HOW CAN I REDUCE MY INFLAMMATION IN MY SCALP?

Skin inflammation is relatively easy to spot on your face—whether it's breakouts and blemishes, redness from rosacea, or flakiness from eczema, you can usually notice the signs with a simple glance in the mirror. But inflammation on the scalp becomes a little trickier to identify, even though it's just as important to treat. Your scalp is your skin, after all, and it requires the same amount of love during your routine as those hormonal breakouts on your jawline. 

But people often overlook some of the glaring signs of scalp inflammation—they might brush off the symptoms entirely, regarding them as "normal" dryness from the changing of the seasons. When really, these signs could be tell-alls for a much larger issue going on underneath the surface. 

There’s nothing pretty about scalp inflammation, however, while it may be hard to avoid, you can take some easy steps to prevent it in the future. We consulted Anabel Kingsley, Trichologist at Philip Kingsley, hair and scalp health authority, about what triggers inflammation, how to fix it, and why we’ve actually been getting it wrong all along.

Steps to Prevention

To prevent inflammation and keep your scalp healthy, take the extra time to suds up and cleanse frequently – just like you would your face. “You wouldn’t leave days between washing your face or underarms, so why would you do this to your scalp?” asks Anabel. The hair wash debate is definitely real, though usually you have to place yourself in the “scalp” or “hair” camp – either way, she makes a good case for pro-scalp daily shampoo-ers.

Treating Inflammation

If you’re too far gone from stress, a cold/heat combo, or your period, and your scalp is inflamed – meaning it’s flaky, itchy, oily or your dealing with dandruff, it needs to be treated consistently for best results – and what you use is crucial.

“Use a daily shampoo containing an anti-microbial active, such as Piroctone Olamine. This ingredient specifically targets the yeast responsible for dandruff and rebalances your scalp’s microflora. I recommend our Flaky/Itchy Scalp Shampoo,” she explains. “You also want to look for a scalp toner containing Camphor, a soothing and cooling active, as well as astringent ingredients like Witch Hazel, which helps to soak up excess oil. I recommend our Flaky/Itchy Scalp Toner, which also contains Piroctone Olamine.”

Don’t Oil It Up

Contrary to popular belief, oils are not an end-all cure-all for literally everything. “If you have a dry scalp, applying pure oil to your scalp is not going to do much good – oil-in-water emulsions (i.e. creams) are much better. Dry skin is not just due to lack of oil – it is also actually due to lack of moisture (i.e.) water, or excessive water loss from the skin. Pure oils can also cause irritation and weigh down your roots,” she explains. However, though flakes are typically associated with a dry scalp, when you see flakes it’s usually due to an oily, not a dry scalp. “As such, rubbing in oils will simply make the flakes appear greasier. Instead, use a targeted daily scalp toner to help clear itching and irritation,” adds Anabel. And lastly, water does make a difference! “While different water does not affect scalp health, it can make your hair feel different,”

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