How To Beat Dandruff And Flaky Scalp This Winter An Expert Reveals The Popular Treatment That Can Increase Irritation And Redness – And When To See A Doctor To Avoid Permanent Hair Loss

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Every couple of years the beauty industry becomes hyperfixated on a part of the body that consumers are told requires special attention. The latest obsession is the scalp.

Scrubs, serums, oils, tonics, massagers and have flooded the market recently, all claiming to nourish, protect and generally improve the health of your scalp. The New York Times reported that searches for the term ‘scalp serum’ across Google, TikTok and Instagram combined have increased by 77 per cent year on year.

Just as dry, cold weather this time of year can make skin feel tight, it can have the same effect on the scalp and trigger dandruff. But is this really something we need to worry about, or just another way for Big Beauty to er, scalp, us, by giving us another body part to obsess over?

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Dr Ophelia Veraitch, a Harley Street-based dermatologist who specialises in the hair and scalp, says: ‘A healthy scalp is essential for healthy hair, but I don’t think it has to be complicated. I actually really like High Street shampoos: Head & Shoulders (from £2.50) and Elvive (from £2.75). They clean the scalp really effectively, which means that you only need to wash your hair two or three times a week, which I think is the optimum.

‘When you wash it than that, you can strip out the natural oils and the sebaceous glands – which produce the oil – go into overdrive and you can find the hair starts to get very greasy quickly.’

She says that some of the expensive shampoos which exclude certain ingredients can be less effective when it comes to cleaning the scalp, and so encourage frequent washing, and potentially dandruff too.

‘Dandruff – or to give it its proper name, seborrhoeic dermatitis – is a reaction to a yeast called Malassezia that occurs naturally on our skin,’ explains Dr Veraitch. ‘The scalp can become red, inflamed, itchy and flaky.’

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The most straightforward solution is a widely available product called Nizoral (£12.99, Boots), which contains an anti-fungal ingredient called ketoconazole.

‘The problem is that because it’s labelled as a shampoo, people don’t leave it on long enough,’ says Dr Veraitch. ‘Ideally you should apply it to your scalp – maybe with a little water if needed – 20 minutes before you have a shower. Then shampoo and condition as usual.’

She also recommends other over-the-counter products including T-Gel (from £4.50, amazon.co.uk) which contains another anti-fungal ingredient called piroctone olamine, alongside salicylic acid, which can help to gently exfoliate the scalp, remove flakes and control oil. And Dercos (£15.49, Superdrug) which contains the anti-fungal selenium disulphide and salicylic acid. In both cases, leaving them on as a 20 minute pre-wash treatment will be most effective. Personally I swear by the Philip Kingsley Flaky Itchy Scalp Shampoo (from £14, philipkingsley.co.uk) which now also comes in a Hydrating Curl version.

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While salicylic acid toners, such as the Exfoliate + Cleanse Scalp Serum (from £6.95, beautybay.com), and scalp scrubs, such as dpHue’s Apple Cider Vinegar Scalp Scrub (£37, cultbeauty.co.uk) might help remove flakes and scales if they’re really thick, Dr Veraitch cautions against daily use as they could cause further irritation.

And one thing she doesn’t recommend is rosemary oil, often flagged on social media as a home remedy for dandruff, thanks to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

‘Rosemary oil is a fragrance,’ explains Dr Veraitch. ‘If you’re applying rosemary oil to the scalp, it can cause contact allergies.’

As for claims that it can boost hair growth, Dr Veraitch says: ‘This relates to a study that said rosemary oil was as effective as Minoxidil, one of the topical drugs with the most evidence to help with pattern hair loss. But it was only 2 per cent Minoxidil (5 per cent is what’s recommended and sold over the counter) which may have some benefit, but not a massive amount.’

If an anti-fungal treatment hasn’t cleared up your scalp after using it two to three times a week for a few weeks, it could be time to book in to see your GP. It’s possible that what you think is dandruff could actually be psoriasis, an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks healthy skin cells, resulting in over-production of skin cells that cause scales or plaques to build up on the scalp – or something serious, such as scarring alopecia (an inflammatory condition that requires medical intervention to avoid hair loss).

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If you do have psoriasis there are some things you can do at home that will help, such as massaging in olive, coconut or almond oil, which can soften the scales and detach them from the scalp.

But you don’t need to have psoriasis to benefit from oiling your scalp. Dr Veraitch says using almond oil on a regular basis can help your scalp and hair stay well moisturised. Plus there is research to show that regular scalp massage can help individual hairs to become thicker.

And, if investing in a fancy silicone scalp massager – such as the Hair Gain Scalp Massager (£11.50, amazon.co.uk) – and some posh hair oil – such as the Fable & Mane HoliRoots Hair Oil (£34, fableandmane.com) – makes you likely to do it, knock yourself out, but your fingers and some almond oil (from £6.50, hollandandbarrett.com) will be just as effective.