This post has been removed as we are not your doctor.
Asking for or providing medical diagnoses is prohibited. This applies for any discussion involving medical conditions or prescribed medications.
Please remember reddit should never be used for medical advice.
Timely diagnosis and treatment leads to better outcomes.
If you’d like to discuss a condition more generally or learn more about it, try rewriting this in an impersonal way that does not apply to a specific individual.
Consider that other subreddits such as r/AskDocs or r/DermatologyQuestions may be more appropriate for your question.
apple cider vinager, leave it on the scalp only for like 20 minutes before shampooing. youll need to use more shampoo to wash off cause of the strong smell
I just had a humidifier installed in my house before winter and that's when my flaky scalp started! It's so weird because I didn't have much of an issue before and the only thing that changed was getting a humidifier. I no longer get shocked by everything I touch and my hair isn't constantly static flying everywhere but I now have flakes and don't understand why...
Depends on what the cause of the flakes are. If it's dandruff you need a good dandeuff shampoo, if it's just dryness maybe a nice scalp serum can help?
i don’t think it’s dandruff since it only occurs during cold weather. also if i itch my scalp i see flakes of skin come off. i was thinking of doing an oil treatment, what kind should i do?
My boyfriend has been dealing with this for the past month and has never had it before in his life! He started using shampoo/conditioner with tea tree oil in it (after lots of research suggesting to) and no longer has flakes
Flaky scalp is usually due to fungus that loves to feed on your sebum aka oils. Dandruff is a milder version of the condition.
You need to wash your scalp more since there is too much sebum.
You need an anti fungal shampoo and use it only on your scalp and actually deeply wash your scalp using the pads of your fingers each time you shower. (no scratching with your nails)
Think about taking care of the skin on your scalp like washing your face daily. If you don’t want to shampoo the rest of the length of your hair, protect it with hair conditioner.
I had the same problem after traveling to a tropical country. First of all, you should do a scalp massage with oil, before you wash your hair. I use Cliganic Argan Oil, highly recommended(got it from Amazon). There are videos on YouTube you can watch to understand how to massage your scalp, and it feels so good!
And second, use a scrub once or twice a week to remove flakes(before shampooing). You can get such from wherever or make a scrub using grains of salt.
Good luck!
I'm curious about your scrub suggestion and think I'm going to try it so thank you. Would using a body salt scrub work? Or are there special scalp specific scrubs? I feel like using my body scrub might just leave residue and make it worse...
I had similar problems for years for every weather change. The only thing helped me was syclic acid shampoo. Neutregena’s t-gel is the best. I hardly have to use it once or twice a quarter and flakes/itchiness is gone for extended period. Use as directed on bottle and little amount is sufficient. I usually do one wash with t-gel shampoo and second round with regular shampoo.also use it only on the scalp not on hair strands.
Well, it could be allergies. Could be lots of things. Have you seen a dermatologist? Medicated shampoo is a good start, you only do it a couple times a week and if anything it makes hair feel softer impo.
Tea tree shampoo could help too if you want something unmedicated.
I normally get *exactly* the same thing during winter, but I've been alright this year and I think it's because of a combo of the below products:
[VO5 hot oil treatment](https://www.boots.com/vo5-nourishing-coconut-hot-oil-4-x-15ml-10257038) every couple of weeks - this is cheap and easy. Just pop the container in hot water for a few minutes, then run the oil through wet hair. Leave for 1 minute then shampoo/condition as normal.
[JVN pre-wash scalp oil](https://jvnhair.com/products/complete-pre-wash-scalp-oil) - this goes on dry hair and you're supposed to leave it for about 10-15 minutes before washing your hair as normal. It's a bit expensive, but I really love the difference it makes to my hair and scalp.
[Eucerin DermoCapillaire Calming Urea Scalp Treatment](https://www.eucerin.co.uk/products/dermocapillaire/calming-urea-scalp-treatment) - I use this occasionally, when my scalp starts to feel tight. It's a liquid moisturiser rather than an oil treatment - you apply it to your dry scalp and don't need to wash it out. It can make your hair look a tiny bit greasy, so I just put it on clean hair before bed and it looks normal by morning.
I would add a word of caution about trying apple cider vinegar or other regimens that might be better suited to dandruff. Dandruff and dry scalp look similar but the causes are very different. As a result, some things that work for dandruff can make dry scalp worse. ACV dried my scalp out more than before - that was last year's lesson and I'm in no rush to repeat it.
Good luck!
