scalp care

March 1, 2023 by Nyasha

One of your priorities when it comes to scalp care should be to ensure your scalp is constantly moisturized & thriving. Failure to do so could easily lead to scalp conditions such as the presence of dandruff that makes it difficult to grow and nurture healthy hair.

Dandruff is one of the most common scalp conditions relatively experienced by most people. This is one uncomfortable condition that causes other unpleasant scalp conditions that affect the health of your scalp & hair. Itchy scalp and the presence of white flakes on the scalp are all the result of dandruff.

In this piece, we will walk you through everything you need to know about dandruff and how to get rid of it. So, relax, read and learn as we go further.

What are dandruff and its causes?

Before we go deeper into how to get rid of dandruff, let’s briefly discuss what dandruff is and the things that cause it.

One vital thing you should know about dandruff is that it is a fungal infection usually seen on the scalp. Dandruff thrives and feeds on the excess oil from the scalp, thereby causing itching & dryness.

If you happen to be experiencing a severe itchy and flaky scalp, all these are symptoms that you are probably dealing with dandruff.

Dandruff doesn’t just appear on your scalp without any cause. The causes of dandruff range from different factors such as environment and habits, and unconsciously, there are certain things you do that facilitate the appearance of dandruff on your scalp, and they include the following;

Leaving your hair & scalp unwashed or not washing it often: One of the significant causes of dandruff is dirtiness, and leaving your hair & scalp without washing will lead to dandruff. This means that if your scalp is dirty, it is likely to produce extra oil (sebum) that enables the development of dandruff.

Using harsh scalp products: Aside from negligence, another thing that can cause dandruff is using harsh products on your scalp. Harsh products are hair & scalp products that contain chemicals and ingredients that are not good for the well-being of the hair & scalp. These products accumulate on your scalp leading to dandruff.

Healthy Routines to help you get rid of dandruff from your scalp

Getting rid of dandruff is not as easy as you think. And that’s because of its fungal nature which makes it hard to eliminate. To ensure that you have completely gotten rid of dandruff on your scalp, you should devote your time and effort to practising scalp care routines that will make it achievable.

Without any further words, here are the top 4 healthy routines you can explore while dealing with dandruff;

Endeavour to exfoliate your scalp when doing your hair routine.

The accumulation of products is one thing that triggers the production of excess oil on the scalp, which in turn leads to dandruff. It is necessary to include hair and scalp exfoliation in your hair routine to help get rid of product buildup on your hair & scalp.

Another way to ensure that your scalp is free from buildup is by using a clarifying shampoo to wash your hair at least once in two months depending on how often you wash your hair. Always alternate between a moisturizing shampoo and a clarifying shampoo.

Cultivate the habit of letting your hair breathe for some time before styling them again.

After taking down your braids or any other protective style, you should endeavor to give your natural hair some time to receive fresh air. Inadequate/lack of air triggers the appearance of dandruff and makes the scalp sweat a lot which leads to odor & buildup.

So to prevent and get rid of dandruff, avoid doing and wearing things that would not allow fresh air to get to your scalp. The scalp is also skin. It needs to breathe you know!

Detoxifying your hair & scalp using a clay mask.

As earlier mentioned, product leftovers and toxins are the significant causes of dandruff. Detoxifying your hair and scalp with a clay mask will go a long way in removing and eliminating these leftovers and toxins that cause dandruff.

It is important to use clay masks like the one from Reina Haircare to detoxify your hair and scalp.

The Reina HairCare exfoliating and detoxifying hair & scalp clay mask helps get rid of accumulated product build up on the hair and scalp due to the presence of bentonite clay and apricot seeds which are known to be powerful but mild exfoliants.

Moisturizing your hair & scalp.

Scalp care is very important and as such, you need to keep your scalp moisturized at all times. A simple Moisturizing routine for your scalp would entail spritzing a little amount of water on your scalp and gently massaging it in. Then seal in that moisture with a light absorbent scalp oil like that of Reina HairCare Scalp & Hair Serum. The essence of using lightweight oils to moisturize your scalp is to avoid clogging it which leads to product buildup, flakes & dandruff. You can do this at least twice a week.

Tell me, are you currently battling with dandruff? Have you tried any of the tips above? Please share with us in the comments section below.

Written By Social Butterfly Haven for Reina Haircare.

March 21, 2021 by Nyasha

This post is a little different from what you’d typically see on natural hair blogs because it tackles the very foundation of our natural hair journey which is scalp care. Scalp care is so underrated and that is why there are tons of complaints on dry scalp, itchiness, dandruff and so on. Here are three reasons scalp care is essential in your natural hair journey.

Your Hair Grows Out From Your Scalp: It is imperative we also take care of the scalp as that’s where hair grows out from and if there are any alterations to that balance, scalp issues start to occur. The scalp has hair follicles that are responsible for growing hair which happens in three different phases. The follicles also determine your hair and scalp type. If damaged, it will stop producing hair and your hair growth cycle will slow down. For more information on how to determine your scalp type, click HERE to download this free eBook on scalp care

Your Scalp Is Skin: This is probably one of my most used sentences. The day you start taking care of and paying attention to your scalp the same way you do for your skin is the same day you’ll start seeing a lot of changes. How can you moisturize your skin every day after having your bath or when it feels ashy but will never re-moisturize your scalp not even once within the week? Sis, think about it. The only difference between the scalp and the skin are the environments. While the scalp is in a more humid environment, the skin isn’t. Your scalp type might not be the dry type. It’s just that you don’t re-moisturize and seal in the moisture.

