There’s no denying that most of us love the idea of having luxurious, flowing and healthy hair. Whilst this means we need to think about how well we take care of our hair, it also means we need to care for our scalp too. But how many people do this?
Picture this, you’re building a house, by the gorgeous, sandy shores of the Pink Sands Beach in the Bahamas. You labour happily to create this gorgeous, scenic beauty that will be the envy of your neighbours, tourists and people far and wide.
Three years later, this house starts to shake, it creaks, boards break as you step on them.
You see, three years ago you opted to create your foundation with wood, you didn’t bank on wood not doing too well with water and sea-salt. As time passed by, the water and salt have been eating away at that wood, your foundation. Now you’re looking at your creation with trepidation instead of admiration.
Your scalp is that foundation for the beautiful hair that will be a point of conversation, even envy – far and wide. If it is dry, inflamed, itchy and in an overall sad state, the hair that grows will also be in a sad, unhealthy state.
Why is this? What causes dry scalp, and what can you do to help it?
The Causes of Dry Scalp
There are several reasons why your scalp may be dry, flaky and sore. One of the most common reasons:
- You’re simply washing it too often with harsh detergents and cleansers. Washing your hair with these products, who’s main aim is to remove oil and build-up, will strip away all oils unapologetically, leaving your scalp dry and irritated.
- In the Natural hair community, we tend to apply products to our hair, focus on getting it soft and pliable, but totally disregard the still, small, cry of our recently detergent ravished dry scalp. These very products used to soften hair, may also be an agent of further irritation. Which leads to our next point.
- Hair products are amazing for keeping the hair moisturised, hydrated, slicked back and held into place. However, some of them contain ingredients which can add additional irritation to your scalp, either by clogging pores or causing more dryness, for example in the case of some alcohols.
- Your diet plays a major role in how lush and moisturised the skin on your body – including your scalp – look and feel. You’ve seen how radiant your friend that drinks 3 litres of water a day looks. Her face always glows and is as smooth as a new born’s bum. What does your diet look like?
- Finally, dry scalp could be down to a skin condition, one that already impacts the rest of your body that you are aware of. Of course, you apply creams to the affected skin, and for the most part this will help. But you tend to ignore the scalp because, unlike an area of skin, we can’t see it.
How to Treat Dry Scalp
One of the best ways to treat dry scalp is to use oils. Hair oils are designed to give your scalp a much-needed emollient boost, adding moisture and hydration. Another great thing about using hair oils is they can soothe inflammation and encourage new and healthier hair growth. This is due to some oils penetrating right through your follicle, where that new hair can be found.
Hair oil will help the entire length of your hair, ensuring that it stays nourished, shiny and looks fantastic.
Some individual oils that can help dry scalp are:
- Jojoba Oil
- Sesame Seed Oil
- Babassu Oil
- Avocado Oil
- Hemp Seed Oil
These oils have good penetration and film forming qualities, this means they penetrate down into the skin to increase moisture, but also leave a light, breathable film that keeps moisture in for longer, without compromising the health of the scalp.
Jojoba Oil, which is more wax than oil, has a similar oil profile to the skin, which makes it easily recognisable and accepted by the skin and scalp. Avocado Oil, just like the flesh of the avocado, is filled with nutrients such as vitamins A, B, E, proteins, amino acids and phospholipids.
What does this mean for your scalp? These oils, filled with minerals, phospholipids and Vitamins, will help reduce inflammation on your scalp which in turn reduces the flaking and itching. Not only that, but with their antifungal and antibacterial properties, they can help clean up any bacteria that may be causing irritation.
Choosing the right oils for you and using them correctly is important. Now, hair oils are great, however you should remember to use just the amount you need and no more. You don’t want a dry scalp, but neither do you want one that is too oily, as this can present its own problems. You need to find the right balance for you, oils should form part of your overall hair regimen.
Not all oils will be good for your scalp and not all oils are made equal. Oils are processed for various uses, be it for the food, cosmetics or construction industry. Some will be more refined than others and refining usually means removing a lot of the beneficial aspects of the oil. If possible, opt for cold pressed and unrefined oils. Look for oils that can penetrate the skin as well as light oils that leave a film to keep some of the moisture in your skin for longer. Oils that are great on your hair strand, may not be good for your scalp as they can be too greasy or clog your pores.
You can do your own research and create a blend of oils yourself, or you can seek out one that is ready-made and formulated with all the components necessary to make an effective scalp blend to help with dry scalp.
Our Revive Scalp Oil was blended with the issue of dry, irritated scalp in mind. It uses a blend of cold-pressed and organic plant oils of the highest quality. It is light, emollient and ready to work with the natural oils secreted from your scalp. Together, they create the perfect environment for a healthy scalp and healthy hair growth.
Ok, so there you have it, a brief run down of what you can do if you suffer from a dry, itchy and inflamed scalp. We would love to hear from you in the comments, what has worked for you? What oils are your go-to for soothing your inflamed scalp?
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Until next time,
Be Great x