What Type of Hair do you Have?

Normal: clean, healthy hair that just is. No immediate hair management issues come to mind.

Oily: natural hair oil is concentrated at the roots. Healthy looking hair is dependent on these oils so steer clear of overly harsh products that promise to deliver squeaky clean hair.  If you strip the hair of all its natural oils then the scalp will over produce to compensate taking you back to square one.

Dry: dry hair is often the result of over using the hair dryer or spending too much time in the sun.  Dry hair tends to be dull and lack-lustre and is often hampered by a dry and flaky scalp which can be confused with dandruff.  Treatment is fairly easy, just regularly use a good quality shampoo and conditioner. We recommend Kerastase Derma calm, see www.kerastase.com for information but products need to be purchased from professional salons.

Combination: if you have slightly longer hair and often use the hairdryer then you may well experience oily roots and dry hair at once.  There are plenty of choices out there that do cater for this, just look for ‘Combination’ on the label.

Dandruff:  skin is constantly renewing itself and dead cells fall off as new cells form beneath them.  Everyone loses skin cells in this way, but sometimes the process speeds up and on the scalp this creates dandruff as a greater number of cells are shed.  A secondary effect is that cells are also shed in clumps that are quite noticeable, particularly when they land on dark clothing.  The condition can also cause the scalp to be itchy.

Anti-dandruff shampoos containing the antimicrobials selenium sulphide (eg Selsun) or zinc pyrithione are helpful for mild dandruff.  For more serious attacks, try an antifungal shampoo containing ketoconazole (eg Nizoral dandruff shampoo) for mild, yet effective treatment.  If the condition continues you should visit your GP.