Effective Remedies and Treatments for Winter Dandruff

The dry and cold weather causes the scalp’s skin to lose moisture. This leads to cracked skin, causing the dead skin cells to come out in the form of flakes. Here we give you the reasons why dandruff increases in winter.

During winter, many people notice their dandruff gets worse. This happens because cold weather and indoor heating dry out your scalp, leading to more flakes and irritation.

Here’s how different winter habits and conditions affect your scalp:

Dry Scalp Triggers More Oil: When your scalp gets dry, your body produces extra oil to make up for the dryness. This extra oil can mix with dead skin and lead to dandruff.

Woolen Caps Trap Heat: Wearing woolen caps or scarves increases your scalp’s temperature, creating a warm environment where dandruff-causing germs grow faster.

Less Hair Washing: In winter, you may wash your hair less often. This allows dirt, oil, and microbes to build up, making dandruff worse.

Hot Showers Followed by Cold Air: Washing your hair with hot water and then stepping out in the cold can confuse your scalp’s oil balance, leading to dryness and flaking.

Not Drinking Enough Water: Cold weather often makes us drink less water. Dehydration dries out your scalp, which can lead to dandruff.

Heat Styling Tools: Using hair dryers, straighteners, or curling irons often during winter dries out the scalp further, contributing to dandruff.

Indoor Heating: Spending time in heated indoor spaces dries out the air and your scalp, increasing the chances of dandruff.

What You Can Do:

• Wash your hair regularly with a mild, anti-dandruff shampoo.

• Use lukewarm water instead of hot water to wash your hair.

• Drink enough water throughout the day to keep your body and scalp hydrated.

• Limit heat styling tools and use a heat protectant if needed.

• Apply nourishing oils like coconut or argan oil to maintain moisture.

• If dandruff persists, consult a dermatologist for targeted treatment.

An oil massage to the hair and scalp improves hydration, helps the skin retain moisture, and prevents dryness of the scalp, thus serving as an effective remedy for dandruff.

Salicylic acid is helpful in getting rid of scaly and flaky skin. Using a shampoo with salicylic acid as an ingredient is remedial against dandruff in winter.

Using an anti-dandruff shampoo helps in treating dandruff in winter.

It is best to keep your scalp moisturized, in order to prevent dryness. This can be remedial against dandruff caused by dryness of the scalp skin in winter.

Hot water causes the scalp to get dry and flaky. So avoid using hot water for washing your hair in winter.

Reduce stress levels, as stress is an important cause of dandruff and other hair problems.

Follow a healthy diet, and a good workout regimen, and adopt a proper hair care routine to keep dandruff at bay, during the winters.

Mild dandruff can be treated using a gentle shampoo to reduce the build-up of oil and skin cells.

Shampoo less during the winter and always use a conditioner following a hair wash. This is more applicable to people with dry hair.

Medicated and non-medicated hair products in the form of gels, oils, sprays, foams, and creams act as effective treatments against dandruff in winter.

A dandruff shampoo that contains one or more the ingredients like selenium sulfide, pyrithione zinc, salicylic acid, and ketoconazole is a good treatment for dandruff.

Tar-based shampoos have antibiotic and antifungal properties, owing to which, they help in treating dandruff.