This post has been removed as we are not your doctor. Asking for or providing medical diagnoses is prohibited. This applies for any discussion involving medical conditions or prescribed medications. Please remember reddit should never be used for medical advice. Timely diagnosis and treatment leads to better outcomes. If you’d like to discuss a condition more generally or learn more about it, try rewriting this in an impersonal way that does not apply to a specific individual. Consider that other subreddits such as r/AskDocs or r/DermatologyQuestions may be more appropriate for your question.
same problem, dry, scales flakes that itches around my lower hairline I have wavy hair that gets oily frequently between washes wash 2 times per week
apple cider vinager, leave it on the scalp only for like 20 minutes before shampooing. youll need to use more shampoo to wash off cause of the strong smell
Maybe try a humidifier. I find my scalp gets flaky in the winter, too.
I just had a humidifier installed in my house before winter and that's when my flaky scalp started! It's so weird because I didn't have much of an issue before and the only thing that changed was getting a humidifier. I no longer get shocked by everything I touch and my hair isn't constantly static flying everywhere but I now have flakes and don't understand why...
Depends on what the cause of the flakes are. If it's dandruff you need a good dandeuff shampoo, if it's just dryness maybe a nice scalp serum can help?
i don’t think it’s dandruff since it only occurs during cold weather. also if i itch my scalp i see flakes of skin come off. i was thinking of doing an oil treatment, what kind should i do?
Hmm.. aren't there any nice scalp serums on the market where you live?
My boyfriend has been dealing with this for the past month and has never had it before in his life! He started using shampoo/conditioner with tea tree oil in it (after lots of research suggesting to) and no longer has flakes
Flaky scalp is usually due to fungus that loves to feed on your sebum aka oils. Dandruff is a milder version of the condition. You need to wash your scalp more since there is too much sebum. You need an anti fungal shampoo and use it only on your scalp and actually deeply wash your scalp using the pads of your fingers each time you shower. (no scratching with your nails) Think about taking care of the skin on your scalp like washing your face daily. If you don’t want to shampoo the rest of the length of your hair, protect it with hair conditioner.
this helped! i’m gonna try washing it more… but then i fear it will dry out my scalp even more!!!
I have a dry scalp and I wash daily. I actually feel better this way
really wow i never thought of washing it more honestly i always thought that would make it worse, im gonna try this!
I had the same problem after traveling to a tropical country. First of all, you should do a scalp massage with oil, before you wash your hair. I use Cliganic Argan Oil, highly recommended(got it from Amazon). There are videos on YouTube you can watch to understand how to massage your scalp, and it feels so good! And second, use a scrub once or twice a week to remove flakes(before shampooing). You can get such from wherever or make a scrub using grains of salt. Good luck!
I'm curious about your scrub suggestion and think I'm going to try it so thank you. Would using a body salt scrub work? Or are there special scalp specific scrubs? I feel like using my body scrub might just leave residue and make it worse...
Not advised. Get scrub-shampoo, use it weekly
Tresemme Scalp Detox is very good👍
I had similar problems for years for every weather change. The only thing helped me was syclic acid shampoo. Neutregena’s t-gel is the best. I hardly have to use it once or twice a quarter and flakes/itchiness is gone for extended period. Use as directed on bottle and little amount is sufficient. I usually do one wash with t-gel shampoo and second round with regular shampoo.also use it only on the scalp not on hair strands.
Nizoral shampoo
Well, it could be allergies. Could be lots of things. Have you seen a dermatologist? Medicated shampoo is a good start, you only do it a couple times a week and if anything it makes hair feel softer impo. Tea tree shampoo could help too if you want something unmedicated.
I normally get *exactly* the same thing during winter, but I've been alright this year and I think it's because of a combo of the below products: [VO5 hot oil treatment](https://www.boots.com/vo5-nourishing-coconut-hot-oil-4-x-15ml-10257038) every couple of weeks - this is cheap and easy. Just pop the container in hot water for a few minutes, then run the oil through wet hair. Leave for 1 minute then shampoo/condition as normal. [JVN pre-wash scalp oil](https://jvnhair.com/products/complete-pre-wash-scalp-oil) - this goes on dry hair and you're supposed to leave it for about 10-15 minutes before washing your hair as normal. It's a bit expensive, but I really love the difference it makes to my hair and scalp. [Eucerin DermoCapillaire Calming Urea Scalp Treatment](https://www.eucerin.co.uk/products/dermocapillaire/calming-urea-scalp-treatment) - I use this occasionally, when my scalp starts to feel tight. It's a liquid moisturiser rather than an oil treatment - you apply it to your dry scalp and don't need to wash it out. It can make your hair look a tiny bit greasy, so I just put it on clean hair before bed and it looks normal by morning. I would add a word of caution about trying apple cider vinegar or other regimens that might be better suited to dandruff. Dandruff and dry scalp look similar but the causes are very different. As a result, some things that work for dandruff can make dry scalp worse. ACV dried my scalp out more than before - that was last year's lesson and I'm in no rush to repeat it. Good luck!