Bye Bye Dandruff! Hello Luscious Hair!
A while ago I wrote about the debacle- that was my use of Dove’s Intense Damage Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner (I would like to add though, that a LOT of my friends rave about that product!). Well, being the eternal optimist that I am, I saw an upside to that whole situation. It made me realize that I have a major issues with my scalp- it flakes, it gets oily fassst, and I waste about one-fourth of my day scratching it, when I could be doing other important things like…sleeping.
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Perhaps I should have put that last sentence in past-tense, because this new product I’ve been using has set my hands free, and relieved me of the colossal task that is washing my hair every two days!
THE PRODUCT: Nizoral Shampoo. Manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, the shampoo contains 1% (also available in a 2% mixture) of Ketoconazole. Ketoconazole is an anti-fungal chemical. 
THE PRICE: The product retails for Rs. 100 for a 100ml bottle in India (my source is sort of dated, the product may cost more now) I bought 125ml of the product for about $10! As you can see the product is exorbitantly priced in the U.S.! Just like most other medicines I end up paying almost 5 times more (!) here than I would in India. Doesn’t this make you feel somewhat better about paying more for international cosmetics? Ok, maybe not. : P
Use: The instructions specify that the product should be used every 3-4 days for upto 8 weeks. They also suggest that you apply the product, rinse and then repeat. I use this shampoo every 3 days. I wet my hair, apply the shampoo on my scalp, rinse and then repeat. Only the second time I apply the shampoo I let it sit on my scalp for a while before I rinse it out. Ok…so here is what works and what doesn’t :
PROS:
- It really works! This product started working the VERY FIRST DAY I used it. My scalp wasn’t oily, itchy, or flaky at all for upto 4 days! I decided to wash my hair on the 5th day just because it felt weird not to wash it for so long and it smelled kind of bad (I do a lot of cooking and the smell gets in my hair).
- It smells great. I not the first to jump on using a “medicated” shampoo cause pretty often I’m scared it’ll smell awful or have no smell at all. This product is great, it smells amazing and not at all medicine-y.
- I can wear black again. Ok…I know I sound like a dandruff commercial when I say this, but I have to cause its true! I don’t have any ‘snow’ falling on my shoulders anymore and don’t have to worry about some potentially embarrassing situations.
- I’m breaking out less. A lot less. I’ve noticed the oilier my head, the oilier my face and the more likely I break out. Since this product keeps my scalp fresh, I don’t break out as often.
- Another BIG PRO is that it is effective is battling hair loss. Users of the shampoo claim that the shampoo works as a great method to battle and also reverse hair loss. Pretty cool huh? There are studies that infact prove these claims. I haven’t really noticed any change in the thickness of the hair, but I’ll for at least 8 weeks before I reach my decision on that.
CONS:
- The product leaves my hair very dry. I cannot even imagine just shampooing and leaving my hair as is. I HAVE to condition; I only apply the conditioner on the ends of my hair. I can tell how drying it is, because there is a dramatic difference between my roots and the rest of my hair. I also apply a hair serum on the shafts and ends of my hair following a shower.
- It contains Sodium Laureth Sulphate, and I’m pretty sure lots of it.
- It’s pretty expensive in the States. I’m really going to try and get the rest of my bottles cheaper. It’s the same formula, and I really don’t want to be paying so much more for it.
- It’s time consuming. I have a pretty hectic schedule and between letting this sit on my hair and letting my conditioner sit on my hair, I spend a lot of time in the shower. I just can’t wait for some water-proof laptop to be out, so that I can work while showering. As outrageous as my previous statement sounds, I’m dead serious about it … So Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Dell, HTC or shady Chinese imitation producer listen up!
VERDICT: If you have severe dandruff and normal shampoos (All Clear, Head and Shoulders etc.) aren’t helping you, you HAVE to use this product. If you have moderate dandruff and still want to continue using a regular shampoo, I’d say use this once a week or atleast once it two weeks. Bottom line- this works beautifully for me, after 8 weeks I plan to use it once in two weeks to keep dandruff away. Dandruff is an infection, and I should have realized earlier that it needs to be treated like that. Oh well, but it’s not too late and I am very pleased with the results! 
“The Freedom Will Go To You Head” Cheesy tagline…but soooo true!
RATING: 
![Sandwiches_for_weight_loss[1]](https://makeupandbeauty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sandwiches_for_weight_loss1.jpg)
thanks for the review Devika…is this available in India? havnt heard of this brand or seen around
Yeah it is. Just pick it up at any chemist! Plus it’s a LOT cheaper in India!
Devika, Nizoral worked for me too. A really effective shampoo!
HD, yes, this is available in India.
