Dealing with Dry Scalp!

As I have stated in November, I HATE dry skin! I have been using my Mary Kay products for several weeks now and I have noticed a HUGE difference. However, I have still struggled with an itchy scalp. I have used tea tree oil in my shampoo and conditioner and that has helped quite a bit, but not completely. I still find myself scratching at my scalp throughout the day and winter is only beginning.

When I read your comments on other blog posts, I realized that I am not alone in this struggle. I was approached by Insta Natural to see if I would like to try a few of their products. One of their products is Vitamin C Serum and I will touch on it at the end of this post, but the other two are Argan Oil and are designed to help with hydration. I was all over that!

So, here is my quick FTC disclosure statement ... I DID receive these three products free in exchange for a blog post and review. HOWEVER, the opinions on the products are my own.

I am going to start with my favorite of the three products I was given to try. The Argan Oil Hair Mask is made with Organic Aloe, Organic Argan Oil, Japanese Green Tea, Organic Jojoba Seed Oil, Organic Sesame See Oil, Organic Avocado Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Evening Primrose Oil, Organic Linseed Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Shea Butter, Organic Starflower Seed Oil, and Vitamin B5.

This stuff smells AMAZING. It is also designed to work as a deep conditioning treatment using the multiple types of oils. I will be honest, the instructions threw me but I found a routine that works. I have been using all three of these products for two weeks now, so please keep that in mind with my reviews.

• Hair should be clean prior to applying the hair mask. It should be towel-dried yet still slightly damp. 
• Apply a tablespoon of the hair mask onto your hands and run your fingers through your hair evenly in order to distribute the product. Work from massaging your scalp down to your ends. Let the hair mask absorb for 5-15 minutes and then rinse off.
• You can apply more or less depending on your hair length and volume. You can also use a comb to help distribute the hair mask thoroughly if needed.
• Use 1-2 times a week as a deep conditioning treatment. If your hair is too oily or heavy after application, apply less of the hair mask next time, and/or reduce the frequency of use.
• Tip: The Argan Oil Hair Mask can also be used as a standard conditioner. Simply apply to your hair in the shower and rinse off shortly afterward.

Okay, so THESE are the instructions I was given. I found it best to use the following routine in the shower.

1. Shampoo with my tea tree oil shampoo
2. Condition with my tea tree oil conditioner
3. Lean out the shower and quickly towel dry my hair (I have short hair, takes only a few seconds)
4. Grab a glob of mask and work it through my hair. I don't need to use a comb to distribute the mask because my hair is short. (I also usually breathe deep because I LOVE the smell of this stuff).
5. Wash my body
6. Wash my face with my Mary Kay TimeWise set & Cleanser Brush
7. FINALLY, rinse out the mask

My hair is SO smoothe and feels great. Best part, it adds moisture to my scalp. Between the mask and my tea tree infused shampoo/conditioner ... I hardly have ANY itchy scalp anymore! It did take about a week to really start noticing a full difference. 

Okay, moving on. This is my second favorite product that I was given to try. I will state that not all of his review is a positive one, but you may have different results than I did.  ORGANIC Argan Oil For Hair, Face, Skin & Nails is 100% pure organic argan oil that can be used as a moisturizer for your face, skin, hair, and nails. Insta Natural gave me this list of how to use the product:

