4 ms·
Not merely an insightful repository of analysis and explanations around the more profound aspects of our world, John Ralston Saul's exquisite Doubter's Companio
by Jedd 9y ago
Not merely an insightful repository of analysis and explanations around the more profound aspects of our world, John Ralston Saul's exquisite Doubter's Companion includes some answers - acerbic accusations bundled free - to the more pedestrian issues:
"DANDRUFF: The ANSWER is usually vinegar. To some problems there are solutions.
"What we call dandruff is often the result of a PH imbalance on the skin, which shampoo exacerbates. Wash your hair with a simple non-detergent shampoo, soap, olive oil, beer, almost anything. Rinse. Then close your eyes and pour on some vinegar. The extremely cheap but natural sort—apple cider, for example—is probably best. The smell will stimulate interesting conversations in changing-room showers and your explanation will win you friends. Wait thirty to sixty seconds. Rinse it off. The smell will go away. So will your dandruff.
"All dermatologists, pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies know this simple secret. They don’t tell you because they make money by converting dandruff into a complex medical and social problem. By most professional standards this would amount to legally defined incompetence or misrepresentation.
"Dandruff shampoos that promise to keep your shoulders and even your head clean are harsh detergents and may promote baldness, which ought to constitute malpractice."
- yamaneko 9y agoI suffer from dandruff, tried a bunch of shampoos but they didn't work well. I saw this tip about vinegar, which I tried a single day then I gave up thinking this could be popular saying. I'll try again and report.
- ChickeNES 9y agoHave you tried going to a dermatologist?
- yamaneko 9y agoTo be honest, I only went to see a single dermatologist, but my experience was bad. The dermatologist kinda overlooked and shrugged. I received a shampoo recommendation, but the dermatologist didn't say we should monitor the treatment or anything. From what I saw, she would keep recommending shampoos and I would try until I found one that worked. so I decided to try by myself. Not my wisest moment. I should probably have seen another dermatologist.
- Jedd 9y agoWhen you say 'this could be popular saying' are you meaning that it may be wrong because it's popular? I'd be curious to know your results, in any case. I've had mixed outcomes from conventional (commercial shampoos) and have also been trying to identify causal factors (worse in winter, especially after a few days of wearing a beanie, worse when I'm staying near a high-pollution area, etc). It's all anecdata, but OTOH not beyond our abilities to thoughtfully analyse.
- yamaneko 9y agoThis unconscious bias went unnoticed to me (as expected, per definition). Thanks for pointing it :) So far, my experiments with other shampoos where conducted a bit ad hoc. They're all anecdata. When I try with vinegar, I should try to rule out other causal factors first. I probably haven't done that in my first try. Otherwise, we can never be sure.
- ChickeNES 9y agoStop spreading psuedo-scientific alternative-medicine falsehoods. Dandruff is in no way caused by a "PH imbalance on the skin": http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dandruff/diagnosis-treatment/treatment/txc-20215312 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dandruff/diagn...
- logn 9y agoWikipedia says one cause of dandruff is yeast-like fungus. Perhaps PH plays a role in that. Also vinegar has cleansing properties and may be less drying than detergent, and dry skin is another cause of dandruff.
- Godel_unicode 9y ago> _may_ be less drying than detergent (Emphasis mine) Did you miss the part where GP asked people to stop spreading pseudo scientific falsehoods?
- logn 9y ago"harsh soaps, detergents, and perfumes, [...] tend to dry the skin" https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=85&contentid=P00281 https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?con...
- Godel_unicode 9y agoThe word "vinegar" is notably absent from that link. That solely shows that harsh soaps are harsh (which as you may have noticed is axiomatic), not that vinegar isn't.
- joatmon-snoo 9y ago>notably absent Maybe that's because vinegar isn't a staple in the hair care aisle at Walgreen's.
- 9y ago
- weinerdog 9y agoGreat book and great advice. Must be about 20 years since I tried this approach. Count me as a data point strongly supporting the use of vinegar to deal with dandruff.