Few things are worse than dusting white flakes off your favorite cashmere sweater. Luckily, there are endless products aimed at combating dry scalps and dandruff at the root. But before we jump into all of the most well-reviewed products—we’re talking thousands of five-star ratings—there’s something you need to know: Dry scalp and dandruff are not the same thing. The symptoms are similar (itchiness and flakiness), but the cause is different. Dandruff is actually a fungal condition, whereas dry scalp is, well, just dry skin. Keeping that in mind, we scoured the web for reviews dealing with both and found the products that beauty buffs like best.
The Top-Rated Hair Products for Dry Scalps
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Published Jan 31, 2018
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Dermstore
Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Tea Tree Treatment
This all-natural solution uses the key ingredients plus witch hazel and biotin to target dry, itchy scalps at the root and promote a healthier head of hair.
Dermstore
Dhs Clear Shampoo
While almost every product from this brand is high up on the charts for dry and damaged scalps, this one is a real winner at over 100 five-star reviews. Made without harsh detergents or fragrances, even the most sensitive of skin and hair types will reap the moisturizing benefits almost immediately.
Dermstore
Dr. Marder Total Relief Conditioner
For color-treated hair, it can be tricky to find a powerful anti-dandruff formula that won’t strip your hue. However, formulated with a botanical complex of coconut oil, vitamins and antioxidants, this conditioner simultaneously nourishes your skin’s texture and individual follicles from root to tip.
Buy Now ($30)
Dermstore
Ds Laboratories High-performance Antidandruff Shampoo
An anti-fungal formula of vitamins A, B12 and C goes to work to fortify your hair and scalp’s texture by soothing inflammation and redness that cause dandruff.
Buy Now ($30)
Bed Bath & Beyond
L’oréal Paris Micro-exfoliating Rinse-out Hair Treatment
When your facial skin is dry, you use an exfoliator to help scrub away the dead skin cells, so it makes perfect sense to add the same step to your hair care routine. And with over 1,000 positive reviews, this apricot-seed-filled scrub is the best on the market to gently remove flakes and builduup from dirt and excess oils.
Sephora
Madam C.j. Walker Scent & Shine Jamaican Black Castor Oil
When it comes to natural hair, it can be challenging to find a product that deeply moisturizes without turning your hairline into a greasy mess—but struggle no more. Reviewers rave that they can apply this thick and creamy formula to their scalp at night and wake up with noticeably softer and smoother hai, that only gets better over time.
Sephora
Klorane Mask With Mango Butter
For those suffering with the beginning of a dry scalp—itchy, but not full flakes yet—a weekly nourishing mask will do the trick. Based on smell alone, this would most likely be a winner, but the mango-butter plumping and softening power is what puts it on this list.
Bed Bath & Beyond
L’oréal Extraordinary Clay Mask Pre-shampoo Treatment
When it comes to the reviews alone, the numbers really don’t lie—which is why this product tops the list at 1,830 four- and five-star reviews. Since over-washing can often lead to dry skin, combat it at the root with this clay mask that purifies follicles and injects moisture into hair.
Sephora
Qhemet Biologics Moringa Tree Conditioning Ghee
Formulated with Ayurvedic botanicals and coconut and moringa oils, this leave-in treatment works through thick and dry hair to nourish the scalp without weighing curls down.
Sephora
Earth’s Nectar Mint Leaves Scalp Oil
Quick absorbing yet still ultra nourishing, this blend of rosemary, cooling peppermint and jojoba oils supports natural blood circulation to help hair growth while combating dryness, breakage and flaking.
