalp produces in a whole month! The excess skin cells clump together and become the flakes that we recognize as dandruff. Unfortunately, when new skin cells are being produced so rapidly, they don’t have quite enough time to develop and mature properly. This means that dandruff skin has an unhealthy and more disorganized structure.

Dry or Hot Air: Too much hot, dry air can dry out the scalp , making dry scalp and make dandruff worse.

Hats: Which create the perfect microclimate for the dandruff causing microbes to thrive.

Stress: If you are already prone to Dandruff, studies show that stress might cause it to flare or appear worse.

Pollution: pollutants in the atmosphere can damage your scalp . and Weakens your defence that will make you more prone to flare up.