When I first heard about using Listerine for my scalp condition my immediate response was NO. I thought this was another one of those "natural hair care trends" that had hair stylists screaming bloody murder.
BUT I decided to do my own research about it before making judgements.
So the Listerine being used is the original formula (the yellow one). The bottle actually says antiseptic on it which I never noticed before.
Originally, Listerine was formulated to be a surgical antiseptic. In other words, it was used to kill bacteria before surgery to lessen the likelihood of an infection. It wasn't until much later when Listerine was being used as a mouthwash to kill the bacteria in your mouth.
In the 1920s, the company started a campaign against bad breath and their sales exploded. The company has made many variations of the original formula, and now the yellow original is just known to us as the one that tastes bad lol

So what does this have to do with my scalp condition?
Well I actually don't know for sure what my scalp condition exactly is because I still haven't been to a dermatologist. BUT I do know that my scalp is oily and my dandruff is caused by scalp fungus. Dudley's Antiseptic pretty much helped me keep everything under control. However, my local beauty supply store doesn't sell it and I have to order it online. While I'm waiting for that package to come I still need to treat my scalp.
I already had an unopened travel size bottle of the yellow Listerine in my closet so I decided to suck it up and just test it.
I put about 1 fluid ounce of it in a bottle that had an applicator tip. I then added a fluid ounce of water to dilute it. I only applied it to my scalp; not all over my hair! Antiseptics are very drying.
I massaged it into my scalp and let it sit under a plastic cap for about 10 minutes. Afterwards, I continued with my shampoo and conditioner. My scalp was just as clean as when I used Dudley's.
Three days later my scalp is just now starting to produce a bit of oil. Usually my scalp starts to produce some oil 1-2 days after washing.

Bottom Line

Using the yellow Listerine was very effective on my scalp. Still unsure if it's going to replace Dudley's antiseptic. If I'm tight on money or out of Dudley's I'll definitely use it though.

Price: $9.50
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Description:
Dudley’s Scalp & Skin Antiseptic is a soothing pre-shampoo treatment that removes odor-causing bacteria and excess oil and helps control dandruff. It stimulates the scalp for a better shampoo and conditions the skin, making it feel soft and refreshed.

Ingredients:

• SD Alcohol 40 – a readily evaporating colorless liquid is a powerful stimulant and antiseptic.
• Clove Oil – has antiseptic properties derived from a dried flower bud of a tropical evergreen.
• Peppermint Oil – a healing agent with cooling properties.
• Eucalyptus Oil – a colorless pale to yellow liquid.

Review:
I consider this product to be the reason my oily scalp and dandruff problem hasn't driven me insane. Other dandruff-targeted products didn't do anything for my scalp. This is the only one that has made a difference. This is a pre-shampoo that helps remove the oil and bacteria from your scalp and keeps scalp fungi in check.

The instructions say to use a cotton ball to apply it to the scalp, which does not work for dense hair. Since the product is a liquid, I put it in a bottle that has an applicator tip. After wetting my hair and scalp, I use the tip to pour it throughout my scalp (not hair), massage it through, and then rinse. I do it a total of two times and then use my regular shampoo.

Something that surprised me is that it burned a bit the first time I used it, but after that it didn't really burn; it only tingled.

This product is very drying to the hair strands so it's best to try to avoid getting it all over your hair. After you follow up with your usual shampoo, make sure you have a good conditioner.
If you have dry "dandruff" (which is actually dry scalp flaking; not dandruff) this product is not for you. It will make a dry scalp worse. Only use this product if you have issues with oily dandruff.

Bottom Line:

Perfect pre-shampoo treatment for oily scalp and dandruff issues. Not recommended for those with dry scalp issues.

Price: $3-$4
My Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

Description:
This rinse has been making its rounds throughout the internet as a good natural way to remove build up and dandruff. The recipe I used was simple. It was a ½ cup of apple cider vinegar and a ½ cup of water. Your supposed to pour it throughout your hair while massaging it into your scalp.

Ingredients:
Apple cider vinegar and water

Review:
I've tried this twice and to be honest this didn’t do anything for me. I read a lot of good reviews and watched a lot of video of people who swear by this to get a clean scalp. My scalp was still just as oily as before I did the rinse.
I'm not really surprised since as a little girl my mom did a month-long experiment with rinsing my scalp with regular vinegar and nothing changed.
Also I'm not a fan of the vinegar smell lol

Bottom Line:

This has obviously worked for a lot of people, but definitely not for me.

Price: $3-$5
My Rating: 1 out of 5 stars


Description (Hollywood Beauty Brand):

A natural preventative for mild cases of anhydrosis (dry skin), this oil's natural ingredients are widely believed to have healing and restorative properties. Our seven natural oils along with vitamin E and Aloe Vera will leave your skin, scalp and nails soft and clean.


Ingredients:

Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil , Tea Tree Leaf Oil (Melaleuca Alternifolia) , Safflower Seed Oil (Carthamus Tinctorius) , Rose Hips Fruit Oil (Rosa Canina) , Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis) , Peanut Oil (Arachis Hypogaea) , BHT , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract , Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate) , Sunflower Seed Oil (Helianthus Annuus) , Chamomilla Extract (Recutita Matricaria) , Arnica Montana Flower Extract , Rosemary Leaf Extract (Rosmarinus Officinalis) , Sage Leaf Extract (Salvia Officinalis) , Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract , Burdock Root Extract (Arctium Minus) , Lemon Peel Extract (Citrus Medica Limonum) , Ivy Extract (Hedera Helix) , Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract , Indian Cress Extract (Tropaeolum Majus) , White Nettle Flower Extract (Lamium Album) , Isopropyl Myristate , Fragrance , Phenoxyethanol , Methyl Paraben , Isopropylparaben , Isobutylparaben , Butylparaben , D&C Yellow #11 (CI 47000)


Review:

This is something I purchased because I heard that tea tree oil would help with dandruff. Honestly this oil didn’t do anything at all for my case. Maybe if I had gotten an oil that's purely tea tree oil my review would be different but this did not help my scalp at all. In the future I would like to buy a pure one from Whole Foods or something and do a follow up review.

Bottom Line:

Didn’t work for me.