Without Pircotone Olamine your anti-dandruff shampoo might be doing more harm than good

Dandruff, a seemingly harmless dryness that affects the scalp, is much more than just the white flakes ruining your outfit. It is a recurring scalp condition caused by a naturally occurring fungus called Malassezia Globosa.

More than 70% of Indians experience this condition, which is a recurring phenomenon, and can cause itchiness, irritation, redness of the scalp, visible flakes, apart from leading to an accelerated skin cell turnover.

While the condition has natural causes, there are external factors that can considerably worsen the condition. Before we talk about these external factors and the remedies, it is important to understand how dandruff works.


The natural phenomenon:

The fungus, Malassezia Globosa, is the root cause of dandruff. It occurs naturally, disrupts the scalp barrier and is helped by scalp oils in disturbing the scalp’s microbiome and causing the conditions listed above, including flakes of dandruff.

These scalp oils, in a controlled manner, do occur naturally. However pollution, sweat, stress, dirt, and other everyday triggers substantially increase the scalp oil-giving the yeast (Malassezia Globosa) a conducive ground to wreak havoc.

These triggers produce excessive oil, seat and other product build up and make the organism multiply rapidly. The fungus then releases by products which cause inflammation, flakes, redness, and other issues in the scalp.

These everyday triggers can make the problems compound, by giving room to other conditions like Seborrhoeic Dermatitis to overlap with dandruff.

Is frequent washing the answer?

The long and short of the matter is a straightforward “No”. Frequent washing of the hair and the scalp has the potential to do the exact opposite of what is intended to.

When the scalp and the hair are washed too frequently, it suppresses the naturally forming oil (Sebum secreted by the Sebaceous gland), leaving the scalp dry. As a defense mechanism, the dry scalp produces more oil, which makes the scalp greasy and perfect for the fungus to thrive.

Also, the harsh chemicals in the shampoos can dry out the moisture from hair strands, making them brittle.

Other myths:
Like everything else, Dandruff has its fair share of myths associated with it. We are dispelling them today.

• Dirt, sweat and scalp oil only worsen the condition, they do not cause it
• No, Dandruff is not contagious
• Frequent washing does not help
• No, dandruff does not cause permanent hairloss
• Flaking is not winter specific, can happen in any season

So, what helps then? The important question!

Regular (not frequent) washing with an anti-dandruff shampoo is the best answer to controlling your dandruff and keeping the fungus in check. But which anti-dandruff shampoo is the pertinent question.

There are countless shampoos in the market. All of them claim to get to the root of the problem. However, different shampoos (with different anti-dandruff ingredients) work in different ways. While some may remove flakes, others aim to reduce oil and cleanse the scalp.

These shampoos do provide temporary relief but are not a lasting solution to the dandruff issue. What is? Anti-dandruff shampoos with the “hero ingredient”!


The hero ingredient!
For long term control of the naturally present yeast, called Malassezia Globosa has to be targeted and the overall health of the scalp needs to be maintained. The ingredient that can do both is called Pircotone Olamnine (PO), and it has been extensively studied for its anti-fungal properties.

Pircotone Olamnine works by reducing the abundance or overproduction of Malassezia Globosa on the scalp. This way PO works on the root cause of the problem, without disrupting the beneficial microorganisms that form the scalp microbiome.

This is the exact reason that makes this ingredient the “hero” ingredient. It maintains the balance which is absolutely crucial for a healthier scalp. When the scalp gets healthy, the likelihood of recurrence of dandruff is significantly curtailed.

Pircotone Olamine is also proven to be effective in reducing scalp inflammation, which results in a significant decrease in redness, discomfort, as well as itching. In some cases it has also been associated with minimising hairfall.

Well formulated solutions, containing this ingredient, also keep the hair strands well hydrated protecting them from becoming brittle and breaking away.