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Beauty Call

zuzu

I need some help here. If you’ve ever spent a winter in New York, you know that many older buildings like mine have eyeball-shriveling levels of heat. Then there’s the general dryness in the air, and the cold.

As a result, my face is a flaking, crusty mess, but even worse, my scalp is itching and flaking all over the place. Does anyone know what to do for a snowstorm from one’s scalp, preferably without turning one’s hair into a greasepit?

40 thoughts on Beauty Call

  1. Have you got a humidifier? I’ve got one where you set a humidity level and it controls itself – it helps a lot with everything related to dry air, even winter colds.

  2. Be sure to use cool water on your head; I’ve found it makes a huge difference in how dry my scalp is. I also rub conditioner into my scalp like lotion, leave it for a few minutes, and then rinse it really well.

  3. Coconut oil. I have the scalp problem (not so much the disintegrating face – thanks for the image!).

    Coconut oil is a great moisturizer and cleanser. You can rub a little on your face and over time it might help there. For the scalp it’ll definitely help, although it will feel disgusting. Put a towel around your neck, grab a half-handful of the gunk, and rub it into your scalp. Let it sit there for a day, two if possible. Then wash your hair with plain shampoo, go a week or so, and repeat.

    I have to do this every three months or so, it really makes a difference.

  4. I had a lot of luck with a super rich hemp oil shampoo & conditioner, and I rubbed the conditioner into my scalp and let it sit. I think I was mostly suffering from the dry air + chlorine in the water–I never had this problem growing up on well water in the same climate. So maybe investing in a chlorine-removing showerhead would help?

  5. I live in Colorado, where it’s always pretty cold and dry in the winter. Neutrogena makes a very good line of anti-dandruff moisturizing shampoos and leave-in conditioners that work very well for me. I also make sure to moisturize from the inside – I drink about 90-100 ounces of water every day. I hope this helps.

  6. Thanks for the suggestions.

    Ann, I don’t think there’s a whole lot of chlorine in the water here, at least not that I can smell. NYC tap water comes from a rather large aquifer upstate and is pretty damn good unless your building’s pipes are bad.

  9. Whenever the weather causes my scalp/hair to freak out I buy the Paul Mitchell Green Tea shampoo and conditioners. Its gets rid of the dry itching feeling and calms down my scalp. I think any green tea shampoo brand might work.

  10. Do you enjoy New York?

    From all I’ve heard, it seems a difficult place to live.

    It is. But that’s the beauty of it.

    Greatest city in the world.

  11. Marksman, I’ve lived in two boroughs and the Westchester burbs, worked in Brooklyn, in the Financial District and in Midtown, I’ve been here more than a decade, and I love it.

  12. Any suggestions for itchy skin (not scalp)? Although they don’t *seem* to be dry (they’re not flaky or scaly or anything) my legs have been really itchy this winter.

  13. I don’t know about dry scalp, but for skin (not face) I’m obsessed with coconut body butter from The Body Shop. They make a shea butter that’s really good, too.

  14. Itchy, antihistamines do it for me. I’ve been on Zyrtec for a few years now, and take Sudafed (pseudoephedrine – not sure if it’s an anti-h or something else) when I have flareups.

  15. The only thing that works on my boyfriend’s notoriously dry scalp is the Aveda shampoo specific to the problem. I can’t remember the name of it at this moment (since I don’t ever really see it) but I’m sure if you found an Aveda salon and asked, they would know which shampoo it is. It may be called something like, “Moisture Balancing” but again, that’s just a guess.

  16. Try this stuff for itchy skin: Mountain Country Soap Lavender Body Balm. It’s from a little store up in rural Vermont and this shit is the best. I have had itchy, dry skin in the winter for most of my life, and the Lavender Body Balm clears it right up. I use it every day.

    You might also try a different detergent. That may be causing the itch.

    Oh, and Zuzu: a friend drinks flaxseed oil to help with her dry scalp. It really seems to work.

  17. For dry face, I recommend Burt’s Bees carrot day creme – I have combination skin, and it’s the only thing that works all over my face. Plus, it smells nice without being perfume-y.

    I use St. Ive’s collagen and elastin body lotion, and I think it’s the best stuff I’ve ever used. It absorbs quickly, it doesn’t have a super-strong smell and it lasts all day.

