They make a cream for everything. There are ones for eye puffiness and ones for wrinkles (heaven forbid!). There are ones with antioxidants and exotic extracts, and others with lab-engineered stem cells and other science-y stuff. Not to mention the vast array of lotions, sprays, foams, mousses, balms, serums, scrubs, peels, refinishers, mists, masks, salves and toners- I think I’m making my point. We are so bombarded by the marketing for all these different types of products, that somewhere along the line our brains go from determining whether or not we need a product to asking “Which product do we need?”
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m the dedicated owner of two eye creams, one for daytime with SPF and antioxidants and one for night with organic sweet almond oil CoQ10 to boost skin strength and prevent fine lines. They both do a beautiful job of keeping my delicate eye area hydrated and protected from the sun, and thus far they have prevented a proliferation of fine lines. My point is that although there are plenty of beauty products on the market that effectively address a legitimate purpose, there are instances where you don’t need a product in order to solve your beauty dilemma- just don’t expect a company in the business of selling products to tell you that.
This ugly truth reared its head recently when I made a ridiculous (and frankly, a little embarrassing to admit) discovery: daily brushing of the hair and scalp can alleviate many scalp issues. You see, I’ve struggled with scalp itchiness/flakiness/oiliness for years. I’ve tried my share of bottled remedies; some of which worked temporarily while others actually made it worse. Sometime near the beginning of this period I read somewhere that you should be careful brushing your scalp because it’s delicate, and brushing too hard can irritate it, or worse, cause damage. It would seem to me, considering that the skin is our body’s protective barrier, that it would be more resilient than that. However, I read this in a legitimate, monthly, women’s publication so for years I didn’t question it. After many failed attempts to ease my dermatological discomfort, it finally occurred to me that perhaps that little magazine blurb I had put so much stock in for all these years was wrong.
So, in a very un-Shayna-like manner (i.e. without spending hours online researching my dilemma first), I started brushing my scalp. I did it every day for about 30 seconds with a gentle, nylon bristle paddle brush. Like magic, my discomfort was alleviated, flakiness dissipated, and my scalp began to normalize.
By happy coincidence, a talented and very stylish friend of mine popped by the store. She picked out a few things, went to look at the shampoos, turned to me, and confessed, “My scalp is always so itchy! What should I use?” Like me, she had tried a variety of products to no avail. So I asked her how often she brushed, really brushed, her hair and scalp. “Um, almost never,” she admitted. I suggested she use a gentle but purifying sulphate-free shampoo and lightweight but hydrating conditioner and brush her scalp gently but deliberately for 30 seconds once a day, twice if she felt so inclined. She called me a week later. “My scalp doesn’t itch any more!” she informed me, excited. Did I recommend great products for her to use? Of course, but she and I both agree it was the brushing that did the trick.
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