My boyfriend is the unfortunate victim of dandruff, and he finds certian products aggravate it more than others. I think its that his scalp dries up easily, which is why he benefits from using gentler shampoos. It's just him and his mom living together, so he uses whatever shampoo she buys, all he really cares about is that his hair is clean.  ::)  Anyway, I was looking through the shampoos he has at his house one day, and I noticed each and every one of them has sodium laureth/laurel sulfate added in. I know that this is can dry out hair due to it's abrasiveness, but can it also cause dandruff flare ups?

Those ingredients can dry out your scalp-they do mine and I no longer use them.  I have a dry skin/scalp already and don't need to dry it out further!

He might just have dry skin and not dandruff.  If he could buy his own it would be better, but he has to want to change the condition of his scalp.  It sounds like to me from what you wrote that he just wants to have clean hair.

Dandruff can be caused by a lot of things. Dry scalps, oily scalps, skin irritations, allergies, etc.

A natural remedy for dandruff is to use vinegar rinses every day until it is gone. You could also try scalp massages before washing, since that loosens up dead skin on the scalp and helps it to shed.

Have you noticed any redness or dryness in addition to the dandruff? If so, your bf might have chemical burn or an allergy to one of the ingredients in the shampoo. Quite possibly a sensitivity to fragrance.
   I have to be very careful about using conditioners with too much fragrance because I get serious chemical burn otherwise.  :P

And incidentally, sodium laureth sulfate is made from coconut oil and is the gentlest of all sulfates. If it was ammonium lauryl sulfate, then I'd be worried.

Sakina: Now that you mention it, it does sound like he has dry skin instead of dandruff. The skin on his face gets dry spots from time to time, so I can imagine his scalp may have the same condition. And as for him actually wanting to change his scalp condition: I know he does. He's very embarassed by it and it tends to make him pretty self conscious. Money is a little tight around his house, which is why he's sort of gotten used to the idea of just using whatever's handy instead of going out and buying his own. He's also tried many anti-dandruff shampoos that have failed for him (such as Head and Shoulders - which I know is pretty harsh). Doing all this with no results might have made him feel a little defeated. So there's another reason why I think you may be right about him just having a dry scalp - dandruff treatments just don't seem to work for him.

When I told him about his possible aversions to SLS and buying shampoos without it, he dismissed the idea by saying that such shampoos would be too expensive. I know that's not true. It's just a matter of taking the time to read the list of ingredients. Not only that, he could always just make his own shampoo, which is even more cheaper and healthier than buying most store brands.

Angel Spun: I actually have noticed some red spots over his scalp, so he may very well have chemical burn. He is not allergic to anything as far as I know, but as I mentioned before, he uses whatever is lying around in the shower, which is usually women's shampoo that his mom uses - and it's full of extra fragrances. In the meantime, I'll mention the vinegar rinses to him and we'll see if that helps.

Thank you both for the responses, they've been very helpful and informative.  :)

You're welcome, Lollie!  I use regular acv rinses and apply oil to my scalp, even with the good products I'm using.  I have much less dryness than I used to have.  He might get something more gentle at a health food store, if he tells his mom about the problem she might be willing to get something that's better for everyone.

The red spots on his scalp could also be clogged pores.  If the shampoo is making his skin even more dry and it isn't shedding properly the dead skin could be clogging the pore and basically making a pimple on the scalp.  Scalp massage with or without oil could be very helpful in keeping the scalp flake free.

The scalp oil I use has many essential oils that are helpful.  Look in my journal for the link-room to grow asked what I use so the link is there.

Good Luck!!