NEW DELHI: Dry skin, yeast infection, faulty diet, or any other skin-related ailment — the cause of dandruff can be any but the tricky part is that it can be incredibly difficult to treat. To do away with the white flakes, head to your kitchen for some effective home remedies.

Here are some of the ingredients that can save the day, shares Manoj Khanna, owner of Enhance Clinic:

Baking soda: Wet your hair and then rub a handful of baking soda, massaging it into the scalp. Rinse thoroughly without using a mild shampoo. Baking soda will counter the growth of over active fungi and leave you with a cleaner mane.

Aspirin: Know what makes this work? A special substance called salicylic acid that also forms an essential ingredient in a host of medicated anti-dandruff shampoos. For freedom from dandruff, crush two aspirin tablets to a fine powder and add it to a coin-sized amount of shampoo. Leave this solution on for a minute or two and then rinse thoroughly. Finish off with the treatment by washing with regular shampoo.

Mouthwash: Try mouthwash for that dash of freshness and much needed respite from dandruff. First, wash your hair with regular shampoo and then give it a final rinse with an alcohol-based mouthwash. Its anti-fungal properties will inhibit the growth of dandruff-producing yeast and lead to shiny hair. Don’t forget to keep the dryness at bay by conditioning those strands.

Salt: The abrasive quality of salt can work wonders. Just sprinkle some salt directly on to your scalp using a saltshaker. Then, massage it using circular motions like you would with a scrub. This will cleanse the scalp and leave it spic and span, ready to be shampooed as usual.

Garlic: Barring the pungent smell, this is one of the best ways to beat dandruff. Its potent anti-fungal properties can fight dandruff like nothing else. To cut the odour, you can mix crushed garlic with honey. Apply this paste liberally on to the scalp before shampooing.