Our scalps are designed to hold in moisture, but the balance can easily be disrupted, leading to an uncomfortably dry scalp. Findout how your scalp’s moisture defences work.
Your body is about 60% water by weight, and it’s really important to keep essential moisture inside. That’s where our skin comes in –from head to toe, our skin is made up of layers.
The outermost layer of the epidermis is the stratum corneum, and it’s responsible for locking in moisture.
When the stratum corneum is healthy, its cells are arranged like bricks in a wall – stacked and overlapping, to build a good barrier tokeep water inside your body, so you stay properly hydrated.
What stops the scalp from retaining moisture?
Any condition that weakens the stratum corneum can lead to scalp dryness. The most common scalp disorder, dandruff, can seriouslydisrupt the scalp’s moisture defences.
Dandruff is a response to irritation – the body begins to produce new skin cells unusually fast, resulting in a more disorganized andunhealthy cellular structure.
We notice increased cell turnover as flakes on our hair and scalp – but under a microscope you can also see that dandruff damages the outer layer of skin, making it “leaky” and less effective at retaining moisture.
Washing your hair with the wrong shampoo, using water that’s too hot and even cold, dry weather can all dry out your scalp.
A dry scalp can also be itchy, so it’s often tempting to scratch it. But this could cause even more damage to the stratum corneum anddisruption to the moisture barrier. So resist the itch!
Help put an end to dandruff, dryness and itch1 and restore your scalp’s natural moisture balance with our Dry Scalp Care Shampoo.
Our pH-balanced formula is gentle on your hair so it’s suitable for everyday use, leaving your hair beautiful and visibly flake-free. 2
More about dry scalp
1dryness and itch due to dandruff
2 visible flakes with regular use