One New Year’s resolution that you will never regret: taking care of your scalp

By Dr. Hannah Sivak | January 6, 2023

…and it’s a resolution you’ll find easy to keep!

You see your face in the mirror every day, and you may have made some New Year’s resolutions about your face. But your long-term health and comfort depend on some often forgotten parts of your body. Think of your hair and scalp. Deciding to take care of your scalp will prevent future “crises” and “emergencies”. For example, it is relatively easy to keep a healthy scalp biome, but if you let things get out of control, then you may need to use antifungal medications to stop a “sudden” dandruff event. Don’t let it progress that far, Skin Actives has the tools you need.

In times of stress, the last thing you need is an itchy scalp! Or worrying whether there is some dandruff showing on your dark jacket. From dandruff and an itchy scalp to losing some hair and panic, it’s a short step. The solution? Prevent! Protect the scalp’s stratum corneum, keep the scalp flora intact, and keep inflammation down. This “caretaking” will also protect you from hair loss.

The problem

Seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff are two sides of the same coin. They affect the sebum-producing areas of the body and are influenced by internal and external factors: Malassezia yeast, epidermal conditions, sebaceous secretion, and immune response, may all contribute to the development of SD and dandruff.

What the scalp does

A healthy stratum corneum forms a protective barrier to prevent water loss and maintain hydration of the scalp. Severe or chronic barrier damage can impair proper hydration, leading to atypical epidermal proliferation, keratinocyte differentiation, and stratum corneum maturation, which underlies some dandruff symptoms. And, of course, the scalp makes hair when it’s healthy, and may stop making it when unhealthy. You don’t have to wait until dandruff control requires antifungal and anti-inflammatory medical treatment.

What can you do?

Use prebiotics to keep your scalp biome healthy.
Keep sebum secretion under control.
Avoid the heat of hair dryers
Avoid strong oxidants

Skin Actives products that will help

Leave in revitalizing conditioner

Say yes to Skin Actives hair serums!

Say yes to ELS! Any time is a good time for applying ELS to your scalp, but if your scalp is itchy the time is now. I keep mine on hand, one bottle at my desk and another in the bathroom. Why? Because my scalp is now on the dry side and dry skin itches.

Some useful ingredients

Zinc PCA

Black cumin oil

Essential oils that help control fungi