Have you been accused of being flaky? Do your co-workers wonder if it's snowing outside when they first see you arrive? Do you get asked where the parade was or what celebration you just came from? If so, you could be suffering from dandruff.

Dandruff is a common problem characterized by small flakes of dead skin that fall from the scalp and tend to accumulate on a person's shoulders. This can be quite embarrasing when wearing dark garments. Well, before you go wearing all white, let's take a look at what can cause dandruff in the first place.

You'll see how herb used topically and internally have helped many get rid of their dandruff. When there is poor circulation to the scalp, the skin cells die from lack of nourishment and shed in large flakes. You should improve circulation to help bring nutrients to the top of the head, and you also should decrease stress. Herbs can assist in both of these areas.

Rosemary (Rosarinus officinalis) is an herb used topically for dandruff, but it may also be tanken internally. Rosemary should be taken in small doses for internal use to help improve circulation and aid in digestion.

Rosemary leaves are rich in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosporus, sodium, and potassium, all of which are needed by the nerves and the circulatory system. Rosemary oil also can be rubbed into the scalp and rubbed onto the temples for relief of tension headaches. You can also make rosemary leaves and flowers into a tea and use it as hair rinse for treating dandruff.

Topically, jojoba oil is one of the best herbal remedies to help your dandruff problem. When applied to the scalp at night and shampooed out the next day, the oil of the jojoba plant will nourish your skin and eliminate dandruff. Some people like to add a drop or two to styled hair for extra shine.

Sometimes dandruff is just your scalp's way of telling you that your skin needs nourishment. A great combination of herbs to feed the skin, hair, and nails includes dulse, horsetail, sage, and rosemary. Dulse support the thyroid, and horsetail is rich in silicon to nourish hair, skin, nails, and even teeth.

Sage contains zinc and B vitamins that nourish the brain. And we already talked about rosemary's usefulness for treating dandruff. When combined, these herbs make a great combination for dandruff. Your blood carries nutrients to all parts of your body, and an excellent herb to increase blood supply to the head area is ginkgo biloba. This herb is great for memory loss, too.

If your dandruff is caused by stress,, a B-complex vitamin can help you with that. Other nutrient include beta carotente, vitamin A, and lecithin. Lecithin is a good brain food as well and is used to help the circulatory system. With any problems affecting the hair, you also might want to have your thyroid checked.

The thyroid takes part in regulating the metabolism, and problems with the thyroid can cause hair loss and other symptoms. Also make sure that you do not have high cholesterol, which could interfere with proper circulation.