A possible shampoo for dandruff prone hair

My friend Ken asked if I had anything for dandruff prone hair. I said I didn't, but I'd be willing to give it a shot! Again, I'm not making any claims here, but I thought it would be interesting to look at the theory behind why people have dandruff prone hair and try to make a product that addressed those issues.

(From this post) Dandruff is defined as excessive scaling of the scalp that results in flaking of our skin. There are many different things that can cause dandruff but the general consensus is that it is a low-grade underlying inflammatory process resulting in proliferative activity of the scalp, meaning there is some kind of inflammation that is leading to excessive scaling. A person with dandruff might see a scalp skin cell turnover of as short as 7 days, whereas someone without dandruff might take up to a month. People with oilier scalps with an excess of oleic acid and a microbe (Pityrosporum species Malassezia ovalis) are more susceptible to dandruff. (The microbe processes the oils and causes an inflammatory response in our stratum corneum.) It's more active in the colder months than the summer. Dandruff treatments should include anti-microbial agents (like Tinosan or quaternary compounds), keratolytic agents (like salicylic acid or sulfur to increase scalp desquamation) and anti-seborrheic compounds (things that reduce sebum levels, like coal tar).

So with this in mind, I set out to make him a shampoo for his fine, oily, dandruff prone hair!

A POSSIBLE SHAMPOO TO HELP WITH DANDRUFF (BUT I'M MAKING NO CLAIMS HERE!)
HEATED WATER PHASE
24.5% water
20% aloe vera liquid
5% sodium lactate
2% polyquat 44
2% Phytokeratin

HEATED SURFACTANT PHASE
10% cocamidopropyl betaine
15% C14-16 olefin sulfonate
15% DLS mild

COOL DOWN PHASE
0.5% white willow bark
1% tea tree oil
1% oily hair blend (equal parts lemon, lime, rosemary, sage, and cedarwood)
3% panthenol
0.5% liquid Germall Plus

2% Crothix added after cool down

I chose the aloe vera because it thickens the shampoo, makes it milder, and can help with moisturizing and increasing cell proliferation. It's also anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, both of which sound necessary for a dandruff product.

I chose polyquat 44 because I find it to be a really good cationic polymer that won't build up on fine hair. I figure he can use this product as a 2 in 1 as he has really fine, short hair and doesn't really need to use a conditioner. (Which means I couldn't use Tinosan as an anti-bacterial as it doesn't play well with cationic ingredients or clear bottles, and I don't have any opaque bottles right now.)

I chose sodium lactate at 5% because my hand slipped as I was making it (it happens!) and because at over 3% it acts as a mild AHA, which can cause sloughing off of our cells. Since it will rinse out of his hair, I don't have to worry about it making him sun sensitive.

And I chose Phytokeratin because it's a blend of various hydrolyzed protein, and I figure his scalp needs some moisturizing without oils because he's oily enough!

I chose my surfactants because this is the blend I always use for oily hair. The cocamidopropyl betaine is great at thickening, increasing mildness, and increasing the foam. It can also behave as a humectant, which is great for fine hair. Disodium laureth sulfosuccinate (DLS mild) is considered a mild surfactant with great degreasing qualities for oily hair. C14-16 olefin sulfonate (I use Bioterge AS-40) has great flash foam and good cleansing, and it's recommended for oily hair.

I always include panthenol as it behaves as a humectant as well as a moisturizer and it can increase the size of the hair shaft, making hair look thicker. I chose tea tree oil as it is supposed to be good as an anti-bacterial ingredient, and I included my oily hair blend of essential oils because this is a product for oily hair! I included white willow bark as it behaves like salicylic acid without all the hassle of trying to dissolve the latter and it offers good anti-inflammatory and exfoliation properties. (I leave a little of the hot water phase out to melt it, then add it at the cool down phase!)

Finally, I added 2% Crothix when the shampoo came to room temperature to thicken it and increase mildness. You can use any thickening product or process you wish - I just find liquid Crothix so easy to use!

So what do I think? It works well as a shampoo, but I don't know how Ken feels about its possible dandruff battling action, so I'll have to wait for his e-mail saying yay or nay!

Remember, treating dandruff is a medical claim, so I'm not sure what those of you who sell might say about it. I'm calling it "A Possible Dandruff Shampoo" because I want to make sure that Ken knows what I've given him and not mix it up with other products I've given him (the white willow bark makes it a browny colour and my body wash looks the same way, although it does smell different).