This is how I exfoliate my scalp now....and it's magnificent!

The moment when summer transitions into to fall, I'm hit with the realization that soon I will be battling my greatest enemy--dryness.  Low humidity weather hates me!   My skin gets obscenely dry and itchy. My lips are dry, my cuticles are dry.  But none of that compares to the level of dryness that occurs to my scalp.

I don't just experience dry scalp.  Low humidity weather actually causes my seborrheic dermatitis to flare up.  This type of dermatitis induces the skin to peel on the face.  Worst of all, it completely takes over my scalp.  Think of it like a bad case of dandruff...on crack.

My hairline usually suffers the most.  It gets so bad that I lose hair around the area where flaking is present.  Typically, the hair loss isn't permanent but who walks to walk around with a sparse hairline?

This year, I'm not having none of that! I've come up with an ingenious plan to keep my scalp as healthy as possible this fall & winter.
The idea was inspired by a product purchase that I recently made that I raved about.  After discovering exfoliating cotton rounds, nothing has ever been the same.

Exfoliating cotton pads will serve as my newest weapon in the battle against dry/itchy scalp.  If you've followed the blog for a while, you know that I turn all of my attention to caring for my scalp during fall and winter.  Over the years, I've stumbled on a few gems to help calm my active scalp.

Of all the remedies, scalp only seems to truly respond to apple cider vinegar.  In the past, I've used spray misters and bottle applicators to access my scalp.  They did their job but I've stumbled on a method that's proven to be way better.

Like I stated earlier, my dermatitis flare up manifests in the form of very obvious flaking around the perimeter of my hairline.  It's not attractive.  This year, I decided to try a completely different strategy.  Every day, I apply a little apple cider vinegar on a cotton round and use it on my face as a healing toner.  Recently, I decided to get a little adventurous and exfoliate my scalp using the ACV soaked cotton pad.

Within days of repeating this routine, the flaking around my hairline was completely gone!  My hairline looks perfectly normal again.  I couldn't believe how well that worked.  The textured cotton pads added an exfoliating component that I can't replicate using a spray mister.  All the dead skin on my scalp was removed leaving behind healthy skin.   Healthy, flake-free skin is a big deal because that means that my hairline will remain intact.

I love this method so much that I plan on experimenting with exfoliating my entire scalp on wash day.  Perhaps I might dip the cotton pads in a homemade solution of ACV, water, and a few drops of eucalyptus.  What I love most about the exfoliating pads is that they provide easier access to my scalp.  I own several scalp cleansing products but I had concerns that the products could bypass my thick roots to actually reach the scalp.  With these pads, I have direct access and much more control of my scalp cleansing.

Even if you don't suffer from dermatitis you might still want to try this technique.  Maybe you try this after gym visits in between wash days. Or maybe try it as a way to pre-cleanse the scalp before washing.  A great alternative to ACV (for those without scalp issues or who don't like the smell) is micellar water.  Check out this post to learn more on why micellar water makes for an excellent scalp cleanser.