• Leave-in conditioner - Massage a few drops of Argan oil in your wet hair and scalp after shower to hydrate your hair. This is particularly useful for people who have dry hair naturally or due to hair styling activities such as straightening and curling. Argan oil can also be applied to hair before hair styling to reduce the damage caused to hair, especially if you’re using a hair dryer.
• Frizz remover - Do you experience frizzy and dull hair after you wash your hair? Argan oil is an excellent frizz remover and detangler. Apply a few drops of Argan oil on your hair paying more attention to the hair ends when your hair is still wet. It will make your hair soft and easy to comb. Along with this, it adds a great shine to your hair and reduces split ends.
• Moisturizer - Argan oil is quickly absorbed in skin and does not make your face look greasy. This makes it a wonderful face moisturizer. Cleanse your face and massage a few drops of Argan oil on your face and neck every morning and night. It protects the skin from drying, makes it radiant, soft and supple. Argan oil also acts as a protective mask against harmful UV rays.
• Lip exfoliater and softner - Apply a drop of Argan oil directly to your lips to experience a smoothness or mix a few drops of Argan oil with brown sugar and vanilla extract and massage the lips in circular motion. Take care to be gentle while massaging. Rinse off.
• Hair / Scalp Treatment - Give an overnight treatment to your scalp with Argan oil, if you have dry and flaky scalp. The oil will penetrate deep to produce more efficient results. Massage a generous amount on your scalp for 15 minutes and leave overnight. Wash off the next morning with a mild shampoo. Do this twice a week to get healthy, non-itchy scalp. This treatment is beneficial for both hair and scalp at the same time.
• Face Mask - Few drops of Argan oil can be mixed with any face mask you buy from a store to increase the benefits. You can also make your own face mask at home, if you want to go completely natural.
• Nail Care - Weak and brittle nails can be treated with Argan oil to make them strong. Regularly massage a few drops of Argan oil on your nails to give them strength and prevent peeling or cracking. This also encourages nail growth. Argan oil is also an effective cuticle softener. Massage the cuticle along with nails to make them soft. Few drops of Argan oil can be mixed with the water during the manicure and pedicure process to experience better results.

Okay, so let's break this down.

1. After 2 weeks, I have discovered that I really dislike using this product in my hair. It makes it look really oily. I have problems with frizz but this makes me look like I haven't washed my hair. It does help with detangling the hair ... but I like the tea tree oil better. It DOES prevent frizz and it DOES make brushing easier. I just am not a fan of how it looks afterward or later in the day. Also, it makes it so I have to wash my hair every day, which causes more problems with dry scalp.
2. I LOVE using this as an after shower moisturizer. It does not leave a greasy look on my skin. I like to put in on after my Mary Kay night solution and then put on my Mary Kay moisturizer afterwards. My skin is soooo soft. I had a huge flare up with my roseola and between the Argan Oil, Mary Kay, and Benadryl ... I wasn't as itchy and no one really noticed. *whew*
3. Nails - This was my FAVORITE part of this product and the number one reason I will continue to purchase it. I have only had ONE broken nail in the last two weeks. I have tried EVERYTHING. This is AWESOME. I just massage a drop of oil into my cuticles and nails every evening. I should also add that my broken nail was when I hit something, it didn't just break on its own like they normally do.

I didn't use it in a face mask or lip exfoliant because I LOVE my Mary Kay products. I didn't see the need for those. However, I did use it for the hair and nails. I will continue to use it on my nails and a moisturizer in between my Mary Kay products.

I haven't been using this product long enough to give you a solid review on it. I can tell you that I prefer my Mary Kay age-fighting products better because they don't dry me out as much ... but this is a solid product for the price, especially if you can't use Mary Kay products. Vitamin C Serum For Face has 20% Vitamin C, Hyaluronic acid, Ferulic Acid, Sea Buckthorn oil, Argan oil, rosehip oil, plant stem cells, and pomegranate in it.

• Always apply InstaNatural's Vitamin CE Ferulic Serum after cleansing your face. We recommend that you cleanse, tone and then apply our serum.
• To apply, put a few drops of serum on fingertips, rub them together and then gently massage it into the skin.
• Wait for a few minutes. Let the serum soak into the skin completely.
• Apply your regular moisturizer on top of it (We strongly recommend this)
• Use the serum at least two times a day for best results. It can be used more often, if needed.
• Once you open the serum, be sure to close properly. Our Vitamin C Serum is highly stable and should not oxidize.

I am also not sure if this serum is what caused my roseola flare because it does dry your skin and tighten it. So, if you have problems with dry skin, you might want to look at a really good moisturizer to put on after this.

So, do you have any questions about the products mentioned? Let me know in the comments below and I will answer them as I can!