Hi Anupama! It’s pretty amazing and it works soooo fast
HD, this is easily available in india,as an OTC drug, doubt if you will get in other shops though… if i remember correclty it is from Johnson&Johnson…and there are 2 variants of this which u can choose according to severity of dandruff…my hubby was using this years back…
Hey Shyna, Anupama…thanks alot will def check at the medical shop 🙂
You’re right Shyna, it’s sold in 1% and 2%…I used the 1% for my moderate to harsh dandruff and it worked for me!
I tried this Devika but I suffered hair loss so I stopped 🙁 Didn’t work for me 🙁
Uh-oh Arthi…that’s awful. I haven’t had any hair gain or loss….but my hair stopped falling out from a flaking scalp. A lot of people on hair boards say it makes hair grow faster and thicker, I am yet to see this.
Did you use conditioner with this? I feel that maybe the friction from how dry this leaves the hair must have caused your hairfall/loss.
ah this is still around!!! remember frm, guess 10 yrs back.
it used to be more of a medicinal one avail at drugstores. they have redone it as a nice commercial one now!
it did work for me then!
.-= Gaea´s last blog ..Wats with women- hues and buying =-.
Yeah I think this has been around for ages…I bought it where I buy regular shampoo, so I guess they are marketing it differently now!
I am picking this up this winter season.
I want a Royal welcome. :laugh: :laugh:
Lol…believe me I have been getting the royal welcome lately 😉
Aarthi, my hubby had severe dandruff and he was using this, quite effective but side effects are there like dryness and hair fall so he stopped…after that he used a shampoo called 8x along with an after shower hair cream called No-skurf as advised by a dermatologist-these has worked wonders for him and now he is completely free of dandruff..
Touch wood I haven’t experienced any hair fall yet …. all these comments are scaring me :-((
And I’m so glad your hubby found something that works for him…thank you for sharing it with us! :-))
I have used this product a few years back and it worked wonders..But I used to hate the smell..Very very strong chemical smell..yikes..
But now from your review, I understand that they have revamped the product. I should give it a try soon..
You know the climate here causes that stupid dandruff throughout the year..and add to it the hard water..sigh!!
The smell is really nice…I was very pleasantly surprised by it. And this takes care of all that hard water build up too….!
I’ve yet to find an anti-dandruff shampoo that doesn’t turn my hair into straw! I’ll try and look into this product and see if its available nearby! My work uniform was black, and I was afraid to run my hands through my hair in case there was flaking going on. So embarrassing!
How would you compare it to Selsun Blue? I tried that for a month, after Head and Shoulders seemed to make mine WORSE, and there was still some build up on my scalp, and my hair looked so sad and dry. 😥 If your hair healthy and thick, I wouldn’t worry about it falling out. I lightened my hair so I’m afraid to try any harsh chemicals because it might break mine!
I haven’t tried selsun blue… but compared to head and shoulders this was a lot better. head and shoulders didn’t do anything for my dandruff at all!
if you’re looking for a shampoo that won’t dry your hair out, this isn’t for you. it’s very drying on my scalp and i guess that’s part of why it works! it might even cause breakage (because of the friction) 🙁 !
.-= Devika Rani´s last blog ..More Kitchen Love =-.
Hi devika,
i see you helping through this comments above can you help me also.
can you let me know any 1 place in bangalore where i get this shampoo 🙂
hey.. my hair become dry and look freezy even after using conditioner.. can u plz suggest me some good hair serum or cream so my hair look lively…:) :heart:
hey!! This review is SO helpful! I have been debating whether to use this or not..I am facing severe itching, scaling and dandruff and my hair are falling in thousands (almost not an exaggeration) 🙁 I am totally freaked out and then came across this product..I have read a lot of reviews online and have been contemplating whether to go to a doc or 1st try this..I think after reading your review I am going to give this a shot..now that its been 2 yrs since this post, did this product really help in hair re-growth? (Fingers crossed pls say yes!!) 🙁
i am 21 year old , nd for the past 4 yrs i hv been sufferring from serious dandruff probllem. i am goin to try this shampoo.. fingers crossed. hope this works fr me. *cry*
Which conditioner goes best with nizoral? Because some conditioners also cause itching n cause for dandruff….n do we need to use any other shampoo alongwith nizoral??
Please help!
Thanks in adv. 🙂
Very good review with a lot of pro’s and con’s to mull over. I like Nizoral for use of seborrheic dermatitis. I use it now and then to get rid of my dandruff. I think it works well but it becomes less effective unless I rotate dandruff shampoos by not using only one.
Hey devika !thanks for sharing your review . I will definitely try it out. As I am suffering from severe dandruff problem . And because of it I am having Acne also …