This shampoo is designed to work for all hair types — short and curly, dry and flat, and everything in between. Dandruff occurs when certain yeasts (called Malassezia yeasts) naturally found on your scalp overgrow," she says. "These yeasts thrive in an oily environment, so cleansing your scalp regularly with a gentle targeted shampoo is important. This shampoo is formulated with piroctone olamine, an anti-microbial active that specifically targets Malassezia yeasts. It's mild enough for daily use, smells of fresh green apples, and it won't dry your hair or strip it of color."

Hekmatpou D, Mehrabi F, Rahzani K, Aminiyan A. The Effect of Aloe Vera Clinical Trials on Prevention and Healing of Skin Wound: A Systematic Review. Iran J Med Sci. 2019;44(1):1-9. Shampoo as often as needed, yet alternate between dandruff-fighting active ingredients and gentle daily shampoos to maintain the balance of the scalp's microbiome," she says. "It's important to slow down the cellular turnover of the scalp when managing dandruff." Levin J, Momin SB. How much do we really know about our favorite cosmeceutical ingredients? J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2010;3(2):22-41. Both the shampoo and conditioner contain glycolic acid. This alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) can exfoliate your scalp and help your skin retain moisture, but it leaves your skin more vulnerable to sunburn. Need more moisture in your hair and scalp. Choosing a moisturizing shampoo with nonirritating ingredients could make a difference.Proksch E, de Bony R, Trapp S, Boudon S. Topical use of dexpanthenol: a 70th anniversary article. J Dermatolog Treat. 2017 Dec;28(8):766-773. doi: 10.1080/09546634.2017.1325310. Katsuyama M, et al. (2005). A novel method to control the balance of skin microflora: Part 2. A study to assess the effect of a cream containing farnesol and xylitol on atopic dry skin. Kaushik V, Chogale R, Mhaskar S. Alternative Protocol for Hair Damage Assessment and Comparison of Hair Care Treatments. Int J Trichology. 2020;12(1):7-15. doi:10.4103/ijt.ijt_3_20 If your scalp is dry and plagued by flakes, Hill recommends using a shampoo with active ingredients such as selenium sulfide, sulfur, zinc, piroctone olamine, or salicylic acid, like SachajuanScap Shampoo. Sure, it may be a bit splurgy, but it gives your scalp everything it needs in one fell swoop—bonus points for the addition of panthenol, an ingredient that's great for conditioning your hair.

It contains no fragrances, parabens, lanolin, parabens, sulfates, or formaldehyde. It also doesn’t contain botanical extracts or essential oils, which makes it a good option if you have allergies or sensitivities to common shampoo ingredients. Just note it may not produce the same sudsing action as your old shampoo. This is completely different to dandruff, which requires ingredients like selenium sulphide, sulphur, zinc, piroctone olamine and salicylic acid to treat. Ingredients to avoid for dry scalpsAccording to Priano, you'll usually see at least some results immediately. "It will vary from person to person, but the symptoms of dry scalp, itching, and dandruff will typically subside right after the first wash. With more extreme cases, it may take a few washes to see results." And if you're still not seeing an improvement, that's when you'll want to go see a dermatologist, she points out. Mosca M, et al. (2021). Scalp psoriasis: A literature review of effective therapies and updated recommendations for practical management. Best shampoo for dry scalp and dandruff: Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo This shampoo includes moisturizing ingredients, such as coconut oil and glycerin, that can help soothe dry scalp and ease inflammation. Davis MG, et al. Scalp application of the antioxidant piroctone olamine reduces hair shedding in an 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. International journal of cosmetic science vol. 43 Suppl 1 (2021): S26-S33. doi:10.1111/ics.12737

Dry scalp isn’t much fun, to say the least. If you have severe, uncomfortable dry scalp, you might find few things worse than the persistent irritation, itching, and flaking. The key isn’t shampooing more frequently, but switching to a shampoo specifically formulated for dry scalp. Lin T-K, et al. (2018). Anti-inflammatory and skin barrier repair effects of topical application of some plant oils. And because we're huge fans of scalp scrubs for sloughing away dead skin and buildup, we highly recommend giving dpHUE's Apple Cider Vinegar Scalp Scrub (view at Sephora) a shot. It scrubs with gentle pink Himalayan sea salt while apple cider vinegar infuses the scalp and hair with vitamins—just be sure to use it more as a treatment than a daily shampoo.

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Zeichner JA. (2010). Use of topical coal tar foam for the treatment of psoriasis in difficult-to-treat areas. Live with severe scalp psoriasis. It could help to ask your care team about trying a prescription-strength shampoo. There are also a few ingredients you should steer clear of while treating your dry scalp. “For many people sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) can be irritating if you have a dry scalp,” says Dr Khorana. Similarly, drying alcohols can further irritate a dry scalp. “I'm also mindful of people using home remedies that can upset the pH balance of your scalp and can be irritating—try not to use your kitchen ingredients on your scalp,” she adds. Leave the mixing to those talented cosmetic chemists. How often to wash hair if you have a dry scalp

Dealing with a dry, itchy, and flaky scalp? Trying to cleanse persistent product buildup? This micro-exfoliating shampoo may work well for you. It contains coconut oil, panthenol, and tea tree oil to help promote hair growth and health while removing dead skin, excess oils, and impurities from the scalp. Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL. Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Dec;19(1):70. doi:10.3390/ijms19010070 Thomas J, Carson CF, Peterson GM, et al. Therapeutic Potential of Tea Tree Oil for Scabies. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2016;94(2):258-266. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.14-0515 Just be mindful of not overdoing it, since the oils in the conditioner can end up contributing to dandruff. As a start, try washing and conditioning every other day, or two to three times each week. Should I shampoo more if I have dry scalp?Oh JY, Park MA, Kim YC. Peppermint Oil Promotes Hair Growth without Toxic Signs. Toxicol Res. 2014;30(4):297-304. doi:10.5487/TR.2014.30.4.297