Dry and Itchy Scalp Remedies That Work

Forgive me for not posting for a bit, it's been a hectic week! Hurricane Sandy really devastate NYC, and while my area in Queens doesn't have terrible damage, I've had to check on family in nearby New Jersey and Staten Island by renting a car (which was hell in itself), while working from home all week because my office in Manhattan had no electricity. Hope all our YAIS readers faired through the storm ok! Luckily everyone is good on my end, and I'm trying to get everything back to normal. One of those things is washing my hair today and getting my scalp back to normal because as I type, it is on fire! It's been itching and flaking like you won't believe, which always seems to happen when the weather changes, so I'm revisiting some treatments that have worked for me in the past that I thought to share!

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

Diluted in water, this treatment has always been tried and true for me. After washing and conditioning my hair, I use the mixture (about 1/4 cup to 2 cups of water) as a final rinse. It results to a soothed scalp and shiny hair with no lingering scent. I used to do this once a week in the winter especially and had no scalp issues for the entire season.

Bentonite Clay

I consider myself a veteran user of this. I actually make a clay mask once a week for my combination skin type, and I've blogged before how awesome it is for hair. I definitely have focused on my scalp when applying the clay to my hair and it really helps - I actually use apple cider vinegar and raw honey in my mixture which leaves my scalp and hair feeling and looking great!

Tea Tree Oil

This oil is magic in a bottle for me. I used to have severe eczema flair-ups when I was younger and my diluted tea tree oil was applied to my skin to clear it up. You really only need a little bit of this stuff because using too much can cause irritation. When I wore my hair straight or wanted a style to last a while but my scalp was itching, I would take a cotton swap with a diluted tea tree oil mixture and dab it on my scalp to cool it off and stop the flaking.

What are you some of your tried-and-true dry scalp treatments?

Hair Growth Crash Course

I've been dying to post some hair science for quite a while but I knew it would take me forever to type it out! The other day, while browsing through Youtube I came across a video that breaks it all down. I really love the way she explains everything and speaks very clearly, and is quite accurate. There was only one statement I didn't agree with (The hair not growing past shoulder length part), but otherwise, this corsetted lady knows her stuff! Plus with hair to her knees... I'd definitely listen for a minute.