Girl, Your Scalp is Crusty

It's okay. Mine is too.

If you live in the Midwest like I do, you just experience the polar vortex last week with temps near -40 degrees. That is freaking cold. And just like our skin is feeling dry, irritated, our scalp is too. So, we've really got this weather working against us here.

Then, I know a lot of extension wearers only shampoo once or twice a week, and use dry shampoo. Think about all that product that is building up on our scalp. My scalp personally doesn't get very oily, and I try to only use dry shampoo once before shampooing my hair. Still, this is a lot of oil. Think of it like going to bed without washing your makeup off. Cringe worthy, but I'm guilty of it sometimes too. It's time we show our scalps a little TLC.

So, if you're struggling with a dry, flaky scalp this winter here are some at home tips you can add to your beauty regime.

1. Try and exfoliating brush. You might know these or these as teasing combs but with the 50/50 ratio of boar and nylon bristles they’re perfect to manually exfoliate your flakes. Before showering, take half an inch to an inch-wide parting throughout your scalp and use the brush to help slough off or loosen the dry skin. Don’t be too rough, but use some pressure. Brush in different directions as well, back and forth.

2. Try a dry scalp treatment. This one is made to relieve and rebalance dry, itchy and flaky scalp. It also contains salicylic acid to provide gentle exfoliation. This is probably best for you if you don’tuse a ton of products directly on your scalp like volumizers, mousse, or hair spray, and your scalp is usually only dry in the winter. You section your hair and apply 3-6 drops per section, massage it in, and leave on for 5 minutes. Rinse and follow with your normal shampoo (ahem, sulfate free preferably.)

3. Try a scalp detoxing treatment. This oil contains charcoal to help draw out impurities and buildup from your scalp and hair follicles. This is going to give your scalp that tingly feeling because it has peppermint and spearmint oils to help reduce your itchy scalp. It has tea tree oil to reduce any irritation or inflammation and witch hazel to normalize oil production. It also contains one of my favorite “B” word, Biotin to help those little hair follicles grow. This one you’re going to apply a drop to each section around the hair after shampooing and conditioning. Massage it into your scalp, and then dry and style as usual.

Try one of these treatments along with the brush once a week, and see if your dry scalp improves.

With a scalp equally as crusty,

-Amy