Dandruff is a kind of skin disorder that affects the scalp. Dandruff is a condition in which white, dry flakes of dead skin are shed from the scalp. When the hair is combed or brushed, or when the scalp is scratched, the scales from the scalp fall like snowflakes and settle on the eye brows, shoulders, and clothes. These scales sometimes appear as lumps or crusts on the scalp.

In the present times, dandruff has become a common hair problem, which bothers many people. Characterized as excessive shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp, it can either be chronic in nature or caused by certain specific triggers. One of the most common triggers of dandruff is frequent exposure to extreme heat and cold, apart from chronic constipation, stress, fatigue, pollution and excessive use of hair styling products. The unusually large amount of flaking - one of the main symptoms of dandruff, might be accompanied by redness and irritation as well.

Normally dead skin cells are shed from the scalp, but it results in dandruff only when the scalp starts shedding thick layers of these dead skin particles. Seborrheic dermatitis or Seborrhoea is a disorder of the sebaceous glands which affects the scalp. Seborrhoea produces severe dandruff and a red, itchy scalp. Dandruff rarely causes hair loss or baldness. However, severe seborrheic dermatitis may cause patchy baldness.