How to recognise the signs of dandruff

Our skin is the largest organ on the body, and that includes our scalp. The balance of keeping it happy, healthy and moisturised is an ongoing journey, and if the balance isn’t quite there, that results in dry, itchy or irritated scalp, sometimes accompanied by dandruff flakes.

Luckily, there are many products out there that can help you restore balance to your scalp and aid in soothing the effects of dandruff. Our Scalp Refresh Balancing haircare range is our first specially designed set of products to help look after your scalp health.

Firstly, how do you know if you’ve got dandruff and what are the signs to look out for?

Your scalp is itchy

Quite possibly one of the first symptoms that you may have dandruff, a recurring itch on your head may point to an imbalance in your scalp health.

It’s not uncommon to have a small itch or two if you first switch over to using new haircare products. This is because your scalp is getting used to new ingredients and will likely settle with multiple uses of the new products. However, if you find that the itchiness is not going away, it may indicate that your scalp is dryer than usual.

You have a dry scalp

The health of your hair, scalp and skin depends on many factors such as genetics, hormones, diet, lifestyle and also how happy your scalp is. Some people may just happen to have a dry scalp – this feels tight and uncomfortable, particularly after washing your hair.

However, you may not always feel discomfort if your scalp is too dry, as it may be overproducing oils to restore balance. This may cause you to reach for an oily haircare range that is stripping your skin of natural oils and exacerbating your dry scalp.

Of course, a dry scalp doesn’t necessarily point to dandruff but it can be one of the first symptoms that there is an imbalance.

Your scalp is red and inflamed

Potentially due to excessive itching or inflammation, you may notice that patches of skin on your scalp looks quite red. This means your scalp isn’t quite happy, soothed or balanced, and it’s definitely letting you know.

If your scalp is particularly fired up and inflamed, it may also point to something more than just dandruff – in this case, you should consult a medical professional for further advice.

You have white flakes on your scalp

Quite often the most common symptoms of dandruff are the tell-tale white flakes. The skin on your scalp is dry and the older skin cells are flaking off faster than they should.

Of course, these small flakes sitting loose on your scalp can make your head itch even more, dislodging more dandruff flakes and creating an itchy cycle.

What’s important to know is that dandruff is an extremely common condition and can happen to anyone. Dandruff flakes are nothing to be embarrassed about, in fact, it is your body just letting you know that your scalp wants your attention.

Once you recognise these symptoms and are ready restore the balance in your scalp, you can easily treat dandruff at home with specially designed products. Read more on how to do that here.

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