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Jasmine Zik: Dry Scalp & Dandruff Trying to Stop Your Glow? Check out Some Tips to Help You

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dreamstime_l_36682881Dry scalp, Dandruff? Yes please!! You know how embarrassing this can get… Sometimes you’re not able to carry a hairstyle for long due to itchiness and amount of flakes coming out your head…you know you need to give it a good wash!! But sometimes no matter how much washing, it never seems to get rid of them…uugghhh!!

Back in the day, I used to think they were the same thing, until a little research and much digging educated me. My fave products to solve my dandruff issues then was Head and Shoulders until I went natural and figured they contained ingredients such as Sulfate that wasn’t good for my hair; then I found Eden body works peppermint & tea tree collection– one word, awefabsomelous (that’s awesome+fabulous mixed together, incase you were wondering)

Here’s the thing:  dry scalp and dandruff are totally different problems, even though they have some similarities existing between them. Using the treatment of one to treat the other may in fact, be detrimental.

It’s important that we know the difference between the two, identify the causes then know what solution works for each.

Let’s break this down a little, shall we?

Dry Scalp
Pretty easy to figure out from the word- ‘dry’ ‘scalp’. dead skin falling out. flakes. dryness. itchiness. end product- frizzy, dull hair, breakage.

If you experience this, you might be suffering from scalp psoriasis (notice the word ‘might’?you should go see your doctor to diagnose the issue), which is a skin disorder that can affect your entire scalp. This however cannot be transferred, so literally it means if you have this You can share your comb and it wouldn’t affect the other person. Dry scalp maybe as a result of excessive dry heat applied on head, cold/dry weather or bad diet (it could be hereditary sometimes). Don’t panic and don’t rush…there’s remedy for you!!

Dandruff
This is a fungal condition…you know when you scratch your head and see yellowish clumps in your finger nails as against small white flakes? or you see these clumps on the scalp when you path your hair? that’s dandruff!

It comes with itchiness,redness of scalp and flaking. Eczema and not washing hair properly can cause dandruff.

The truth is, whether it’s dry scalp or dandruff, they both prevent your hair from growing healthy... they interrupt your hair from being great! Most of us know how embarrassing they can be; so feel free to count yourself lucky if you don’t suffer from any of these.

  • You may experience hair loss if untreated.
  • Itchiness and tightness may also be the order of the day.
  • Your hair will be dull and frizzy.
  • You may experience fall out or much breakage.

What you can do?
So sometimes we can fight dry scalp from our inside in different ways by watching what we eat:

  • Eat foods rich in iodine (like cranberries, potatoes, cheese,organic yoghurt…)
  • Minimise alcohol and coffee intake (Google what excess of these can do to you hair and body)
  • Eat food rich in fatty acids such as Salmon and Walnuts.
  • Drink more Water. This cannot be reiterated enough, water is life! See what water can do to your hair.

What can I apply externally?
So if you have a good diet and avoid the bad ones but its not working here are a few things to try…

For dandruff

  • Use mostly Shampoos that contain Tea tree oil as it contains anti fungal, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
  • Massage your scalp with coconut oil, jojoba oil as often as possible. Jojoba (pronounced as hohoba, by the way) is a great moisturising treatment to use as its molecular structure is very similar to the natural oil/sebum produced on our scalp and thus very effective in hydration and rejuvenation).
  • You can DIY prepoo treatment of mix 3tsps of tea tree oil + 1tbsp coconut oil +1tbsp jojoba oil or olive oil(heat it up a bit to be warm). Apply on scalp, cover for 30 minutes then rinse, before shampooing.
  • Mix Apple cider vinegar (contains anti-inflammatory properties to help fight dry scalp and dandruff) + water in a bottle and spray directly on scalp. Cover for 15 minutes before rinsing.

For dry scalp

You might have to reduce the amount of times you wash your hair as it may lead to more dryness.
Use moisturizing conditioners.
Aloe vera also can be applied to scalp to reduce dryness, it contains moisturizing properties that relieve excessive dryness and itching.
DIY masque using bananas which reduces inflammation, flakes and dandruff and conditions hair: mash 2 bananas and 1 ripe avocado in a bowl, apply on scalp and leave for 30 minutes before rinsing.
Applying lemon juice on scalp can help eliminate dandruff and dry scalp as it contains antiseptic properties. Cut lemon in two and rub on scalp, allow for 15 minutes then rinse out.

What you should remember?

The remedies for dry scalp can be applied for dandruff but it’s not the same for remedies for dandruff. Applying them to cure dry scalp may cause the scalp to get drier and thus not solving the problem but causing more harm.

So to solve dry scalp issues, everything moisturizing on the scalp from oils like coconut oil to masques and shampoos that are moisturizing should be applied. For dandruff, everything anti fungal like , anti-inflammatory, antibacterial or antiseptic tea tree oils, lemons should be used alongside moisturizers like bananas and aloe vera.

What remedies have you tried?

Photo Credit: Dreamstime

Jasmine Zik is a Lawyer, Entrepreneur, Writer and Natural hair enthusiast. She helps individuals embrace their natural hair, finding everyday problems, solutions to issues girls/women face especially with their natural ‘unrelaxed’ hair and providing affordable products for easy management and healthier natural hair through her online platformwww.iamknotteebynature.com

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