New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANSlife): With all the blowdry through the parties this festive season your scalp can take a beating. The scalp, just like the skin needs regular and thorough cleansing, rebalancing and moisturizing. Just like you need nutrition to preserve the beauty of the skin, you similarly need supplementing agents to preserve the quality of your scalp. But during the winter, with the temperature dropping, the dry air becomes the root cause of hair damage.

As the weather becomes colder and the decline in moisture in the air, leaves the hair on the dry side.

Hence, it becomes extremely difficult to maintain the health of your hair and prevent it from looking dull and frizzy.

The facial skin and scalp skin have similar properties, so if your skin is sensitive, your scalp will be sensitive too, if your skin is oily, your scalp will be oily too. The scalp skin is more delicate having a higher number of sebaceous glands, sweat glands and hair follicles and a lower barrier function as compared to the skin on the rest of the body.

It is, therefore, imperative to have a scalp care regime as good as the skincare regime for our face. Monisha Bhatia, Head of Education, Kérastase India shares these tips to ensure a healthy scalp through winter.

What should one do for a dandruff prone scalp?

Some people confuse dryness with dandruff, but those are two very different concerns. In a dry scalp, the skin gets irritated and flakes off. But with dandruff, the cause is too much oil on the scalp and its that excess of oil that causes skin cells to build up and eventually, shed.

Dandruff flakes are nothing but the accelerated overproduction of scalp cells, triggered by micro-organisms (fungi or bacteria).

Dandruff specific treatments in-salon, use of cures at home and regular use of a dandruff specific shampoo (Kérastase Bain Anti Pelliculiare) help in deep cleansing of the scalp, anti-bacterial action and slowing down / regulation of the scalp cell production.

What should one do for a dry itchy scalp?

A dry itchy scalp could be an indication of sensitivity; hence one has to get it proper diagnosis. For starters you must adjust your shampoo regimen - shampoo less often, and opt for a shampoo meant for dry & itchy scalp (Kérastase Bain Riche Dermocalm) and a scalp specific masque. Masque Hydra Apaisant designed specifically to be applied on the scalp soothes & hydrates the dry itchy scalp restoring the oil/moisture balance. Make sure you rinse shampoo thoroughly out of your hair before applying the masque.

One must periodically exfoliate the scalp to get rid of all the buildup and bacteria.

You can head to your nearest Kerastase salon to experience specific in-salon scalp detox treatments.

Kérastase has built a reputation as the expert in luxury scalp care since 1964. Through the years Kérastase scalp science has crossed new frontiers, garnering deeper insights into how hair grows and functions.