People discover bizarre vintage dandruff cure – and are shocked it works
Dandruff is a common condition that leaves white flakes of skin in your hair that can leave you feeling itchy - people are now trying an old school treatment.
People have been left gobsmacked by an old-fashioned remedy for dandruff, questioning its effectiveness.
Dandruff is a common issue that results in white skin flakes appearing in your hair. It's not harmful or contagious, but it can leave the scalp feeling dry and itchy, according to the NHS. It's not caused by poor hygiene, but if you don't wash your hair regularly, it might be more noticeable.
Factors like stress and cold weather can exacerbate dandruff, as can certain skin conditions, dry skin, and sensitivity to hair products. The silver lining is that there are several ways to treat it.
A vintage treatment method recently shared on Reddit sparked a lively debate among hundreds of users. The advice, taken from a literacy clipping, provides different instructions for men and women on how to use a Listerine antiseptic treatment.
The clipping reads: "Women: Part hair, all over the scalp, and apply Listering Antiseptic with fingers tips or cotton. Rub in well. Carefully done, it can't hurt your wave.
"Men: Douse full-strength Listerine Antiseptic on the scalp morning and night. Follow with good, vigorous massage. Listerine Antiseptic is the same antiseptic that has been famous in the field of oral hygiene for over 60 years."
One user chimed in, saying: "I love how it's different for women and men like women have different hair chemistry than men."
The advice, seemingly from a mid-20th century publication due to its black and white appearance, has sparked debate over the distinct instructions for men and womena reflection of the era's differing gender rights. One person commented: "A man's scalp is generally 1.5 times oilier than women's.
"This is the reason why men are more prone to dandruff. But speaking of hair in general, men and women do have different hair. Women's hair tends to be more finer and more delicate; whereas men's hair tends to be thicker and rougher."
Another individual suggested the guidance was based on assumptions about hair length: "I think it's more that they made the assumption that men would have shorter hair and women would have longer," while someone else recalled: "Also women's hair in the past would often be in set styles at the hair salon/beauty parlour (as my grandmother called it) and so you'd go weekly or whatever to have your hair washed and set. So you don't want to ruin that because it's money and time."
Curiosity about the effectiveness, one individual asked: "Does it work though?,". Another said: "Yes. Used to mix it into my shampoo to help mine."
A further comment speculated on an alternative use: "I'm guessing it would probably work to kill lice, though it wouldn't be great for the life of your hair."
Modern remedies for dandruff involve using an anti-dandruff shampoo containing one of the following: zinc pyrithione, coal tar, ketoconazole, selenium sulphide, or salicylic acid. The NHS advises that results should be visible after a month of using the shampoo; if not, you may need to try a different product.
If you still have symptoms of dandruff after a month of using treatment shampoo, your scalp is red or swollen, you have flaky or itchy patches on your face or other parts of your body, or your dandruff is severe, or your scalp is extremely itchy, you must consult your doctor.
