Why is Macadamia Flawless good for flaky scalp?

Astauff asks…I have some itchy, flaky patches on my scalp that get worse in the winter. Macadamia Flawless is the only thing I’ve used that’s still helped with the problem after more than a couple of uses, even compared to anti-dandruff and prescription shampoos I’ve tried, but $33 for 8 oz is not really in my budget for something I need to buy so often. Is there an ingredient in this that might be helping so I can look for a similar product?

The Beauty Brains respond: 

This product is essentially a “co-wash” type of cleanser. In other words it’s more like a conditioner than a shampoo. If you had true dandruff then I’d be surprised that this product worked better than a dandruff shampoo. But if your scalp is sensitive to detergents then it makes sense that you’d get better results with this kind of product.

There are plenty of co-wash products you could try that are less expensive. One of the reasons this one is so costly is the deliver form: it’s dispensed by a bag-in-can aerosol system. That’s why it contains isopentane (to help the product “blossom”) and isobutane (to act as a propellent.) The only other unusual ingredient (for a cowash) is the decyl glucoside which is a foaming surfactant. However, it’s doesn’t produce a lot of foam on its own and there are a lot of “fatty” materials in this formula so I wouldn’t expect the overall product to foam that much.

You could try the WEN products, the new Herbal Essences Naked Cleansing Conditioner, or a cheap bottle of VO5 or Suave conditioner.

Macadamia Flawless  ingredients

Water (Aqua/EAU), Cetearyl Alcohol, Isopentane, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Stearalkonium Chloride, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Macadamia Integrifolia (macadamia) Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Chamomille Recutita, (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silonetriol, Oleanolic Acid, Apigenin, Isobutane, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Ceterth-10 Phosphate, Dicetyl Phosphate, Steapyrium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Methylchloroisothia-Zolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Fragrance/Parfum.