This $16 Product Is The ‘Gold Standard’ Of Dandruff Treatments — And You Can Get It On Amazon

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I’ve certainly seen a fair number of products backed by the testimonials of happy customers, but this shampoo that claims to rid scalps of even the most stubborn cases of dandruff is possibly one of the most convincing examples yet. 

Nizoral is an anti-dandruff shampoo boasting over 68,380 five-star-ratings on Amazon and accompanied by effusive reviews calling it “literally [the] best product I’ve used in my life for my hair,” or reporting results like “I use this once a week with my regular conditioner and the dandruff is just gone.” One reviewer with obstinate dandruff even said that the results they achieved with Nizoral brought them to tears. 

Dr. Elaine F. Kung, a board-certified dermatologist at New York City’s Future Bright Dermatology, called Nizoral “the industry gold standard” of anti-dandruff treatments because it includes a 1% concentration of ketoconazole, an anti-fungal ingredient that’s clinically proven to address dandruff symptoms.

Ketoconazole is “deemed as one of the most effective ingredients for seborrheic dermatitis based on 51 clinical studies covering over 9000 participants [who] found ketoconazole shampoo to help reduce symptoms by at least 30% compared to placebo shampoo,” Kung said. 

The fresh-scented and non-medicinal-smelling formula claims to be gentle even on gray, color-treated or chemically processed hair, and can help put an end to everything from severe itching to flaking when used just twice a week. (The brand suggests using Nizoral every three to four days for up to eight weeks, then only as needed.) According to reviewers, it’s a welcome departure from similar treatments on the market that are harsh on hair and can leave it feeling dry and gunky. 

“My hair is always soft and smells nice,” wrote one reviewer.

Although Nizoral isn’t marketed for use anywhere other than the hair and scalp, some users say that it’s also been helpful for skin conditions like mild seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis and acne. We asked Kung about that, too. 

“Because ketoconazole has anti-androgen properties and has been shown clinically to reduce oil production, it can help people with scalp, facial and back acne when it rinses over these areas while being used as a shampoo,” she said.

With a price of just $16 a bottle, Nizoral may very well be worth a try. Read on to see what more people have to say about this game-changing shampoo. 

Promising Amazon reviews:

“I’ve had dandruff since my teens. Tea tree oil shampoos never did anything, sometimes made things worse. Salicylic acid shampoos didn’t do much. Coal tar, pyrethione zinc worked to some extent, but if I didn’t use them every single time I shampooed, it just immediately came back. And at best just kept it less noticeable. I tried everything at some point or another. It was severely depressing as I could never just use nice, normal, luxurious salon shampoos. And I definitely couldn’t go without blow drying my hair or using too much conditioner. (In retrospect, probably a damp scalp helped feed fungal growth).

“Within a couple weeks of using this, my dandruff was gone. Like gone, gone. Not just reduced. Gone gone. I was able to cut back to using just once week, and use ANY hair products I wanted to in between. Gradually, I was able to pretty much stop using it entirely. But now and then, especially because I never dry my hair anymore, it comes back. But I’m able to quickly get control of it with this… Just stop wasting your life struggling. Stop trying to pretend it’s just a dry scalp or product build up. Stop struggling with tea tree oil shampoos. Stop being a slave to drying yucky cheap unisex drugstore shampoo that barely helps. Use this stuff, get it under control, move on with your life.” — Kellie

“This product is literally amazing. My scalp has never been so clean for so long. I have thick curly hair and I have dealt with dandruff, dry scalp and product build up my whole life. I’m talking like big flaky chunks all over. I would have to wash my hair twice maybe three times a week because I would have soooo much dandruff. I washed my hair and going into the second week I have little to no dandruff. I will say it’s after shampooing it does leave your hair feeling a stripped in terms of texture but after conditioning it’s all good. I would definitely recommend if you are dealing with uncontrollable dandruff of build up. Literally best product I’ve used in my life for my hair. Bonus is it smells good! Doesn’t have a medically smell if you know what I mean! I will definitely be repurchasing soon.” — Stephanie

“Where do I even begin! Growing up as far as I can remember dandruff has always plagued my hair hygiene. Didn’t matter what methods I tried on the internet nothing seemed to work and I slowed began to think that this was something I was just gonna have to live with. No no no no, apparently Nizoral had a solution to put an end to the reign of my dandruff once and for all!!! After recieving the shampoo I ran faster than sonic the hedgehog to wash my hair and let Nizoral go to WAR!!! I washed my hair twice with the shampoo to make sure that it lathered up nicely and dried my hair. Then came the moment of truth, did Nizoral come out victorious in the war or succumb to the annoying dandruff! I rake my hand through my hair in different locations and NOTHING! At this point I think I’m dreaming and do it again and NOTHING!!! I literally wanted to jump of off Mount Everest to express how astonished I was that Nizoral WORKED!!! While I know Nizoral is quite expensive I’M TELLING YOU PURCHASE A BOTTLE NOW AND YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ENDING THE WAR THAT HAS PLAGUED ME SO LONG NIZORAL!!!” — HOLDMYKFC