  18. Aveda makes something called “Scalp Remedy,” which is quite nice. Let’s see . . . this is their description:

    An inspired solution–a treatment for dry, itchy scalps. Unlike shampoos or conditioners that rinse away, Scalp Remedy is a leave-in product that keeps working–while adding volume, shine and control. Effectively prevents recurrence of dandruff and soothes scalp with our plant-derived formula.

    FWIW.

  19. I’ve taken to using the “Curly Girl” method (there was a book). The basic premise is, wean yourself off shampoo (I tried cold turkey, it didn’t work). You use conditioner to wash your hair every other day. On in between days, you massage your scalp, releasing natural oils, and rub down from scalp to hair ends.

    It sounds gross but it’s not. The conditioner does a perfectly fine job of washing the hair but doesn’t dry the scalp.

    Go as long as you can without feeling greasy, then shampoo when you feel the need. Over a period of weeks, you’ll shampoo less and less and finally it’ll be almost gone. Your hair will never flake like a blizzard again.

  20. I lived in Brooklyn in the late 70’s/early 80’s and went to school at Pratt. Adored the city and sometimes wish I had stayed, but oh well.

    I second the advice to drink lots of water. Topical solutions are all fine, but drinking extra water not only helps them work better it also has other health benefits.

  21. I have a homemade soap for my flaky, itchy scalp. It’s a great, mild cleander for hair and scalp. I can send you one if you’d like. I can get so flaky, but I’ve not had issues since I started using the soap.

    i prefer jojoba oil… closer to natural skin sebum than other oils.

    Humidifier, extra water, and essential fatty acids- I take evening primrose oil and fish oil. Flax oil if you’re vegetarian.

  22. What Robert said about the coconut oil. (And I’m in NYC too, and so can vouch that our wild winter humidity variations – leastways from inside to outside – will not undermine its effectiveness.)

    Do on the weekends and/or when you don’t have to work.

    And thanks, Zuzu, for helping people understand why we live here. Hee.

  24. Don’t know what kind of heater you have, but if you live in an apartment with the flat-topped kind or radiators, put a shallow pan (cake pan) on it and keep it filled with water. Poor man’s humidifier.

  26. $25 humidifier works like a dream. And my son has eczema, the only that has ever helped is Curel Calming Creme. Very specific and stings like hell the first time if you’re really chapped. As for the scalp, stop washing your hair as much, (every other day instead of every day)

  27. I second the humidifier suggestions. I grew up in Manhattan. My family lived in an old warehouse-type building with the old steam heaters you can’t turn down without shutting off the heat for all the floors above you. Then we moved to an even older building, with an even older heating system. I’ve always been extremely sensitive to dryness (I won’t turn on the heat in a car even if it’s freezing, because the dryness irritates my sinuses), and my mom at some point bought this ridiculous monster of a humidifier that I got strangely attached to. It always had to be on when I went to sleep. It eventually broke and I freaked out. Mom brought out the cake pans. All was well again.

  28. Use a deep conditioner about once per week, and rub it into your scalp and hair. Let it stay on for five minutes, and then rinse it out. Nexus has good products.

    I second the recommendation for a humidifier. Also drink lots of water during the day. Try to avoid coffee and soft drinks, because they will make you thirstier. Coffee might dehydrate you. For your face, use a good oil-free moisturizer. Make sure you rub the moisturizer on your neck, too. If you can find one that has SPF 15, that’s even better.

  29. as a man from a rainforesty clime, i find myself in your predicament pretty much every winter.
    i use a combo of head and shoulder two-in-one and a humectant shampoo and separate humectant conditioner. Shampoo with both the h&s and the humectant shampoo, condition with the h&s and the humectant conditioner. then as soon as out of the shower, before drying the hair, a touch of amla hair oil. mind you, it does tend to darken hair over long periods of time, but it smells better than coconut based oils and is not nearly as heavy. most, if not all, indian food stores should have it.
    also, once a month, some t-gel. it’s harsh, it smells horrible but it’s suprememly effective.
    oh, and the humidifier is a godsend. also, drink more water. i usually mix tang with mine.

    no real reason, i just like tang.

  30. Bobbi Brown’s vitamin enriched face cream–seriously good stuff. It’s a little on the expensive side but you don’t need much so it goes a long way. I’ve been working on the same small pot for over 2 years now and am still not out so it’s worth the expense.

