As one of the most common scalp concerns, dry scalp (not to be confused with dandruff) is always on our radar. Dry scalp occurs when your scalp is dehydrated and lacking natural, nourishing oils to help balance and moisturize your scalp. As an extension of the skin on our face, it’s fairly easy to recognize the tell-tale symptoms of dry scalp—flakes, itching, and tenderness—all of which are also characteristics that occur when the skin on the rest of your body is depleted of hydration.
When the skin on your body or face is dry, you up your hydration, adjust your skin care routine to include more oils, add more face masks and serums, and prioritize layering up on moisture— but what about when your scalp is feeling dry? Turns out, a dehydrated scalp is craving the same TLC you give to the rest of your body when your skin is feeling tight, itchy, and parched.
Let’s get to the root of your dry scalp and learn what parts of your routine may be causing the issues, as well as how you can treat your parched scalp with naturally powerful ingredients and products for ultimate scalp health.
Problem #1: Overwashing
Understanding your dry scalp starts with how often you wash your hair, based on your hair type and texture. It’s important to recognize how often you should wash your hair to get the most of your scalp and hair care routine. Washing your hair too frequently can strip your scalp and hair of beneficial and hydrating natural oils, leading to a dry, irritated scalp.
All hair types and textures are unique and your cleansing routine should be customized to your specific needs. Here’s how often we recommend washing your hair based on your type and texture:
Fine/Thin/Straight Hair: If you’re struggling with excess oil on your scalp, you might be tempted to wash your hair every day to keep your hair looking and feeling fresh. For fine, thin, straight hair, it’s best to wash your hair every other day with a shampoo and conditioner duo like our Briogeo Superfoods™ Mango + Cherry Superfoods Hair Pack to keep excess oil at bay. This will help prevent drying out your scalp and strands, keeping your hair looking lustrous and shiny.
Thick/Wavy/Curly: Give your strands (and arms) a rest and wash your hair every 3-7 days. Stretching out your wash days with help from some dry shampoo is a convenient way to revive day-3 hair—however, it’s important not to rely on dry shampoo too often. Traditional dry shampoos can be drying and irritating to your scalp and contribute to additional buildup and congestion, which hinders the long-term health of your scalp. Look for dry shampoos with clean ingredients like our Scalp Revival™ Charcoal + Biotin Dry Shampoo to draw out impurities, normalize oil production, extend the life of your hairstyle and keep your strands looking revived and rejuvenated. We recommend using this exfoliating shampoo no more than twice a week, to prevent drying out your scalp.
Textured Curly/Coils: Curls and coils that are coarse tend to dry out faster than other hair types due to their delicate nature. Your hair type benefits from your natural oils to keep your hair and scalp moisturized and healthy. Overwashing your hair can deprive your strands of moisture, which leads to brittle strands and breakage- which is why it’s best to wash this hair type once a week or once every two weeks.
More time between wash days can also mean more time spent styling your hair, using products and heat styling. Extra styling between washing your hair creates opportunities for buildup to congest your scalp and heat styling to damage your scalp and strands.
Give your strands extra TLC and use an exfoliating scalp shampoo like our Scalp Revival™ Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo to scrub away dead skin cells, product buildup, dirt, and excess oil. Hydrating post-exfoliation is essential after any skin care routine; we recommend following up with our hydrating deep-conditioning Scalp Revival™ Charcoal + Tea Tree Cooling Hydration Scalp Mask to nourish, soothe and provide an instant cooling sensation to your scalp. Don’t forget to multi-mask with your favorite Brigeo conditioner or hair mask treatment!
Problem #2: Hair Products Your Scalp Doesn’t Agree With
Are you noticing dryness, flakes, redness, irritation, or inflammation after a trip to the salon, wash day, or when you’ve started a new scalp and hair care routine? Your dry scalp may stem from contact dermatitis. While not a contagious or dangerous disease, this skin condition can pose many problems for your scalp health.
Luckily, the solution to this condition is simply eliminating the products that are causing the painful and uncomfortable symptoms. Ease your symptoms with clean, hydrating, and cooling ingredients like peppermint and spearmint oils—both of which power our entire Scalp Revival™ collection.
Scalp Psoriasis: This extremely common (non-contagious) skin condition causes red, raised scaly patches on your scalp; sometimes, it can also appear on your neck and forehead. It occurs when your immune system falsely triggers your body to rapidly create skin cells.
The best way to treat dryness and flakes from scalp psoriasis is to visit your dermatologist. Typically your doctor will prescribe a medicated shampoo, steroid cream, or medications that suppress the immune system, or phototherapy.
Implementing the power of natural, clean, 6-Free™ ingredients like tea tree oil and coconut oil—two prominent ingredients featured in our Scalp Revival™ lineup—are also great ways to alleviate symptoms associated with scalp psoriasis flare ups.
Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema): Eczema is one of the most common skin and scalp concerns, so you may have already heard of a number of ways to spot (and treat) this skin condition. Recognizable by dry, inflamed, red, itchy patches, atopic dermatitis is often painful, frustrating and a troublesome condition to treat.
Fortunately one of the best natural treatments for atopic dermatitis is coconut oil and tea tree oil- two of the star ingredients in our Scalp Revival™ collection. Look for this naturally powerful duo in our award-winning, Scalp Revival™ Charcoal + Coconut Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo. Clinically shown to increase scalp hydration by up to 2X, this creamy, moisturizing shampoo will scrub away flakes, build-up and irritation to reveal soothed, calmer skin.
Seborrheic Dermatitis: Commonly known as dandruff, this non-contagious condition specifically affects parts of the body where there are a lot of sebaceous (oil-producing) glands. This type of eczema is characterized by flare ups that come and go via itchy, dry, red, inflamed, scaly patches that flake. These flare ups are the result of an autoimmune response or an overgrowth of yeast.
If you’re battling seborrheic dermatitis on your scalp, the good news is that this condition is one of the easiest to treat. A quick trip to the dermatologist can provide you with a diagnosis and a topical treatment like antifungal creams, medicated shampoo, or hydrocortisone to get to the root of the issue. Applying a high-performing, sustainably sourced tea tree oil like our B. Well Organic + Australian 100% Tea Tree Oil can relieve the uncomfortable symptoms, deliver antifungal properties to help balance yeast production, and help maintain the long-term health of your scalp.
Problem #3: Weather Changes
When the temperature dips and humidity wanes, the colder, chillier air dries out our skin—and our scalps are no exception. Throw in the dry heat in your house and longer, hotter showers, and you’ve got the perfect conditions for a dry scalp.
If your scalp tends to dry out in the colder temps, we recommend choosing a low lather shampoo like our Scalp Revival™ Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo. Boost your scalp hydration even more by following up with a few drops of our award-winning Scalp Revival™ Charcoal + Tea Tree Scalp Treatment. This lightweight oil is clinically proven to boost scalp hydration by up to 2X, thanks to the power of our highly effective blend of witch hazel, tea tree oil, Binchotan charcoal, and biotin.
Dry, flaky, itchy irritated scalps crave hydration. There’s a variety of reasons why your scalp may be more parched than usual, so we’ve made it easier than ever to calm and treat your scalp with our Scalp Revival™ collection—a complete lineup of hydrating, soothing, and calming products that feature scalp-healthy ingredients. Each product is specially formulated to fit your unique scalp concerns. You can also reap the benefits of our oil-balancing shampoos and conditioners, plus our organic tea tree oil as a supplemental add-on to your entire scalp, hair, and skincare routine.
Ready to soothe, re-hydrate, and properly care for your dry scalp so it feels its healthy best? Shop this post below!
