Dry scalp is a fairly common problem faced by many of us at some or other time in life. Some of us have had a dry scalp since birth. One reason is strong heredity. If one of your parents has always complained of an itchy dry scalp, then be careful, they might have passed it on to you.
Other causes:
1. Excessive hair drying or brushing
2. Excessive cold weather
3. Excessive treatments like dyeing
4. Excessively hot or windy weather
These all act as irritants for the scalp and result in excessive dryness. Symptoms of a dry scalp are a feeling of itchiness and tightness on the scalp when you comb or tie your hair. Even small flakes might appear. If these flakes get secondarily infected, then they might lead to seborrheic dermatitis caused by a fungus. This results in greasy, yellow and oily flakes on the scalp. It causes intense itching. This is especially with people having a tendency for seborrheic dermatitis generally. Dry scalp treatment is essential as it gives you an uneasy sensation every time you comb your hair.
Tips:
- Make sure you switch to deep conditioning shampoos and conditioners. But make sure you are not shampooing your hair too often. That itself can lead to loss of natural oils and hair proteins which are essential to maintain the softness and shine of your hair.
Avoid using chemical-based shampoos and try using the herbal or natural variants. They are milder in general.
- When you wash your hair, avoid hot water, instead use cool water.
- When you are out in the sun, make sure you cover your head with a large enough hat or a scarf or stole. Use light-coloured, light-weight stoles. They help reflect away the sunlight and reduce insensible loss of moisture from the scalp.
- Avoid doing chemical treatments to your hair till the scalp is healthy again.
- Avoid excessive combing as it will lead to further drying and flaking.
- Avoid dyeing your hair too often.
