Coal Tar for Dandruff

The substance known as coal tar sounds like an awful thing to put on your head.  After all, it is an ebony liquid that is distilled from coal, which is typically a fuel that people use to fire up power plants and barbecue their food.  Just as you probably wouldn’t pour gasoline on your head on a regular basis, lathering your scalp with coal tar seems to be a poor decision to make.  Nonetheless, there are quite a number of hair care products on the market today, mostly those that deal with dandruff, which contain a certain amount of this controversial substance.  The United States Food and Drug Administration has thus far ruled out any link between coal tar usage and conditions such as cancer, but sceptics of the research conducted continue to voice concerns about the potential hazards of utilizing coal tar as a form of therapy. 

Manufacturers of products that contain coal tar publish studies that demonstrate the lack of threat posed by regular usage of these goods.  According to them, many of the chemicals that may be responsible for an illness developing down the line are removed during the purification process before the products are made ready for distribution.  Moreover, products that use coal tar are strictly meant for external use only, and are designed to be rinsed off after a short time.  Thus, any exposure of the skin to coal tar is necessarily limited. 

On the other hand, detractors of coal tar inclusion in regular hair care products state that the danger is very real.  Several reliable tests involving animals have shown that coal tar application does have long-term side effects, at least in mice, who suffered tumor growth and other cancer symptoms after being subjected to coal tar exposure.  Human skin tissue that was rubbed with coal tar also suffered from the onset of carcinogenic symptoms.  Though the coal tar content of many shampoos and conditioners that use it is rather low, the scientific research conducted on coal tar thus far cannot express with certainty what the safe levels are for chemical content, or whether there are any safe levels at all.  This is a pressing worry when one considers that, long ago, coal tar was a leading cause of cancer development in chimney sweeps.  Various forms of cancer, including lung cancer and scrotum cancer, have reputedly emerged in industrial workers due to coal tar exposure. 

It cannot be denied that coal tar-based products have proven effective in reducing or eliminating dandruff – even medical practitioners will admit to seeing results after prescribing the substance for those of their patients whose dandruff cases are more advanced or aggressive.  Doctors only seem to recommend coal tar as more of a last resort, not something that can be used as regularly as some of the milder formulations that one can find out there.  The products with this compound typically have a more unpleasant odor than others, due to the strength of the active chemical.  These problems are mere trifles, however, compared to the possibility of cancer.  It is best, then, for one to exercise caution, and utilize coal based products relatively sparingly.

Return to Dandruff Guide Main Page

Text copyright 2010 DandruffGuide.com and may not be reproduced without consent. This is not the official web page of any of the products or places listed on this site, this is a review page created by an individual. If you have any medical questions or issues, be sure to see a doctor.