Hair care tips: Ways to maintain a clean and problem-free scalp during monsoons

The humid environment during monsoons can trigger over activity of sebaceous glands on your scalp where the excessive sebum produced in the scalp combines with the moisture in the surrounding environment to trap the dirt and dead skin cells in the follicles. Eventually, this leads to the miniaturization of hair follicles, resulting in hair loss during monsoon season.

With the monsoon comes an array of hair problems that nobody even asked for in the first place and dandruff, hair fall, frizziness, itchiness are just a few of them. The ‘root’ cause of some of these hair woes can be pointed toward the product buildup on the scalp.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Chaitanya Nallan, Co-Founder and CEO of SkinKraft Laboratories, shared, “The sebum and dead skin mixture build up in the follicles and trigger the growth of different bacteria and fungi that live in your scalp microbiome. This unwanted microbial colonization leads to different infections, dandruff along with stinky scalp.”

He advised, “To prevent this, you need to avoid drenching your scalp in the rains besides washing your scalp and hair thrice a week using a mild shampoo with antimicrobial properties. Rain water not only carries a variety of bacteria but the acidic contaminants present in it will disturb your scalp pH. Your monsoon hair care routine should also include the step of massaging your scalp with warm oil.”

Chaitanya Nallan added, “You can add a few drops of tea tree oil into a cup of warm coconut oil and use it to massage your scalp thoroughly at least half an hour before hair wash. Tea tree oil has strong antimicrobial properties and helps in preventing scalp infections. Also, coconut oil promotes natural cleansing activity on your scalp by softening and pulling out the hardened sebum plugs from the follicles.”

Adding to the list of handy tips to maintain a clean and problem-free scalp during monsoons, Dhruv Bhasin, Co-Founder of Arata, suggested:

1. Combat flakiness and dandruff – Dandruff and flakiness are some of the most common problems during the rainy season. We suggest either regular oiling or at-home treatments with hair tonics and serums to fight flakiness. Instead of oiling your hair from the scalp to the tips, focus on the hair ends. It will not only combat frizziness but also make hair manageable and make the ends smoother and healthier.

2. Use a clarifying shampoo – When choosing a shampoo, we are spoilt for choice but when it comes to choosing a shampoo to thoroughly clean your hair, especially the scalp, reach out for a clarifying shampoo. It will not only keep the scalp squeaky clean but also help eliminate product buildup and remove traces of dirt and pollution.

3. Scrub thy scalp – Using a scalp scrub is another way to remove product buildup and keep your scalp problem-free during monsoons and since many people also suffer from hair fall during the rainy season, choosing a scrub that can also combat hair fall is highly recommended.