If You Take Care Of Your Scalp, Your Hair Will Flourish: Maybe you’ve tried all sorts of remedies and treatments on your hair but it won’t just work. It’s time to pay attention to your scalp. Do you have a healthy consistent scalp care routine? Are the products you apply on your scalp too heavy that they clog your pores and cause itchiness? Are your protective styles always too tight? Do you have hand in hair syndrome? Is your scalp experiencing years of trauma from relaxer burns? Is the tail comb you use in parting your hair too sharp and pointed that it leaves your scalp red and sore? It’s time to change your perspective and tackle these real issues.

I hope this post makes you think deeply and face the most fundamental issue in your natural hair journey; SCALP CARE.

Created by Viola Ekene for Reina HairCare.

December 22, 2020 by Nyasha

There is a lot of fuss in the natural hair community about hair care, which is good, but we rarely talk about scalp care. Scalp care is so fundamental in
our natural hair journey because a healthy scalp is paramount to healthy
hair. In this post, you will be learning the basics of setting up a simple scalp
care routine for your natural hair which will, in turn, prevent scalp conditions like itchiness, dryness, dandruff, soreness, redness and so on.

Let us start with your wash day. A lot of us do not oil our scalp on wash days which eventually leads to dryness and itchiness. Just like your skin, the scalp needs to always stay moisturized. As much as we have sebaceous glands on our scalp that produce sebum which helps the scalp stay moisturized, the sebum is not enough to keep the scalp from getting dry for a long period of time except if one has an oily scalp type. To learn the different types of the scalp, how to do a scalp test and care for the various scalp types, click HERE to download this free eBook on understanding how the scalp determines the extent to which our hair can grow.

Always oil your scalp on wash days after shampooing and deep conditioning. As you apply the oil to your scalp, be sure to gently massage as well to enable faster penetration of the oils and increase blood circulation. For your regular scalp care, we highly recommend Reina Haircare Hair & Scalp Serum. This serum is lightweight, non-greasy and has been formulated with high quality natural & organic ingredients clinically proven to easily penetrate and nourish your scalp. It is gentle on the hair follicles and scalp and alleviate scalp conditions like itchiness, dryness, scaly scalp and reduces dandruff while also strengthening and stimulating hair follicles to encourage hair growth and reduce hair loss.

Moisturize and Oil Your Scalp In Between Weeks

One of the reasons your scalp itches between weeks and after installing a protective style is you do not re-moisturize and re-oil your scalp. For instance, just because you moisturize your skin after bathing today does not mean you will not moisturize it tomorrow. Guess what will happen when you neglect this, your skin gets dry and flaky. The same as your scalp! However, due to a higher presence of sebaceous glands on the scalp more than the skin, it is best to re-moisturize and re-oil not everyday this time but at least two-three times in a week depending on your scalp type.

How Then Do You Moisturize and Oil Your Scalp During The Week or In A Protective Style?

First, spritz warm water gently on your scalp. Do not spritz to the point water drips down your face continuously but enough to moisturize your scalp. Why warm water? Warm water opens your scalp pores to enable the oil to penetrate as opposed to cool water. Then proceed to apply and massage the Hair and Scalp Serum. This oil comes with an applicator which makes application easy. Repeat this process after two or three days depending on how dry your scalp gets and your environmental weather condition like harmattan and winter.

Other Scalp Care Practices You Should Never Ignore/Do’s and Don’ts of Scalp Care

Do not take scalp massages for granted. Scalp massages are not only relieving for headaches and migraines but increase blood circulation which in turn promotes a healthy scalp and rapid hair growth. The circulation of blood is important to hair growth as this is the transportation system for oxygen and nutrients to be delivered to the hair follicles with subcutaneous blood flow. Hence during the anagen (growth) stage of the hair growth cycle, blood flow is crucial as it ensures that the scalp derives all the essential nutrients and oxygen to achieve strong, healthy hair that grows as the hair strands are being nourished regularly. We highly recommend regular scalp massages and accompany these with our popular Hair & Scalp serum and just watch your hair thrive at it’s fullest potential.

Scalp Exfoliation: Just as you buy and use facial and body scrubs to get rid of dead skin cells, the scalp should not be overlooked. Dead skin cell accumulation on the scalp is notorious for dandruff and outrageous itchiness. So occasionally, exfoliate and use shampoos formulated specifically to combat itchy scalp and dandruff, like Nizoral or Head and Shoulders. For free scalp scrub DIY recipes, click HERE to download our free eBook which contains recipes on different scalp exfoliating scrubs.

Do not apply leave-in conditioners, deep conditioners, and hair butters to the scalp: These products are formulated with the hair’s PH in mind and not the scalp’s PH because they are different scales. When you use these products on your scalp, you clog your scalp which will cause itchiness and discomfort.

Avoid tight protective styles: Tight protective styles pull at your scalp and cause soreness, bumps or spots and redness. Whenever you are having a protective style installed by a stylist and it begins to feel tight, please let your stylist know so they stop making the hairstyle tight. Most times the stylist might not know it is tight, so you must be vocal about it so they can loosen it a bit for you.

Scalp care should never be taken for granted in your natural hair journey. In fact, it is the most important and fundamental aspect to healthy, strong hair that grows. These aforementioned tips will help you get started and when you implement them, the chances of having a problematic scalp in your hair journey is close to non-existent. Please share this post if you found it useful. What other scalp care practices do you implement in your natural hair journey, please leave a comment below. Let’s chat more in the comments section.

Created by Viola Ekene for Reina Hair Care.