There are lots of dandruff products on the market. They're backed by multi million dollar companies and massive advertising campaigns. So you're bound to have seen the adverts, especially the ones where they wash half of one poor soul's hair in an anti dandruff shampoo and the other half in whichever product is being sold.

But the big problem is that most of the products won't actually cure your dandruff. They'll only mask the problem. So you'll hop from one product to the next to the next until you're back at the "new, improved" version of the first one you started with. Surely it will work this time?

If you're relying on an anti-dandruff shampoo then you need to check the ingredients list. You may need a magnifying glass and some bright light to do this, but make sure that you do.

One of the common ingredients of dandruff shampoos is zinc pyrithione. This is supposed to work on the yeasts and fungus that are the most common causes of this scalp complaint. And so long as you finish the course then this usually happens. But if you stop part way, chances are that your problem will come back with a vengeance. Leaving you with more dandruff than when you started.

If your shampoo has a different active ingredient - ketoconazole and selenium sulfide are two of the most common alternatives - then you're almost certainly being scammed. These ingredients work to control your dandruff but only so long as you're using the product that contains them. As soon as you stop using the shampoo, guess what, your dandruff comes back. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place.

If your chosen brand has coal tar in it, put the bottle back on the shelf! Coal tar has been found to be capable of causing cancer.

Next up on the scam possibility are the various natural cures. This isn't to say that these natural cures won't work - some of them most certainly do. But some are old wives tales. If you go down this course, check out other people's reviews to see whether there is a good chance that the weird and wonderful things you'll be putting on your hair stand a chance of working.

Some of the natural cures that are said to work include:

* Massaging tea tree oil into your scalp and then rinsing it out about a quarter hour later.

* Rubbing aloe vera gel into your hair and rinsing it out about 10 minutes later.

- Using a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice in with the last rinse of your hair - just be careful that this doesn't have the effect of changing the color of your hair.

- Baking soda rubbed into your scalp and later rinsed out.

Whichever method you choose to clear up your dandruff, stay with it long enough to find out whether it works. It's no good using something once, finding your dandruff is still with you a couple days later and saying "well, that didn't work then". Almost all dandruff cures (apart from maybe shaving your head) will take time to work. So persevere long enough rather than giving up on your chosen dandruff cure after a couple weeks.