If you have a pesky dry scalp that doesn’t seem to ever stop itching or exhaust its supply of dry flakes, don’t fret. You have landed on the right place. In this article, we’ll highlight the various remedies for dry scalp that you can use at the comfort of your home including natural remedies. Use these tips to stop dry scalp for good and get the lustrous natural scalp back.
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Home Remedies for Dry Scalp – Dry Scalp Home Remedies
Dry scalp is often annoying and can make you uncomfortable especially when you have to deal with a constantly itching scalp. Even worse, frequent scratching can lead to secondary bacterial infections when the skin breaks. Luckily there are numerous easy-to-use home remedies for dry scalp that can help you overcome the problem. Here are some of them:
Oil treatment

An oil treatment once or twice a week is one of the most effective home remedies for dry scalp. Here is how to give your hair an oil treatment at the comfort of your home.
Instructions
- Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil (coconut oil and grapeseed oil can also be used) into a small pot or saucepan. You can add 10 drops of rosemary or any other essential oil if you like but that is optional.
- Warm the oil but not so much as to cause scalds on your head. If you use a microwave, heating the oil for 20 seconds over regular heat is enough.
- Now apply the warm oil onto your scalp start with the most natural part and progressing al the way till the entire scalp is saturated but not dripping with oil
- Cover your hair with a plastic shower cap or wrap and allow at least 30 minutes before taking it off
- Rinse your hair with warm water to remove excess oil and then shampoo and condition your hair as usual
Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is without doubt a home remedy superstar and is one of the best home remedies for dry scalp. Apple cider vinegar works by balancing the pH of your scalp and stripping out any build-ups left by shampoos and conditioners. It can also help to relieve the scalp of itching. It should however be diluted with water before use.
Simply mix ½ cup of apple cider vinegar and ½ cup of water in a small plastic basin and then use it to rinse your hair after shampooing it as usual. After 15 minutes, rinse your hair with warm water. If you have a case of excessive itching at hand, consider adding 10 to 20 drops of peppermint into the mixture.
Baking Soda

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate for the semantics-mindedJ, is yet another home remedy for dry scalp that you may want to use to relieve your
scalp of dryness. Simply mix 1 tablespoon with 1 cup water and stir thoroughly. Next, apply the resulting mixture onto your scalp and allow it to set in for 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing it out with water.
Any of these home remedies for dry scalp can be used on its own but combining several remedies is as well not harmful and can actually help you achieve faster results.
Natural Remedies for Dry Scalp – Natural Dry Scalp Remedies
For the fans of natural home remedies, below are various natural remedies for dry scalp that you may want to use. As you will soon notice, these remedies feature easily available and you probably have them in your kitchen.
Natural oil massage

The easiest and most commonly used natural remedy for dry scalp is to apply natural oils onto the scalp. Olive oil is a preferred choice for most people, but other natural oils such as jojoba oil, coconut oil and grapeseed oil can as well be used. You may want to boost the effectiveness of your chosen oil by using hot oil treatment option (discussed above)
Honey
Honey also ranks among the best natural remedies for dry scalp. Honey helps to restore your scalp’s moisture and combat scalp dryness. Here are two honey remedies that you may want to use for your dry scalp:
- In a small basin, add 2 tablespoons of pure honey, 4 tablespoons extra virgin oil, and 2 tablespoons of glycerine. After shampooing your hair, use the mixture to condition your hair.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of honey and 4 tablespoons of natural hair conditioner. Use it to condition your hair after shampooing as you normally do.
Avocado

