Dandruff vs. dry scalp, what's the difference?

Frequently clients will sit in my chair and express concern over white flakes that they’ve seen on their scalp and ask the question...is it dandruff?

Dandruff, by definition, usually accompanies an oily scalp. Therefore, the occasional dry scalp that happens as we transition from summer into winter when the heat is turned on, is usually not reason for concern. A thorough ‘pre-shampoo’ brushing with a good boar bristol brush, should do the trick to exfoliate the dry skin that you might be mistaking as dandruff.

If the dry skin continues, and you find that you’re having persistent itchy spots on your scalp, or you have an oily scalp mixed with white flakes, then it’s time for a different approach.

It is my opinion that true dandruff is much less of an issue then it used to be in previous decades. From about the late 1940’s up until the mid 1960’s, a weekly roller set was the norm for most women. This meant only one shampoo per week, doing everything possible to make the hairdo last until the next appointment.

This is why you’ll see the the jar of blue water on your hairdresser’s station...hair wasn’t always washed before ‘comb outs’ or cuts. And the blue solution, which is a fungicide and virucide, prevents the transferring of fungus that may cause dandruff from person to person.

In the late 1960’s, Vidal Sassoon liberated women from the tyranny of weekly appointments by giving them spectacular geometric haircuts, which could be washed and styled at home. Thus the world of hairdressing was forever changed...and the health of women's scalps was on the mend.