Flakes can be due to many conditions like eczema, psoriasis, dehydration, climatic conditions and harsh chemicals in our cosmetic products used on our skin and hair. Use of more quantity of shampoo or using soap on the skin for many times a day can also contribute to flakes.
By making some little changes in your life style and adding some home remedies you can get rid of flakes. Mainly during winters, skin starts drying up. Your skin feels scaly, tight, uncomfortable and flaky. Flakes are more common near the eyebrows, on the surface of nose, on the scalp and your cheek areas. Sometimes eyelids also get flaky. It is not very common. So you should be serious about that as they have very less protective fat and skin is also thinner and too much vascular. They are more susceptible to irritants and allergies.
* Use Mild Products and in less Quantity- Do not use shampoo or soap too much.
- Reduce the quantity as well as frequency. This will reduce the flakiness and irritation.
* Exfoliate- To get rid of dead and dry skin cells is too good for your skin as well as for your scalp.
- Take one or two tablespoons of sugar and mix with your shampoo.
- Now gently apply it on the scalp. While lathering use pads of the fingers and avoid the nails. They can cause cuts or nicks which will irritate later on.
- Wash off thoroughly with normal water.
- Flakes from the skin will not go off on their own. You need to exfoliate.
- Use physical exfoliators or crushed seeds or pits or tiny beads to remove flaky skin.
- Chemical exfoliators can also be used as they contain enzymes which chemically remove flaky layers of the skin.
- Choose between physical and chemical exfoliators very wisely. As physical ones have rough texture that can also damage the skin.
- Either use physical ones formulated along with soft beads and chemical ones containing fruit enzymes like papaya or pineapple.
* Steam
- Intake of intense steam is not good for the pores of your scalp and skin. So avoid taking steam in sauna.
- Small heated mist taken from the shower gives the moisture back into the skin.
- After exfoliation, indulge your skin in little warm steam from the bath or the shower. Pat and dry your scalp and the skin with a soft and clean towel afterwards.
* Avoid Hot Water- Using too much or extremely hot water makes the skin dry. So avoid using hot water while washing your hair or face to get rid of flakes.
- It results in flaky and dry skin and scalp.
- Using styling products which are heat related like blow-dryer also increases the flakes. Avoid them as much as you can. Same on the skin don’t use any heat product as it will make the skin dry and flaky.
- Excessive heat makes the skin and scalp dry, irritated and flaky.
* Massage- A good massage will increases the flow of blood to the skin and the scalp and will help in clearing the blocked pores.
- These blocked pores interfere with the production of sebum, the oil required for healthy scalp.
- Massaging of the scalp will loose the flakes and excessive dead skin and will get washed off easily.
- Do a scalp massage at least one hour before you shampoo your hair.
- Massage your scalp with olive oil in circular motion. Use only finger tips for massaging and be slow and gentle.
- Cover your hair with warm towel and leave for 30-45 minutes. Then shampoo and rinse thoroughly with normal orlukewarm water. Do not use conditioner on the scalp.
- Likewise give a good massage to your skin with a mild fruit cream with finger pads.
- Then wrap your face with warm towel and after 20-30 minutes wash it off with normal water.
- All your skin flakes will be gone and moisture will be locked inside the skin.