Shampoo boffins decode dandruff fungus' DNA

Researchers working for the maker of Head and Shoulders anti-dandruff shampoo have mapped out the genome of the microbe that causes the pesky condition. The news is being hailed as a breakthrough that could put millions of snowy-shouldered people out of their misery, according to a report in The Sunday Times newspaper. …

[Anonymous Coward]

Great but...

The current Head and Shoulders is awful. It practically burns your scalp off.

[Anonymous Coward]

So no-one else gets there first...

...and puts them out of business!

Find the solution/cure to your product, patent it and then sit back. Sounds like a good model to me!! ;)

[Anonymous Coward]

joke time

A blonde and brunette are walking along and the brunette turns to the blonde and said 'my husband had really bad dandruff, so I gave him head and shoulders.' then the blonde says 'how do you give shoulders?'

[Adrian Jones]

"treatment paradigms to alleviate the major impact"

Sound like they've been sniffing the Joss sticks with marketing.

It's an unfortunate pitfall of research that your name may end up forever associated with dandruff fungus.

[cor]

I never suffered from dandruff...

...because my hair emigrated a few years ago and I just rub a bit of 'facial moisturiser' on me back-forehead.

Hat AND coat donned.

[Anonymous Coward]

@Great but...

just get some dreads, sorted my dandruff right out....

[Gavin]

extortion

Yep and as soon as they figure out how to delay it not cure it itll be released for profit, they cant have you not needing their shampoo anymore

[Edward Rose]

Where's the problem?

A one off application won't clear you for good, the fungus is likely to remain in existance somewhere.

So, they produce a treatment wash in small, over priced bottles, and continue making a moisturising / conditioning shampoo for regular use.

The treatment may keep the fungus at bay for a few months or even years, but it is likely to return every so often.

[Peter Fielden-Weston]

What?

"put millions of snowy-shouldered people out of their misery" Bit harsh just for having dandruff isn't it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Dettol

Wash hair; soak/rinse in diluted Dettol; wait 5 mins; rinse thoroughly and wash again with shampoo to remove any smell. Don't forget to do your hairbrush and change pillow case otherwise you're wasting your time.

Lasts for 2-3 months. Dirt cheap.

(Not an iFan but shiny haired!)

[Graham Bartlett]

Wash and go

FWIW, it doesn't help with the dandruff, but a handy hint to blokes. I quit using shampoo a few years back, so now I just rinse my hair well instead. At the time my hair was going thinner and receding fast - wodges of hair needed removing from my brush every week. Without shampoo, my hair is tons thicker, the hair in my hairbrush just quit appearing, and my hairline stopped heading north. Apparently top models don't use whatever fancy shampoo they're promoting either, they just rinse their hair. Same principle as why you don't shampoo animals too often as well.

And best of all it gives you carte blanche to use the Jasper Carrott gag: "Wash and Go. I washed it - it went." Ba-dum-ching!

[Frank Bough]

Named FOR?

...where's my bloody British bulldog when I need it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Nizoral

This stuff works pretty good:

http://www.nizoral.ca/eng/break_faq.html

Disclaimer: I'm just a satisfied customer, no relation to the company.

[Austin Troxell]

And What Happens...

... when a naturally-occurring mutation or a lab goof creates a resistant strain of Mala-simon-sez-ia? We're already seeing what happens when something ubiquitous like Staph. aureus develops multi-drug resistance.

I can just picture it now: scientists tweak the genetic code of dandruff fungus and the resultant strain is no longer content to feed on just the surface of our scalps.

Hey, Tobe Hooper! I'll sell ya the movie rights!