Fighting Flakes

Fighting Flakes?

This winter has been harsh. Between the polar vortex, dry heat,  hats, and scarves my hair and scalp could use some extra TLC. My sensitive scalp is prone to dandruff, and irritation. I aim to repair the moisture balance of my strands, and clarify my scalp  banishing dandruff. Keep reading for the nitty gritty details, on how I cleanse, and moisturize my dry scalp.

I love a yummy smelling product. If my nose does not like it, I probably won’t use it. I pass on strong smells, like sulfur, opting for refreshing scents like ginger, lavender, and tee tree. I start this process the night before, and wash my hair in the morning. My last deep conditioner was protein based, so I will alternate with a alcohol base conditioner for this treatment. If your hair seems brittle, you may want to try a protein based conditioner.

Heres the Nitty Gritty:

Step 1

My hair is on the dry side so I will pre poo. combining a mixture of oils, I allow the mixture to sitsaturate in  overnight, before I cleanse. Be generous with the amount of oil, and take this time to finger detangle, and remove any knots.  After braiding or twisting my hair in large sections, I cover my hair with a plastic cap, then a scarf, &  hit the sack. Check out this list of my favorite oils, and how they help my kinky hair. Because I am fighting dandruff  this season, I use mostly  tee tree oil,  and some castor oil, ginger oil, & coconut oil.

Step 2

Deep Condition

The next day I remove the plastic cap, unravel the braids & slather conditioner on each section, then put the cap back on. You can use a deep conditioner, or a regular conditioner for up to 30minuites. Some curly girls may deep condition over night, but my sensitive and itchy scalp isn’t allowing that. After 30minuites, I head for the shower. While in the shower I section my hair. I rinse each section, then immediately gather it into a braid before moving on to the next section.  When I am finished I have 4 or 5 clean braids.  I give my hair a final rinse, allowing cool water to close my cuticles. I then smoosh a leave-in conditioner over each braid, and hop out the shower.

Step 3 

Lock in Moisture

Now that my hair is cleaned, and moisturized, I need to lock in the moisture and cater to my scalp. I allow my hair to drip dry for a moment.  I squeeze each braid, allowing the tee shirt to soak up the excess water, then I cover my head with a tee shirt. I found that tee shirts are best for a frizz free, lent free, drying process. Also the fibers of tee shirts are much more forgiving than terry cloth towels.  After 15mins I remove the tee shirt, and my hair is 60% dry. At this point I begin to lock in moisture using a heavy cream, oil, or butter. If heavy butters don’t agree with your hair, opt for lite oils like sesame, or sunflower. I love Shea butter. Many curly girls use coconut oil,  avocado oil, macadamia oil, Moroccan oil, argon oil, or  jojoba oil, just to name a few. I warm up the product in my hands, and work it into each braid.  

Step4

Sooth the scalp.

Tee tree oil is my saving grace when it comes to fighting flakes.  I use 100% pure Tee tree oil, dabbing it on my fingers, and massaging into my hairline and scalp. I remove each braid, and apply tee tree oils all over my scalp, then braid or twist my hair in smaller sections (10-20 sections). This takes me another 20mins. By the time I message my scalp &  retwist or braid, the hair is 80% dry.  My hair is clean, my scalp is soothed, my flakes are gone, and my hair feels strong.  When the hair is dry I will have an awesome twistout or braid out that will be soft, and stretched for days.

So how do you fight dandruff?