Meet the Active Shampoo Ingredients That Fight Dandruff

There are plenty of ingredients added to shampoos to treat dandruff – but one new ingredient has taken treatment to a new level. Check out our guide to the active ingredients and see why selenium sulphide could finally be the answer

You’ve probably read about them all – zinc pyrithione, coal tar, ketoconazole and even natural remedies like coconut oil and lemon juice. But now there’s a new line-up in the Head & Shoulders range that’s specially designed to fight stubborn dandruff.

ZINC PYRITHIONE – THE REIGNING CHAMPION

The most tried and most trusted ingredient on the market, it’s proven to tackle dandruff and keep you up to 100% flake-free when used regularly.

In fact, it’s in all Head & Shoulders shampoos and is the main reason we’re the world’s most popular shampoo brand.

But for some people, zinc pyrithione isn’t strong enough, so it’s time to go into ‘beast mode’ and look for a stronger ingredient.

So here are the options:

SELENIUM SULPHIDE – THE NEW STAR

The active ingredient in our new Clinically Proven Solutions range its one of the strongest actives on the market and is designed to tackle stubborn dandruff.

So if you’ve tried zinc pyrithione or other actives on the market, it’s probably time to upgrade to selenium sulphide.

Plus, in the new range it’s combined with conditioners and our new sulfur-blocking technology so there’s no ‘medicinal’ smells and the hair feels soft and easy to comb after.

COAL TAR – REMEMBER THE SMELL?

Often marketed as a ‘stronger’ shampoo, if you’ve used it you’ll remember the strong smell. And your flakes probably came back too – it’s proven to work on the symptoms of dandruff, but it doesn’t work on the root cause. So they’ll always come back!

KETOCONAZOLE – THE PRESCRIPTION INGREDIENT

The active in a number of prescription shampoos, it’s strong stuff – but it’s often attracted criticism because it can leave hair feeling dry.

NATURAL REMEDIES – OFTEN TESTED, NEVER PROVEN

There are so many natural remedies it would take a long time to name them all – olive oil, coconut oil, aspirin, mouthwash and even vodka are often mentioned.

But regulatory bodies around the world have tested them and they’ve never been proven to work. Plus, you would exactly want your hair to smell like mouthwash or vodka, would you?