An avocado is a rich source of and natural oils as well as numerous vitamins and minerals essential for optimum scalp health. Nourishing your hair and scalp with avocado is one of the best natural remedies for dry scalp.
Directions
Mash 1 avocado in a small basin and add in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin oil and 1 teaspoon of honey. Stir or blend the mixture in a blender thoroughly to make a smooth paste and then apply it to your scalp. Use a plastic shower cap or wrap to cover your hair for 30 minutes before washing it out with warm water.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise also plays in the league of best natural dry scalp remedies. To use this remedy, apply ½ cup of mayonnaise onto your hair and scalp and then cover it up with a shower cap for 15 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water. Finish by shampooing and conditioning your hair as usual.
What Causes Dry Scalp in winter?
You might perhaps be wondering why dry scalp seems to occur more frequently in winter months that during the rest of the year.
Well, it mostly has got to do with the low humidity that typically characterize winter months. As a result, the skin (and scalp of course) tends to lose its essential moisture to the air (that reminds of my high school physics teacherJ).
The low temperatures that are typical of winter months also necessitate more frequent use of heating furnaces and other heating elements. This often robs the air around your home of its precious moisture which can further aggravate the problem of dry scalp in winter months.
Dry Scalp Oily Hair
While having a dry scalp while at the same time having oily or greasy hair sounds contradictory it is a common problem for a significant number of people. Here is how it goes:
Your scalp gets dry and itchy for one or more causative factors such as shampooing too often, using hard water, low humidity in winter months, poor diet, etc. The body then attempts to overcome the problem by an overproduction of natural oils by the sebaceous glands on the scalp.
More often than not, itching may accompany scalp dryness and when you give in to the natural urge to scratch the scalp, you help to distribute the excess oils onto your hair and since the hair is the most visible part of your head, the oily texture shows very clearly.
In attempt to overcome the greasy appearance in your hair, you are then tempted to wash it even more often which ultimately rolls down to further scalp dryness. This leads to a kind of vicious cycle characterized by dry scalp and oily hair.
To get rid of the problem of dry scalp and oily hair, use a shampoo formulated for use on either dry or oily hair e.g. Head and Shoulders 1 in 1 Dry Scalp Shampoo and Conditioner. Try to lather it onto your hair without so much contact with the scalp. Use the conditioner on the ends of your hair only.
Next you will want to spray a solution prepared by mixing equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water onto the scalp for 15 minutes before washing it off with water. A shampoo with tea tree oil can also help to balance the pH of your scalp while treating the oil hair. Finally you should as much as possible avoid frequent touching or scratching of the hair.
How to Stop Dry Scalp on a Budget
Wondering how to stop dry scalp and get your lustrous healthy looking scalp back on a budget?
A simple application of any natural oil including olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, and grapeseed oil to name but a few can help to stop dry scalp. You may want to take it a bit further by giving your hair a hot oil treatment (see the ‘Home Remedies for Dry Scalp” section above).
As a matter of fact, most of the ingredients used in most of the remedies listed on this page are available in your kitchen or can be obtained at low cost (almost all are below $10).
Beyond These Remedies for Dry Scalp
You can always give a boost to the above remedies for dry scalp by observing the following tips:
Run a humidifier during winter: Using a humidifier to restore moisture during winter is so important that perhaps it should have been listed among the remedies for dry scalp.

Use a Water Filter: No matter what remedies for dry scalp you choose the effects are not likely to least long if you continue to use hard water when it is actually the underlying cause of the problem in the first place. Adding a filter to the shower head is a little trick that does the job perfectly well.
Avoid bathing with too hot water: if you are observing a strict scalp rehydration regime but all the remedies simply don’t seem to work, it is possible that you are using very hot water to bathe. This strips out the scalp’s natural oils, leaving it dry. Use as cold water as you can withstand while washing your hair.
However should the above remedies for dry scalp not offer relief, it might be time to see a doctor.
Further Suggested Reading
- Dry Patches on Scalp – Flaky, White, Scaly, Itch and Red
- Dry Scalp Shampoo – Best Brands, For Men, Women, Kids and Moisturizing
- How to Get Rid of Dry Scalp – Naturally, Itchy, for Men
- Treatment for Dry Scalp – How to Treat Dry Scalp, Infant, Best & Natural
- Dry Itchy Scalp Causes, Home Remedies, Shampoos and Treatment
- Baby Dry Scalp – Newborn, Toddler, Infant Treatment and Remedies
- Dry Flaky Scalp – Cause, Flakey, Treatment and Remedies
- Extremely Dry Scalp, Very Dry, Chronic, Excessive and Extra Dry Scalp
- Dry Scalp – What to Do For Dry Scalp, What Is Good, Products, and Solutions
- What Causes Dry Scalp, What Is, Hair Loss, Dandruff and Prevention