  31. Try to avoid coffee

    BLASPHEMER!

    Ahem. Thanks for all the suggestions. I do have a humidifier, but it tends to grow slime mold at an alarming rate. My radiators are built into the wall, so no dice on using the poor man’s humidifier, but I will try to set pans of water in front of the radiators and see what happens.

    I bought the Aveda scalp treatment, and it seems to be helping somewhat. I’ll also get the coconut oil or amla hair oil (there’s a dusty old pharmacy near where I live that stocks a lot of South Asian products) to use over the weekend.

  32. I have dry skin generally, and moving to Minnesota didn’t help.

    Here’s what I do:

    1. Use Aveda or other “hippie” shampoos that are not made with petrochemicals. This was a tip from the stylist.

    2. Wash my hair every other day or less in Winter. Pretend you are in Europe.

    3. Drink lots of water.

    4. Condition your hair everytime, down to the scalp and let it sit in there.

    5. No hairdryers!

  33. No further beauty tips, just complete commiseration viz eye-shrivelling indoor heat here. Some mornings I wake up and it’s like all the water in the world isn’t enough to quench the painful thirst-on I’ve gotten during the night. And that’s *with* the windows open.

  34. Crockpots make good (cheap) humidifiers as well, and not quite as dangerous as a pot on the stove (I once allowed eggs to boil dry. Do you know they EXPLODE when they do that?).

    If your scalp is itchy in addition to flaking, try a shampoo with coal tar in it.

    For itchy skin, a bath in cornstarch is sometimes helpful (use 1/2 box).

  35. For itchy face skin: Lush moisturizer is glorious. Pricey, but amazing. I recommend Celestial; it’s made for sensitive skin, it’s very rich, it’s not their most expensive type, and it smells like vanilla frosting.

  37. The Countess: “Try to avoid coffee.”

    Zuzu: “BLASPHEMER!”

    ROFL. I know I’m one to talk. I need my three cups of liquid caffeine every morning or I remain a zombie all day. Maybe drink your usual amount of coffee, but make sure to drink lots of water all day long. Lubriderm is also a good moisturizer for your skin. It feels a little greasy to some people, but I like it. Use the SPF 15 Lubriderm.

    I heard a comedian once say that he has to have his pot of coffee every morning. No other enema works as well. Bwahahaha!

  38. Another possibility is to cut down on alcoholic drinks because they also dehydrate you. I hope I don’t get another “blasphemer!” tag because of that suggestion. 😉 I think the main key is to add more water to your diet, regardless of how much coffee and booze you drink. Water might seem boring, but as you drink more of it and less of things like soft drinks, it will taste better to you. I bought a water filter for the sink for The Royal Spawn, since he drinks nothing but water. It does make a difference. Now I drink nothing but water (not including my coffee and wine). I stopped drinking soft drinks months ago.

  39. Actually, I recently quit drinking, but you’ll pry my coffee from my cold, dead hands.

    I’ve been drinking a lot of fruit juice spritzers — I’m not crazy about straight fruit juice, since it tends to be thick and sweet, but as a flavoring for seltzer, it’s great. I especially like using Key lime juice, though you have to be careful how much you use. I also got some fancy-schmancy blood orange juice.

    Between quitting booze, transitioning to veganism and being more attentive to hydration, albeit for all of a week now, I’ve definitely noticed a difference in my undereye circles and my ability to sleep.

  40. For me, Aussie Dual Personality Root Cleanser/Tip Mender has been the only drugstore shampoo that doesn’t bother my head in the winter. And for the flaking face, I use this ocean clay and sunflower oil face wash stuff that the Body Shop was clearancing out on a scrubby sponge.

    But the coconut oil thing – omg. Coconut oil can fix anything on the skin. Only reason I stopped is lack of patience to rub it all in. It’s awesome stuff, and has a slight antimicrobial quality, so if there’s any germs or fungus causing your problem, it helps kill it while removing the flakes. Also, melt some and mix baking soda into it, and let it resolidify. It’s a scrub, a deodorant paste, and an edible toothpaste! Craziness.

    (and of course, use it in your cooking – it’s good for fatigue. that’s how my mom first found out about it.)

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