Beautiful and healthy hair is part of a woman’s overall image. Whether your hair is long or short, dry skin is frustrating and causes discomfort. It is important to correctly assess the condition of the skin and to know the cause of dryness.
As everyone knows, the skin is the largest organ in the body, but not everyone knows how to look after it properly. Advertising tricks are misleading about how to choose the right products and achieve the desired result. In order to solve a skin problem, it is important to determine the correct type of scalp. If it is difficult to assess the condition of the skin yourself, this can be done by a doctor or a hairdresser with a skin diagnostic machine. By answering a few of the questions below, you can get a general idea of your skin type.
How is my scalp?
The easiest way to assess your skin type is to answer a few questions:
- What are the symptoms of sensitivity: redness, dandruff, sensitivity to touch or washing?
- How often do we wash our heads?
- How does the skin feel after washing?
- What products do we use and how do they work?
Let’s analyse the answers together. If your skin turns white during the day, your hair loses volume and sticks together – you have oily skin. If you want to wash your scalp every two or three days, your skin is normal, if less often, your skin is dry.
If your skin is sensitive after washing your head, fine dry dandruff breaks out and your skin is dry.
It is very important to assess the products used and how they are used. A product may be suitable for your skin type but is used incorrectly.
If you have identified your skin as dry, read the tips and review your daily hair care routine, maybe just a few changes in your habits will make a big difference and solve the problem.
Dry skin is caused by the activity of sebaceous glands in the skin. Normally functioning sebaceous glands secrete a secretion onto the surface of the skin that provides protection and nourishment. Sebaceous gland dysfunction can be caused by a number of factors, both physiological and external. There are cases where there is no impairment of function, but inappropriate skin care products cause the skin to dry out.
What can I do to prevent my skin from drying out?
To avoid dry skin, it is important to have a balance between your care habits and the products you use. Factors that contribute to dry skin:
- Frequent washing and drying
- External effects (heating, weather changes, sun)
- Deep cleansing products and procedures.
- Use of hot water during washing.
- Poor diet and stress.
Depending on the cause of the dryness, there are different options for restoring the skin.
First of all, the frequency of washing is important – although dry skin does not require frequent washing, washing once or twice a week is essential. Washing not only removes the natural oil, but also external impurities. It also saturates the hair and skin with moisture.
Hot water during washing is not suitable for all skin types, but especially for dry skin. The temperature of the water should be at body temperature, not higher than 40 degrees. Do not apply hot air directly to the scalp during drying. After washing, the hair can be left to dry naturally for about 10-15 minutes to make it drier against the skin.
Dry skin is more prone to dryness during the heating season, due to lack of moisture in the air. It is recommended to use humidifiers in dry rooms and to wear hats outdoors. Just like the cold, the sun dries not only the hair but also the skin, so use products with UV protection in summer.
Care products with salts, or for deep cleansing. Deep cleansing is as necessary for dry skin as it is for oily skin, but it should be done no more than once every two weeks, using special shampoos or serums.
If the dryness is very intense, moisturising masks can be used on the scalp and maintained for longer than the recommended time.
Which foods can increase and which can decrease skin oiliness?
Research has long shown that the condition of our skin and hair depends on our body’s functioning: gut function, blood circulation and micronutrient levels.
What to avoid:
- Sugar,
- Flour dishes,
- Fried (fatty dishes),
- Salt;
- Dairy products,
What to take:
- Vegetables,
- Fruits
- Natural sources of fat: nuts, cereals, olives
All fatty and fast foods are not only bad for the body in general, but also affect the condition of the skin and hair. A healthy balanced diet is not only important for weight and general well-being, but also for beauty.
How to wash your head correctly?
It is not only important to look after your hair properly between washes, but also to wash it properly. There is often a tendency to think that washing the head seems like a simple procedure, but it is not done correctly. Correct washing and shaping of the skin is essential to reduce oiliness.
Before soaping, it is important to wet the entire skin vigorously and evenly so that the shampoo is evenly distributed.
When washing, it is necessary to soap the skin twice and rinse well. Two soaps are necessary, the first soap only lifts the dirt on the skin and the second removes it. For oily skin, three soaps can be used if dirt is not removed in two.
