In this segment of “You Asked, We Answered,” we’re going to talk about seasonal dry scalp and what you can do to treat it.
What causes dry scalp?
If you struggle with dry scalp year-round, the cooler weather may not be the main reason why you are experiencing dryness, flakiness, and itchiness, but it definitely doesn’t help the situation. Before we get into why you may get dry scalp on a seasonal basis, there are a number of other reasons why you may have dry scalp, such as:
- Washing hair too often: Your scalp, similarly to your skin, has a natural healthy balance of oils that are needed for scalp health. Over-washing your hair may strip the scalp of these natural oils, leading to dry and flaky skin. How often you need to wash your hair largely depends on your hair texture and type, but as a general rule people with thick or coarse hair can go longer between washes than people with fine or thin hair.
- Using the wrong kind of products: Products with sulfates can be too harsh for many people and result in a very dry and irritated scalp over time. Additionally, if you are noticing excessive dryness you could be having an allergic reaction to something in your products - common culprits are fragrances, botanicals, and certain surfactants. Additionally, if you have allergies to corn, wheat, soy, or other ingredients, these could be in your hair styling product and causing an allergic reaction. Be sure to double check your labels if you think you are experiencing an allergic reaction and talk to a doctor or dermatologist if you need additional help.
- An underlying skin condition: Such as eczema, dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, or scalp psoriasis. Although these may have dry and itchy scalp as a symptom, you may require medical advice to clear these up.
Why does the change in seasons make my scalp dry?
The fall and winter season in cooler climates can make your scalp and hair dry for a number of reasons, the first one being that the humidity in the air drops. During this time you may experience dry skin all over, and your scalp is no exception. Colder weather also leads to skin-drying habits such as taking long hot showers and blasting the heat in your house and car to keep warm. Both of these things can dry out your skin and cause your scalp to become dry.
What can I do to treat seasonal dry scalp?
If you live in a climate that significantly cools down in the fall and winter, have ruled out any of the previously mentioned underlying skin conditions, and tend to only experience dry scalp during these colder months, there are easy ways you can treat it yourself.
- Use a humidifier: This will add moisture to the air and prevent your skin and scalp from drying out.
- Try washing your hair less: Even if you can try to go one more day in between wash days, it could help your scalp from stripping those much-needed natural oils. It’s important to note that your wash days need to be extra thorough in order to extend the life of your style, and adding a scalp massager like Crown Polisher can help stimulate the scalp, distribute natural oils, and give a deeper cleanse on your wash days to achieve this.
- Avoid sulfates: Use a sulfate-free shampoo and add a pre-wash treatment like Reset Rinse if you feel like you need extra help removing buildup. (Bonus tip! Reset Rinse has aloe vera to hydrate and soothe the scalp as well as gluconolactone, a humectant that binds moisture to the skin!)
- Use a scalp-soothing serum for added hydration: Power Potion has scalp hydrating ingredients that hydrate and nourish the skin such as Serine, Threonine, and Soy Amino Acids to provide both instant and long lasting hydration to the scalp.
- Don’t forget your hair, too: If your scalp is dry and itchy, chances are your hair is not living its best life either. Those same hydrating ingredients in the Power Potion are also in a strand-specific formulation in the Triple Threat Tonic to hydrate and nourish your strands. Bye bye, dry!
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