Hey everyone! Are you surprised to see me reviewing a dandruff shampoo? LOL. It isn’t exactly because I have no more products to review, but rather, I’ve been pulling this off for a while.
Mainly because dandruff isn’t something I am proud of having. But hey, it’s out of my control.
Except this particular product worked so well for me. So I can say it IS under control now.
Another reason why I’m reviewing this is to also let more people know about this product (there are some that already do), especially those that are suffering from dandruffs and nothing can help them.
Trust me. I’ve been through that embarrassing phase.
(Realised how unlucky I’ve been throughout my life. Acne, blackheads, oily skin, oily scalp, flaky scalp – sometimes, dandruffs, itchy scalp, frizzy hair, and the list goes on. You get me.)
However, those gave me a chance to try things and review them for you! 🙂
Blessing in disguise, perhaps? Let’s get started, for realz.
What: Metholatum Selsun Blue Anti-Dandruff Shampoo (Extra Moisturizing)
Price: S$12.90 (Guardians Singapore)
Weight: 200 ml
Period-After-Opening: 12 months (assumed, as it’s not stated)
Read my previous review: Review | Mamonde Chamomile Pure Toner
From the ingredients, you can see that it actually has Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate. However, compared to SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), it is different.
This explanation from Green People says it all:
Although sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and ammonium lauryl sulphate (ALS) have similar sounding names and are both classed as anionic surfactants, they have different molecular structures. SLS is a comparatively simple molecule and is therefore quite small in size.This gives it the ability to penetrate the outer layers of the skin, particularly when used in conditions which encourage the skin’s pores to open, such as when in a warm bath or shower.
When SLS penetrates the outer layers of the skin in this way, it comes into contact with more delicate cells that are in the process of being formed in the dermis. It is here that the irritation associated with SLS manifests itself, resulting in reddening and erythema of the skin.
How is ALS different?
ALS, by contrast, is a slightly more complex molecule and is physically larger with a heavier molecular mass. This means that it is more difficult for ALS molecules to penetrate the outer layers of the skin and so reach the delicate underlying layers of cells.
Due to this difference, ALS is regarded as being considerably less irritating than SLS – on a scale of 0 to 10, where the potential irritancy of water is 0 and that of SLS is 10, ALS scores around 4 – clearly far less irritating than SLS.Green People
And then again, you’re only using it on your scalp and massaging it in for a couple of seconds.
For me, 30 seconds tops, before I rinse it out thoroughly.
They recommended to leave it on for 2-3 minutes, but I’ve never found it to be less effective even if I did it for last than a minute 🙂
Look & Feel
This comes in a blue bottle which states that it has honeyquat 50, and it’s a ‘Superior Moisturizing Formula’, I quote.
I remember the first time I used it. I thought it was going to make my hair dry because after all, it is a medicated shampoo with its 1% Selenium Sulfide.
On the contrary, my hair actually feels soft and smooth which is way out of what I was expecting.
They weren’t kidding with the moisturizing formula.
For the Selenium Sulfide and how it works, LiveStrong says this:
Selenium Sulfide
Shelley Moore – LiveStrong
The most well-known version of Selsun Blue is its basic formulation, containing selenium sulfide as the active ingredient. Selenium sulfide is an anti-fungal agent which may be helpful in treating the skin yeast infection tinea versicolor, scalp ringworm (tinea capitis) and athlete’s foot (tinea pedis). Selenium sulfide also is effective at treating seborrheic dermatitis because it slows the overgrowth of skin cells involved in this condition, as noted by Flexyx.com
Seborrheic Dermatitis is also called dandruff (and others – please do your research if you want to know more about this condition), and because that active ingredients slows the overgrowth of skin cells, dandruffs don’t form or appear as much.
I can attest to this because this really works for me.
I have personally tried the Sebamed Anti-Dandruff Shampoo as well, and they promised about 50% lesser dandruff in 14 days.
And yeah, that’s true but my aim isn’t to only have 50% gone, but all of it. And this product does the job.
After just one use, I noticed the difference.
Application
I could lather it well on my hair especially the scalp, when my hair is really damp.
Like as if you JUST drenched your hair, damp.
I realised I needed that much water in order to lather it well on my thick hair. But that’s also because I have thick hair.
If you have lesser hair (like my boyfriend), you definitely will need lesser shampoo and water.
Whereas I need slightly more shampoo!
The scent of this is actually more pleasant than I thought. It does not smell medicated or anything. The fragrance may be a little strong but it doesn’t bother me.
You can try smelling it in stores if the bottles are not wrapped ????
Washing this off was pretty easy too. And yes, you’d be washing off green suds hahaha.
I do like this green colour. Somewhat pastel green. Lolol.
Make sure to massage this well onto your head as you lather it. I particularly prefer foaming this up a little on my hands first with some water.
Btw, the texture is something I have never come across in shampoos.
When you have this product and water in your palms, you can actually touch the shampoo and not get it on your hands.
LOL. No idea how to explain this but I felt that the texture was really different haha.
Anyway, they recommend using it twice at least in a week.
I use it every 2-3 days = when I shampoo my hair.
Never felt like it was drying for my hair. Btw, this is my third bottle! It doesn’t feel like I finish it very fast. At the very least, it lasts more than 3 months.
I still get dandruff but it only happens on day 3 or 4 when my hair gets oily ????
Any caution with this would be to keep it out of the eyes due to the Selenium Sulfide. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after shampooing too.
If you feel any irritation after using this, you might be sensitive to it.
For coloured hair, do be aware that this may cause discolouration as well if you don’t rinse it properly.
Another favourite hair product of mine after shampooing would be the Yves Rocher Rinsing Hair Vinegar.
Related review: Review | Yves Rocher Detox Rinsing Vinegar (Moringa Extract)
Yes
- Affordable
- Does its job of decreasing dandruff (by a lot)
- Smells pleasant
- Squeeze bottle
- Foams up well (not as much as from a normal shampoo though)
- Fine for my permed and pre-permed (normal straight hair) hair
No
- Well, the product actually crusts around the opening when it dries up but that’s fine for me.
Am I Repurchasing?
Definitely! This has been the only shampoo that has worked on controlling my dandruff and before I find anything else that does it this well, I will probably be repurchasing it.
Overall Rating:
Do you have dandruff? What products do you swear by? ????
With ????,
Last 5 posts:
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Wow, thanks for the review! Was thinking of purchasing this in shopee, as i have a very itchy scalp and a huge amount of tiny white flakes each time i scratch my head, even after washing it!! Now im super excited to get this and see what happens to my hair!
I really hope it works for you because it worked for me! Good luck!! I’m still using it till this day ???? but I use it on alternate shampoo days. It may be hard to lather if you have thick hair like me, but I continuously add water 2-3 times to my head as I try to lather it. ☺️ rmb to leave it on for at least a minute before washing off.