Soaping and rinsing should be in a ratio of 1:1.5, so that if you soap for one minute, you rinse for one and a half. All dirt with shampoo must be thoroughly removed with water. Leftover shampoo or dirt clogs the skin’s pores, drying out the skin and causing itching. Gentle massage of the skin with your fingers or a massager helps to lift and remove impurities from the skin.
Use water at body temperature when washing. Water temperature has a very strong influence on the condition of the skin. Hot water irritates the skin, which, in order to protect itself from damage, increases the activity of the sebaceous glands and the secretion of sebum, causing the skin to become oily faster. Cold water does not remove dirt from the skin, so dirt stays on the skin and creates a feeling of uncleanliness immediately after washing.
Which products are suitable for dry skin?
Very dry skin needs deep hydration and nourishment. For this type of skin, choose nourishing or moisturising shampoos and masks and conditioners suitable for use on the scalp.
The shampoo must be enriched with oils, fruit or nut extracts. Drying products that provide deep cleansing are not suitable, with the exception of special products to remove the dead skin layer.
Choose a mask and conditioner that are suitable for use on the skin. These products will create a protective barrier against skin damage. They will also saturate the skin with active ingredients and reduce sensitivity.
Oils and oil masks are not suitable for use on dry skin. A common myth is the use of natural oils such as coconut, bran, olive, castor on the skin. Used incorrectly, oils can reverse the skin’s reaction and make it even drier.
Dry skin must be prepared before hair colouring. Do not wash your head for at least three days before colouring. Choose dyes with protective agents. Use special protective ointments that prevent the dye from drying out the skin.
How to prevent dandruff?
As long as dry skin is only a physical discomfort, we can suffer, but when our shoulders are covered in dandruff, it’s no longer pleasant. To avoid dandruff caused by dry skin, it is essential to moisturise your skin from the first days of dryness. When dandruff occurs, it is important to
Assess the origin of dandruff, whether it is due to dry skin or a sign of another disease. If the dandruff is dry and comes off easily and quickly, then it is not dandruff, it is dry patches of skin. This dryness can be combated with different moisturising products and the timing of their application to the skin.
If the dandruff is wet, detached from the skin but does not fall off, and there are unevenly distributed areas of dandruff, it is a more serious skin problem. Dandruff shampoo will not always help. Depending on the reason why the skin change has occurred, a doctor’s consultation and medical treatment is necessary.
Dry skin care is easy when you know how to look after it. It’s not only important to use special products and review your daily hair care routine, but also to consume enough water. Moisturising the skin needs to be done externally as well as internally. Maximum hydration and the right care allow the skin to restore its moisture level and the natural activity of the sebaceous glands.
How do I dry my hair correctly, create volume and not dry it out?
Everyone seems to know how to blow-dry their hair, but how to do it right is a challenge. The most common method of drying is to flip the hair upside down, blowing air in all directions, which is expected to lift the hair from the roots, but results in frizzy hair.
Blow-dry your hair, do not leave it to dry naturally. The temperature of the dryer must not be hot. Do not blow air directly on the roots. Use a comb during drying which pulls the hair away from the root. Texturizing products shall be used to keep the hair relaxed from the root and free of grease. It is important not to touch the hair and not to twist it tightly.
Dry your hair in strands, not all at once. Blow air evenly from the roots to the ends. Use a soft comb for the length of the hair and a round brush for the roots.
Drying is one of the most important parts of hair care, not only for the skin but also for the hair. Properly dried hair is healthy and the desired look can last a long time.
A texture product that lifts the hair from the root to be used on wet hair and blow-dried with a hairdryer. Do not use too much product and do not spray directly. Spray the product through an outstretched hand and distribute it with a comb. Use a flexible hold hairspray to lock in the volume created.
Not only the products you use, but also the way you prepare your hair for sleep and the pillowcase you use will help you maintain the volume you create. We recommend tying your hair into a loose braided ponytail for sleeping and choosing a silk pillowcase for sleeping. Silk’s structure allows the hair to glide easily. The hair does not stick or tangle after sleeping. This fabric is healthy for all hair types.
Dry skin is easily solved if products moisturise the skin and care habits are reviewed. Therefore, everyone can achieve results, but action is needed to do so. Now you know what to do, all that’s left to do is take action.
