We received a question from one of our wonderful fans about dry scalp. She was curious if using Epsom salts might affect her hair color. We thought we would share the answer with all of you as it may be beneficial to a lot of others...

Dry scalp can be caused by a variety of factors including hormones, stress, diet, weather, and fungal infection. Winter time can be especially hard on our skin with the drying heat that many of us have on.

Epsom salts was recommended in an earlier post to help relieve dry scalp and flaking. But is it OK to use if your hair’s colored? Great question!

I’d suggest not using Epsom salts if your hair is colored, unless the manufacturer of the coloring product can assure you it’s OK. Epsom salts are mostly magnesium, a mineral – and minerals interact with chemicals, maybe even the chemicals used in hair color pigments. You might have a pretty funky outcome if you use them...

A few years ago, I had to wash my hair for several weeks in iron-rich water... it turned a rather interesting shade of rust! It might not be the same with magnesium, but I’d rather not take a chance and ruin a great color job!

Instead of Epsom salts, an excellent alternative for all hair, including colored, is Coconut Oil (see our recent Post on Coconut Oil for beautiful skin and hair). It’s great for dry scalp, and will help keep all of your skin soft and supple.

You'll also want to be getting enough DHA fatty acid in your diet, either from fish or a supplement. DHA helps keep our skin (including scalp) soft and healthy. Here's more info on DHA.

Thanks for that wonderful question, and we hope this info helps others as well.

If you have a suggestion for colored hair and dry scalp, send in a Comment. We’d love to hear what works for you!