Dry Hair Care Set

Dry Hair Care Set

Flakes showing on a dark uniform and a scalp that itches through the school day are what this set is for. Dry hair makes it harder, because a shampoo that clears flaking often strips what little moisture the hair has left, and the scalp answers with more itching. This set keeps to one product, bought twice, so the routine can run its full course without a gap in the middle of term.

What is in the box

• Vichy Dercos Technique Anti-Dandruff DS Treatment Shampoo for Dry Hair 200 ml, two bottles — a treatment shampoo that reduces visible flakes and scalp itching by acting on the Malassezia yeast behind the flaking and lifting the scale already sitting on the scalp, in a base formulated for dry hair and a sensitive scalp.

This is the dry hair, sensitive scalp version of the Dercos DS line, not the normal to oily one. The two sit side by side on the shelf and are easy to confuse, and the wrong one on dry hair is the usual reason the routine gets abandoned. Selenium disulfide is the active that works on the yeast; salicylic acid is what lifts the scale that is already there.

How to use it

• Cleanse, and it is the only step — the shampoo replaces the regular shampoo rather than being added to it, and nothing else in the set competes for the same slot in the routine.
• Massage it into the scalp and leave it two minutes — apply it to wet hair and scalp, work it into the scalp itself, and give it two minutes before rinsing; that contact time is what does the work.
• Targeting phase — three washes a week for four weeks, while the flaking is at its worst.
• Maintenance phase — one wash a week after that, to stop the flaking coming back.
• The second bottle — the maintenance phase runs on after the first four weeks, and the second bottle is what carries it.

Good to know

This is a scalp treatment that happens to be a shampoo, and it is judged on the scalp rather than on the lengths. It is not a conditioner and not a hair mask, and nothing in the box addresses dryness along the lengths, so keep the conditioner already in use if one is wanted. Flaking that keeps returning after the maintenance phase, or a scalp that is sore rather than simply itchy, belongs with a doctor rather than another bottle.

Please note

This shampoo contains salicylic acid. Avoid contact with the eyes, and rinse thoroughly with water if it gets in them. Do not use it on a broken or inflamed scalp. For external use only. Keep out of reach of children. Stop use and ask a doctor if the scalp gets worse or does not improve.