How to treat a dry flaky scalp?

[bunzfan]

Hi all i recently started massaging my scalp daily with a castor oil mix hoping it would help my dry scalp i think it is helping but is their anything else i could do? and could this inhibit growth?

I do this massage daily in the morning and CO in the evening but, even when i massage my scalp i can feel small bits of eczema i guess. Could CO daily be making the problem worse. Anyone have a similar problem:confused:

[Panth]

There's a thread about somewhere for seborrhoeic dermatitis - even if that's not actually the cause of your scalp issues you might find some handy tips there.

When I've had dandruff-type scalp issues, I massaged olive oil into the scalp before each wash - but that was because I'd never heard of using castor oil.

With itchy-type scalp issues, I've done a sugar scrub before which was great - mix coarse sugar and coconut oil or conditioner into a gloopy mixture and massage really well into the scalp, especially any problem areas, then wash out very well. Oh, and if you use coconut oil you'll likely need to put down towels or something around you as you do the massaging - I got sugar EVERYWHERE. Over the sofa, spills that solidified into my dressing gown, all over the cushions, all over DBF, all over the floor....

[Intotouch]

Hi. This is a symptom of zinc deficiency. Omega 3 fish oils and water help with skin, scalp and hair health too.

Below is a link to a good site on vitamins.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/982.html#Dosage

[pariate]

Castor oil can actually be quite drying. It might be worth trying a different oil. I've used coconut oil in the past and liked it very much. Jojoba might work well, given that it's supposed to be similar to sebum. Sweet almond, grapeseed and apricot kernel oil could all be good choices too - they're not too heavy but would be moisturising to dry skin.

Good luck!

[ChloeDharma]

The diet suggestion is certainly worth thinking about, lack of essential fatty acids can cause this as well as other nutrients. Evening primrose oil is also particularly good for improving the quality of sebum produced.

Topically rosemary rinses have always sorted my scalp out when dry and nasty. I 2nd the sweet almond oil suggestion too which would be good for softening up the flakes making them easy to remove but also is a soothing oil.

You do need to find the cause really though as many things can cause scalp flakes. Dandruff is a fungal infection so maybe some neem oil in your mix and tea tree and lavender essential oils. It can be sensitivity to an ingredient in products used, too harsh a cleanser....as has been said, nutritional deficiency or other types of dermatitis.