What Are the Best Shampoos for a Dry Scalp?
7 min read
Do you find yourself scratching your scalp often? Perhaps it feels irritated and causes you discomfort. You could be suffering from a dry scalp! It’s a pretty common problem that affects scores of people.
That doesn’t mean you let it slide.
A dry scalp needs some extra TLC and good products can go a long way in easing the discomfort caused by the condition. Today, we’re sharing our recommendations for the best shampoos for dry scalps so that you don’t have to suffer any longer.
What Causes a Dry Scalp?
Dry scalps tend to lose moisture rather fast and very easily. This obviously affects the health of your scalp, making it feel itchy, painful, and uncomfortable.
Believe it or not, dandruff is not always to blame. You could suffer from a dry scalp because of multiple medical reasons. Some of these are relatively harmless while others require medical attention.
The top causes of a dry and itchy scalp are:
Scalp Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a skin disease where your body produces skin cells rapidly. The excess skin cells form dry and patchy clusters that itch and can even bleed in severe cases. Although psoriasis can occur anywhere on your skin, it most commonly affects the scalp.
You need immediate medical attention to treat the condition. It can otherwise affect your face, neck, and other parts of your body.
Dermatitis
This is another skin disease which is a form of eczema that affects humans. You can contract any form of dermatitis like atopic, contact, or seborrheic (commonly known as dandruff) if you’re exposed to the infection. But all of them result in flaky and itchy scalp, so it’s important to consult a doctor to diagnose the root cause of your dermatitis.
Dermatitis can be rather painful and stubborn if left untreated.
Scalp Ringworm
A ringworm infection could also be the culprit behind your dry and itchy scalp. Although rare, this disease is caused by a fungus called Tinea capitis. It is communicable and can infect your scalp. However, such infections are most common in children under the age of ten.
Actinic Keratoses
Severe and unchecked exposure to the sun could also give you a dry scalp. Medically known as Actinic Keratoses, sun damage can be severe and therefore result in an extremely painful dry scalp. It is even worse for those with scanty or thinning hair.
If you’re someone who spends a lot of time outdoors, consider sun protection for your hair to avoid Actinic Keratoses.
Lifestyle Choices
Certain lifestyle choices can also dry out your scalp. Not drinking enough water, loading up on fizzy or sugary drinks like colas, and excessive alcohol consumption can dehydrate you. It could eventually lead to a dry scalp.
Bad Hair Care Products
Lastly, harsh products containing harmful chemicals can also strip your scalp of its natural oils, especially when used for prolonged periods. So don’t grab any random shampoo or hair care product off the shelves — read the list of ingredients to check if it's good for you or not.
Most commonly sold shampoos are loaded with corrosive chemicals that can dehydrate your scalp with repeated use. Switching to the best shampoos for a dry scalp can help you tackle the problem.
Apart from bad hair care products, overwashing could also be the reason behind your dry scalp. If you don’t have any of the medical conditions we discussed, then your habits could be to blame.
How to Choose the Best Shampoo for a Dry Scalp
There’s an easy solution for every bad hair care choice you make — just change it. Since we’re discussing shampoos today, let’s understand how you can choose a better product for yourself.
Be more conscious when choosing a shampoo for your hair. Do your research.
Go over the list of ingredients to see if it contains stuff that’s good for dry scalp. Choose mild shampoos that have organic ingredients with hydrating properties. For example, peach, acai berries, quinoa, tea tree oil, and aloe vera are some of the most favorable ingredients that moisturize dry scalps. So any shampoo that contains any of these as one of its main ingredients is going to work out well for you.
Also avoid ingredients known to have a dehydrating effect on the skin, like alcohol.
Apart from the ingredients, consider the fragrance of the shampoo too. Products with a strong but artificial fragrance can cause contact dermatitis which leads to a dry scalp. Add shampoos with mellow, mild, or no fragrance to your shopping cart.
Vegan formulas are also much better compared to commercial products loaded with harsh chemicals like parabens.
At NuMe, we make shampoos that are vegan, cruelty-free, and cater to the unique needs of your hair. Our hair care products are trusted by more than two million happy customers.
We recommend the following shampoos for a dry scalp.
Best Shampoos for Dry Scalp
NuMe Peach Shampoo
This is the best moisturizing shampoo for a dry scalp because it contains peach extract. Peaches have high water content, besides being rich in Vitamin C, amino acids, and other hair-loving nutrients. This shampoo deeply moisturizes your scalp, improves the skin barrier, and provides protection against environmental toxins.
It’s great for those with a stubborn dry scalp and lifeless hair because the product also adds smoothness, shine, and softness to your tresses.
NuMe Acai Shampoo
Enriched with the goodness of real acai berries, this formulation is one of the best natural shampoos for a dry scalp because it heals damaged hair and seals moisture. Acai berries are a rich source of omegas, vitamins, and zinc — nutrients that are fantastic for boosting hair health. The shampoo also improves the elasticity of your strands, reducing breakage due to brittle hair.
Choose this shampoo if you have a dry scalp with limp hair that needs nourishment and volume.
NuMe Tourmaline Shampoo
If you’re looking for the best hydrating shampoo for a dry scalp and frizzy hair, this tourmaline shampoo is a must-have for you. It has tourmaline as its key ingredient that neutralizes the positive ions present in rough and dry hair.
Formulated almost like a skincare product with 11 amino acids and hydrolyzed quinoa, it also soothes an itchy scalp and smoothens uncontrollably frizzy hair.
This shampoo is an ideal choice for people who have dry scalps but style their hair using heat-based tools frequently.
NuMe Dandruff Shampoo
The last recommendation we have is a targeted shampoo for dry scalp and oily hair. Dandruff is an icky problem — it gives you those pesky flakes and also makes the lengths of your hair greasy like a pancake from a cheap diner. So it needs a dual-action shampoo that hydrates your scalp, gets rid of dry skin, and cleanses your hair.
Our dandruff control shampoo has tea tree oil as its primary ingredient. Known for its anti-microbial properties and clarifying action, this shampoo fights even the most stubborn cases of dandruff and keeps your hair grease-free.
You can enjoy a clean scalp and bouncy hair with continued use.
With that, we come to the end of our list of the best shampoos for dry scalp but continue reading to discover some helpful tips.
How to Take Care of A Dry Scalp
Switching your shampoo and other hair care products is one of the many changes you can make to manage a dry scalp. But you still need to take holistic care of it.
Consult a medical professional to get to the root (pun intended) of the problem. Chronic illnesses like scalp psoriasis need to be treated with medication only, it’s not in your control.
But if that’s not the case with you, then you’re lucky. Simply follow these tips to take care of your scalp:
- Increase your daily water intake. Add fruits and veggies with high water content to your diet.
- Don’t scratch the itch on your scalp. We know it’s hard but practicing self-control will get you there.
- Use premium quality styling products but be careful of the quantity — a little goes a long way. We also recommend the NuMe styling tools which use negative ion technology to keep your hair damage-free.
- Be gentle when brushing your hair. We recommend brushes with dense bristles that can evenly distribute natural oils all over your scalp.
- Don’t overwash your hair and go for deep conditioning treatments once or twice a month.
Don’t lose your sleep over a dry scalp. Try our product recommendations and tips to change things for the better. Follow our blog for more informative posts and product recommendations.
