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Itchy (and dry) scalp is often accompanied by flaking skin Also see this newer post for some new ideas ! Itchy Scalp can have lots of causes. "Dandruff" refers only to the flakes, not the cause of the flakes. Seborrheic dermatitis, also known as Seborrheic eczema is eczema, or a recurring inflammation (causing itching, rashes, scaling or "flaking") of the skin on oilier parts of the skin such as your scalp, eyebrows, face, chest. Most often associated with allergies, you can develop Seborrheic dermatitis as a result of contact with chemicals or friction on the skin. Once your skin has become inflamed and irritated, it's "waterproof" barrier has broken down - tiny cracks open up and allow chemicals through where they can cause further irritation. Elsewhere on your body, eczema usually looks like dry, red, flaky patches that don't become smooth or soft no matter how much skin lotion you apply. They may crack and bleed or get "weepy" and bli...

Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate - Epsom Salts! Epsom Salt Soak (not really a recipe, just passing along the relaxation) The recipe: ½ cup to 1 cup Epsom salts (depending on the size of your tub and depth of your bathwater) ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 That’s it. Sprinkle the salt into the bathtub as it fills and mix. Soak for at least 15 minutes – so bring a magazine, the newspaper, some music, or a good friend (a really, really good friend) and enjoy! Be sure to rinse with fresh water or you’ll have a very tacky residue on your skin. I prefer to keep my hair out of the water, or only give it a quick dunk and then wash out the salt. Get your Epsom salts at a drugstore (pharmacy, druggist, chemist), avoid using the kind you buy at a garden shop. The Nitty-Gritty ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 Prolonged exposure to very warm water is drying to the skin because the components of the top layers of the skin which retain moisture are water soluble. But there are those days when sore muscles and join...

Let’s talk about hats in winter. You need to protect your head, your ears and (of course) your hair from the cold, dry air and the wind. Your ears will never forgive you if they get frostbitten because you did not wear a hat for fear of messing up your hair! Frostbite (when your skin actually freezes and even blisters) anywhere on your body is an unforgettable experience.  ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 What about your hair under that necessary hat? You would not take a very fine wool sweater, wrap it around your head, and then pull on a tight cap and go for a walk or out to shovel snow. If you did, you’d find that lovely sweater matted, fuzzy, undefined, losing shape and over time, developing thin patches from breakage. I wear a hat a few times each day in winter for about  4 months of the year. It adds up to many hours that could damage the strong-but-delicate fiber on my head which is my hair. Not to mention irritating sensitive skin. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 First I lined my h...