Snow White in Surabaya: Why My Scalp Flurries in Humidity
11:33 PMNo, not the Disney princess.
By Snow White I mean the white flurries that audition on my scalp every time I visit Surabaya. My hair there turns oily, itchy, and suddenly bilingual in flake. I wash more… it rebels harder.
And yes, I have the same intrusive thought spiral:
Hot guy on the sidewalk:
“ooooh, pretty.”
Hot guy, after noticing the snow forecast on my parting:
"oh no she got snow white!! back up back up. RETREAT.”
and bam! here i am, forever alone
I’m kidding about being approached (they only approach when I forget to zip up or have seaweed on a tooth). I’m not kidding about the snow.
So, why does my scalp go dramatic in Surabaya, and what actually helps without turning my hair to straw?
Why humid cities make scalps extra… productive
Humidity + heat + sweat + product buildup = five-star resort for Malassezia (the yeast that loves scalp oils). When it parties, you can get seborrheic dermatitis: oily flakes + itch.
Add in hard water, air pollution, tight hairstyles, and your scalp says,
“love me, heal me.”
Signs it’s “seb derm” (not just dry scalp)
- Oily roots but flaking
- Itch worse when sweaty or after helmets/caps
- Flakes around hairline, brows, sides of nose too
- Red patches if you scratch (don’t)
If it’s severe (angry red, painful, spreading, or won’t budge after a few weeks), time to see a dermatologist.
I’m hoping my scalp is just adapting to Surabaya weather.
Until then, I’m choosing science over snow, and reserving “Snow White” for fairytales.
Ikkel.
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