How To Treat Scalp Dryness in Winter
A dry scalp can be a problem any time of the year, but it is often worse in the winter. Swiftly dropping temperatures, windy conditions, and low humidity levels converge, upsetting your skin’s natural hydration balance.
Add in age-related hormone changes, stress, and arid furnace heat — and you have an all-too-potent recipe for dry, itchy scalp. This condition can cause many problems ranging from irritation and discomfort to damaged strands and hair fall.
So what can you do? Thankfully, there are steps you can take to rehydrate your scalp and revitalize your dry, brittle locks in the process. Read on to discover how to treat scalp dryness in winter.
Scalp Problems During Colder Months
You may wonder why scalp dryness needs to be treated at all. It's irritating, but you can live with it, right? Unfortunately, problems with dry skin on your scalp are often more far-reaching than a simple intermittent itch.
The natural sebum oil that hydrates your skin also protects and nourishes your strands. When harsh winter conditions dehydrate your skin, it can deplete your sebum reserve, leaving your scalp dry and vulnerable. During menopause, this condition is even more noticeable. Hormone fluctuations affect your sebaceous glands, triggering a decline in sebum levels.
Potential dry scalp complications include:
- White flakes — Unsightly white flecks of dead skin cells that fall from your scalp
- Itching — Skin irritation that may be localized or widespread
- Inflammation — Redness and discomfort on your skin's surface that can impede healthy hair growth
- Breakage — Weakened hair strands due to excessive scratching or lack of sebum
- Frizz and dullness — Decreased hair shine and smoothness
- Hair loss — Premature hair fall due to follicle shrinkage and declining function
Even if your symptoms seem minor today, consider taking action to minimize long-term effects. This will not only bring you welcomed relief, but it will prevent scalp conditions from spiraling out of control, leading to a more difficult situation down the road.
Try These Simple Remedies to Guard Against Dry Scalp
You know you need to treat your scalp issues, but what can you do when you lack time to make monumental lifestyle changes? Believe it or not, you can make a few simple adjustments to your daily routine to help protect your delicate scalp skin during the unforgiving winter months:
- Use a humidifier — When you activate the furnace in your house, low wintertime humidity levels drop even further. Run to replenish the moisture in your air and to keep your skin and scalp from dehydrating.
- Shower or bathe with warm water — The temptation during the cold season is to take hot baths and showers; however, warm water is better for your skin. Modulate your shower temperature to avoid the moisture-sapping effects of overly hot water.
- Seek out sulfate-free haircare products — Sulfates are cleansing ingredients found in some shampoos. They produce a foam that emulsifies oil with water to wash it away, sometimes leading to an overly dry and irritated scalp.
- Shampoo less frequently — Washing too often can dry out your scalp needlessly; therefore, instead, aim for every second or third day.
- Shield your scalp from sun and wind — Sunburn and cold winds throw your scalp and hair biology off balance. Your skin is required to work overtime to recover from the onslaught. The result is often dryness, flaking, and even cracking of your skin's fragile dermal layer. Stay out of the elements whenever possible, and protect your head with a hat or scarf made of soft material.
Choose High-Quality Haircare Products from Better Not Younger
At Better Not Younger, we know that a healthy, hydrated scalp is the foundation for robust, resilient hair. After all, your scalp contains your follicles where hair fibers are formed and nourished. We have a full line of sulfate-free hair products specifically designed for the distinctive needs of your aging hair and scalp.
Superpower Fortifying Hair & Scalp Serum
Apply Superpower Fortifying Hair & Scalp Serum each night before bed using the provided dropper or our new Superpower Liquid Comb Scalp Massaging Serum Applicator. By massaging this lightweight, non-greasy formula into your scalp, you stimulate blood flow to your roots and saturate your follicles with nourishing ingredients including:
- Ginger — Ginger is an herbal antiseptic that promotes skin health, circulation, and healing.
- Ceramide-NG — A lipid found naturally in hydrated skin, ceramides are crucial to the barrier function that allows your scalp to retain moisture.
- Centella asiatica — Centella asiatica is an herb with moisturizing properties to rehydrate your scalp.
Activated Charcoal Scalp Cleanser
After enduring a barrage of cold winter winds outside and overly warm air inside, your scalp could use a little TLC. This is where Better Not Younger's Activated Charcoal Scalp Cleanser comes to the rescue. Use our scalp scrub once or twice a week to experience clean and hydrated skin like never before.
You may think charcoal cleansers are made only for people with oily scalps. The truth is that our activated charcoal scalp cleanser is ideal for all hair types. It clears away flaky, dry scalp buildup, and relieves itching without further drying.
Our scalp treatment is packed with pampering ingredients like:
- Lactic acid — An exfoliant that gently softens and removes scaly scalp flakes and buildup
- Menthyl lactate — Soothes your itchy, flaky scalp to alleviate discomfort
- Activated charcoal — Deep cleans by absorbing dirt and impurities from your dermis and follicles
- Birch extract — An astringent that refreshes your scalp while delivering nourishing vitamins A, B1, B2, and C
Second Chance Repairing Shampoo for Dry or Damaged Hair
Treat your itchy scalp to a mild, sulfate-free cleansing every time you wash. Massage Better Not Younger’s Second Chance Repairing Shampoo for Dry or Damaged Hair onto your scalp to stimulate, nourish, and unclog your pores.
With lower sebum levels, your hair becomes frizzy, dry, and vulnerable to breakage. Second Chance is a gentle shampoo that moisturizes and smooths your strands while supporting scalp health with powerful nutrients, including:
- Passionflower fruit extract — Used for centuries to heal burns and reduce inflammation, passionflower fruit extract enriches your scalp with omega-6 fatty acids and vitamins A and C.
- Rice bran oil — This natural oil is useful to strengthen and add body to your hair while moisturizing your hair and scalp.
- Argan oil — Also known as Argania spinosa, argan oil hydrates your scalp and strands to curb dry, itchy scalp and brittle hair.
Combat Dry, Itchy Scalp with Better Not Younger
Dry scalp skin is a typical winter condition, but that doesn't mean you're stuck with it. Itching, inflammation, flaking — you deserve better. Better Not Younger scalp and hair products will put you on the path to a healthier moisture balance.
Take the next step and explore our Shop page. Let Better Not Younger help you discover a new era of scalp health with our full range of hair products designed to treat the challenges that come with aging hair.