What are flakes on the scalp?

Scales on the scalp are basically nothing but dead skin cells that accumulate and become visible as small, often white or grey, flakes in your hair and on your clothes. Normally, your skin constantly renews itself by shedding old skin cells and creating new ones. This process is usually invisible, but when the balance is upset, dead skin cells can accumulate and become visible as flakes.

What are the causes of flakes on the scalp?

The most common reason will be dandruff. Dandruff is considered a mild form of seborrheic eczema. This eczema occurs when the skin fat, or sebum, changes. When this skin fat changes, the yeast cells on the skin are likely to grow faster. As soon as they become numerous, these cells can cause inflammations on the skin. This eczema is harmless, but nevertheless unpleasant.

Read more about our article: 'Dandruff in your hair, now what?'

If seborrheic eczema gets worse, it is also accompanied by inflammation with redness and slight swelling. The flaking is often more yellow than mild dandruff that many people get. In children, it is called a "mountain" and disappears independently. Various factors such as genetic predisposition, stress, cold, dry air or diet can affect the condition.

Psoriasis capitis

This condition is difficult to distinguish from seborrheic eczema in its milder form, but it is a different condition. It is caused by accelerated cell division of the skin cells and an abnormal immune response. It manifests as sharply defined red flakes on the scalp and hairline. The flakes may be absent if you have oily hair.

Scalp fungus

The medical term is tinea capitis. It is a highly contagious fungal infection of the scalp and hair. This head fungus manifests itself in flakes, but also with bald patches and a lot of itching. It is most common in children.

Can dandruff cause hair loss?

If dandruff exists long enough and is not treated properly, hair may start to fall out.

Home remedies for dandruff and flakes on the scalp

There are many home remedies for dandruff and flaking. Products such as coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, yoghurt and lemon are anti-dandruff remedies. But it is wise to be wary of them. You can rub yoghurt into your hair because it contains good bacteria. Still, there are specially developed shampoos with the same or better effect that are healthy and safe.

One solution that does help many people is to change your pillowcase for a softer, more breathable material. Or change your pillowcase regularly. This also works well for acne, should you or your teenager suffer from it.

What can you do about these flakes?

Firstly, it is wise to avoid the known triggers. These include stress, cold or dry air and diet. You may also wear a cap or hat regularly. This aggravates seborrheic eczema. All you hear about is washing our hair too often. But if you suffer from flakes on your scalp, washing your hair more often does make sense.

It is also important not to scratch. This can make it worse by irritating the scalp more. What else is, the most important way to get rid of these flakes is to use the right shampoo. It is crucial to choose a shampoo specifically designed to soothe an irritated scalp and effectively reduce flaking. It's best to look for a quality anti-dandruff shampoo with ingredients like ketoconazole and piroctone olamine. Here at Hair Growth Specialist, we sell anti-dandruff shampoos that contain ketoconazole and piroctone olamine, such as Neofollics Exfoliating shampoo and Regenepure DR shampoo. These shampoos work well for seborrheic eczema and are specially formulated to tackle dandruff, flaking and itching.

Neofollics exfoliating shampoo

The Exfoliating Scalp Therapy Shampoo is clinically proven to bring relief due to its high concentration of active ingredients. The shampoo is suitable for both men and women. Neofollics exfoliating shampoo is part of a scalp treatment

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Regenepure DR shampoo

Regenepure DR shampoo has an anti-inflammatory effect Stimulates hair growth by inhibiting DHT Free of SLS

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