Upsides to the Down Economy/ Dry Scalp Syndrome

One of the lovely effects of the big M (menopause but I can think of other m words to call it) for me has been a dry scalp. Big, flakes of white skin cover my head, causing me to itch and snow to rest upon my fair shoulders. Alas, what is a (middle-age) girl to do? I finally got sick and tired of the flakes and Googled ways to cure it. Dry scalp, and her sister Dandruff, are common problems most people experience at some point in their life, so there was a lot of info out there.

First of all, make sure you have Dry Scalp and not Dandruff, because treatment is different. Dandruff is yellow or orange in color, dry scalp causes white flakes. Dry scalp is the shedding of dead and dehydrated skin cells, caused by a lack of lubrication of the oil glands in the scalp. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including medical conditions like menopause and also from using products that dry out the scalp. One of the main culprits, apparently, is sodium lauryl sulfate, an ingredient found in most shampoos because it's cheap and it foams. It's a detergent that dissolves oil; unfortunately it also causes scalp irritation. I ran to my bathroom, to put on my reading glasses and read the labels on my shampoo bottles. Guess what? Every single shampoo I owned (including the "hydrating" Herbal Essence shampoo) contained sodium lauryl sulfate!

So here, without further ado, are dos and don'ts for treating dry scalp syndrome.

DON'T:

1) Buy products that contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Phthaltes, DEA, MEA TEA or fragrances.

2) Overbrush or overwash your hair. Try washing hair every other day and don't use super hot water when doing so.

3) Use a lot of hair products. These can build up on the scalp.

4) Use high heat when blow drying your hair.

Now, some ways to treat the problem.

DO:

1) Use shampoos that contain natural oils to moisturize the scalp. Some of these would be:

Tea tree Oil, Coconut, Olive Oil, Shea Butter and Jojoba Oil. Avacado can also be mashed and rubbed into the scalp for a natural moisturizer.

2) When you shampoo, rub your scalp in gentle circles with the tips of fingers to massage the shampoo in.

3) Rub conditioner onto scalp twice a week. Let sit 10 minutes with a shower cap on, then rinse out.

4) Rinse with apple cider vinegar.

5) Use a clarifying shampoo (just make sure it doesn't have Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in it) once a week to remove the buildup of hair products.

6) Use a brush with bristles made from natural fibers.

7) Take Vitamins C and D.

Well, I hope this helps if you have a dry scalp. I am going to try my own advice and see if it works. I am looking forward to having a healthy, moist scalp. This may take up to two weeks to show signs of improvement. I will keep you posted. By the way, taking care of your scalp is not cheap. I just paid $8 for a bottle of shampoo. I usually buy Suave for a couple bucks but, of course it contains, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Frankly, my dears, I think my scalp is worth it!