Winter Hair Care: Dealing with Dry Scalp

Stefie Jones on Flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0

Your hair goes through changes in response to the weather elements, just like your skin does. Dry scalp is one of the biggest nuisances due to the dry and heated indoor air. The worst thing that can happen is if and when your dry scalp problem is accompanied by dandruff.

In order to understand how to effectively combat dry scalp, it is important to know what causes it. The scalp is made out of keratinocytes that require lipids in order to keep the scalp smooth and moisturised. The scalp acts as a barrier but it can get damaged over time due to a number of environmental factors. Once it is damaged, it fails to retain moisture and thus make the scalp and the hair more prone to damage or other problems such as dandruff, itching, and dryness. Aside from environmental factors like dry heated indoor air (common during winter time), heat styling and excessive use of hair care products can contribute to damage and dryness in the scalp.

You can fix dry scalp by using gentle hair care products designed for this problem, like a moisturising shampoo and conditioner. You can then supplement your hair care routine for dry scalp with a scalp serum designed to provide optimum conditioning effect. The serum adds moisture into the scalp to aid in its repair and also to protect from further damage. An important reminder for dealing with dry scalp during winter: try to minimise your use of shampoo and use only as often as necessary.

Another effective approach to combating dry scalp in winter is to incorporate the use of essential oils into your hair care routine. Some of the effective oils with moisturizing and repair capabilities include coconut oil, olive oil, tea tree oil, and jojoba oil. You can heat up these oils and apply them onto the scalp once lukewarm in temperature. Let it soak for about 30 minutes and making sure that it is massaged properly. Rinse hair afterwards. If you cannot make your own hair care treatment, look for hair care products that contain these oils as ingredients.

An intensive treatment mask is also a recommended cure for dry scalp. This treatment is intended to hydrate the scalp and infuse it with a wide range of nutrients so as to restore health of your scalp.

How do you cope with dry scalp problems during winter?