Malcolm McLaren’s Buffalo Gals has been on my mind a lot recently – or rather, the line: “All that’s scratching is making me itch.” Thanks to lotions and potions and HRT, I have my menopausal itchy skin more or less under control. My itchy scalp, however, has been another thing. After all, you can’t slather thick creams on your hair (the wet-look is so not now).
It was Mr 50Sense who put me on to Philip Kingsley’s Flaky/Itchy Scalp range. (And that’s quite shameful, as I met his daughter Anabel Kingsley a few years ago and have always been impressed with their products. Did you know, he developed his No Scent No Colour shampoo and conditioner for his wife after she was diagnosed with breast cancer? What a man.)
Anyway, this is truly a game-changer for me. I went the whole hog and bought the shampoo and scalp toner, plus a moisturising conditioner. I also use the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer once a week, which I love. The result – I no longer look like I’m in need of Nitty Norah. There’s a reason why it’s won awards and gets such good reviews.
Me being me, however, couldn’t let it lie at that and so I asked Anabel for her advice to help other women with menopause itchy scalp.
“When it comes to hair health and growth, scalp is king,” she says. “If your scalp is not clean and healthy, it simply will not produce hairs of beautiful, strong quality.
“If you think of each hair as a flower and your scalp as the soil supporting it, it makes complete sense to nourish and care for your scalp.
“To keep your scalp in great condition, treat it with similar TLC as you do the skin on your face. After all, your scalp is simply an extension of the skin on your forehead.”
Anabel Kingsley’s top tips to help an itchy scalp:
• Shampoo regularly. Your scalp is skin – a living tissue. It therefore needs to be cleansed frequently. Like the skin on your face, your scalp contains thousands of sweat glands and oil glands and sheds dead skin cells. It is also exposed to the same environmental pollution as the skin on your face.
• Tone daily. Use a soothing antimicrobial scalp toner each morning to perk-up your scalp environment. Look for witch hazel to regulate oil levels and camphor to cool and calm.
• Don’t forget to exfoliate. Just like the skin on your face, your scalp benefits from weekly exfoliation. Exfoliation helps to remove dead skin cells and pesky flakes. It also encourages healthy skin cell turnover. (Now this I have never even thought of and yet it’s so logical – 50Sense)
• Protect your scalp from UV rays. Your scalp can burn just like the skin on your face. Initially, this can result in redness, peeling and itching. Long term, sun exposure can cause serious damage, like skin cancer.
• Eat right. Just as certain foods can affect acne-prone skin, they can also flare-up a problematic scalp. Cheese, full-fat dairy products, very sugary treats and white wine and champagne are common aggravators.
Other foods are very good for your scalp. For instance, Omega 3s found in fatty fish such as salmon and sardines are anti-inflammatory.
For an extra Omega-3 boost, take a daily Omega-3 supplement. I recommend our Root Complex supplement. This also contains Collagen, Silica, Co-Enzyme Q10 and Vitamin D (Vitamin D being another hair and scalp essential).
• Approach a scalp problem as you would a skin problem. Use highly targeted products daily until symptoms clear, and then incorporate preventative products into your regular regime to help keep issues at bay.
How has menopause affected your hair? And what do you do to treat it? Let me know in the comments below.
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Main image: Good Free Photos.
thank you for this, i’m going to chase up a couple of your scalp recommendations before i itch myself to death. i’ve got the exfoliation thing going, that one dawned on me a few months ago and so i do the dry rub and consequently remove a lot of dead cells that must have been hindering what’s underneath. can i ask, are you up with dr louise newson? her uk site is what opened my eyes and gave me confidence to understand both menopause and what HRT can do.
Thank you. The Philip Kingsley itchy scalp toner sounds like it is the thing for you. It cools my itch down so much x
Where do u get it
Click on the links and you will go to the site x
People in my area have no idea that shampoos that grow your hair faster and longer (obviously with no sulfates, no parabens, no DEA) are a thing. People can now have longer hair and enjoy more options. Definitely worth looking into it.
Whether you’re considering hair loss, hair damage, avoiding hair disorders, fast hair growth, hair and scalp health generally, almost the same ideas actualize.
As a rule of thumb, you will want to stay away from hair treatments and products that contain chemicals like parabens, DEA or sulfates.
What’s good for your hair is good for your skin as well.
Obviously the content above is spot on for multiple reasons. It stays away from the common pitfalls and pitfalls too many fall into: getting bad alternatives. Thank you!
Brilliant advice, Debora. Thank you x
People in my area have no idea that fast hair growth amino scalp therapy shampoos (obviously without any sulfates, parabens or DEA) even exist. Persons are now able to enjoy longer hair and experience more possibilities. Surely worth checking out.
Whether you’re exploring hair loss, hair damage, preventing hair disorders, hair growth, hair and scalp health generally, almost the same rules become relevant.
For the most part, you want to steer clear of hair products and treatments that include chemicals such as parabens, DEA and sulfates.
What is healthy for your hair is beneficial for your skin as well.
For obvious reasons the content above hits the nail in the head for many reasons. It avoids the accustomed pitfalls and pitfalls too many fall into: buying bad alternatives. Keep it up!
Great advice! Thank you x
My scalp and hair has changed so much since menopause. Dry, dry, dry and itchy. Before menopause I never used a conditioner and my hair was healthy and shiny, and no itchy scalp. I do not have flakes at all and I wash my hair every 3 to four days bc my scalp is so dry… I’ve tried probably a dozen different shampoos, conditioners, styling products and oils. But nothing works.. any suggestions?
Kari V.
I swear by Philip Kingsley anti-dandruff and itchy scalp shampoo and conditioner – and so does Mr 50Sense! I’d also look at their scalp treatments. They’re not the cheapest around, but they’re the ones that work. The Elasticizer is amazing for healthy looking hair. x