Searching for bouncy, voluminous hair? Take into account including a scalp exfoliant to your hair care routine, particularly in case you’ve acquired product buildup, sweat rather a lot, or your scalp feels somewhat itchy. Just like the exfoliants you’d use in your face, “scalp exfoliants intention to take away a buildup of useless pores and skin cells, that are a results of regular mobile turnover and hair care merchandise,” Ivy Lee-Keltner, MD, board-certified dermatologist and medical director of Direct Dermatology in California, tells SELF. Under, hair care specialists clarify all of the nitty-gritty (pun supposed) particulars about scalp exfoliation, and share one of the best merchandise to make your bathe really feel extra luxurious.
Why is it necessary to exfoliate your scalp?
Good hair begins with a wholesome scalp. “There are such a lot of elements, together with sweat, air pollution, oil, and product buildup, that may trigger micro organism to fester, resulting in discomfort, dryness, and itchiness all through the scalp,” Helen Reavey, superstar hairstylist and founding father of hair and scalp care model Act+Acre, tells SELF. “I at all times attempt to tie scalp care again to skincare. Are you able to think about layering on make-up and leaving it in your pores and skin for 3 or extra days with out washing it off?”
And, similar to the pores and skin in your face, your scalp is residence to a lot of oil-producing sebaceous glands. A bit little bit of oil (a.ok.a. sebum) is an efficient factor—it retains your hair trying hydrated, shiny, and wholesome. However an excessive amount of oil can result in buildup, which feeds the malassezia yeast that naturally lives in your scalp (and pores and skin generally). When this yeast thrives, you could develop dandruff or seborrheic dermatitis, a pores and skin situation that may result in infected, greasy patches, itching or burning pores and skin, and flaking, as SELF beforehand reported. Gently exfoliating your scalp can probably assist preserve extreme flaking at bay.
From a styling standpoint, you would possibly discover your hair feels weighed down and oily in case your scalp wants a (very mild) scrub. “If you happen to don’t wash your hair that usually and also you’re [using] dry shampoos or texture sprays and different styling merchandise, that sticks round in your scalp, so an exfoliant offers a pleasant refresh each every so often,” Nikki Ferrera, hairstylist and proprietor of Nikki Ferrera Hair Coloration, tells SELF. An exfoliant is mostly a good suggestion for all hair sorts, based on the specialists we spoke with, however the one which fits your wants greatest will depend on your hair density and scalp’s oil manufacturing.
What’s the distinction between a bodily and chemical scalp exfoliant?
There are two totally different sorts of exfoliants: chemical and bodily. Bodily exfoliants embody issues like scrubs that bodily take away useless pores and skin cells, grime, and different impurities; chemical exfoliants, alternatively, dissolve the bonds between pores and skin cells, serving to to disclose newer, smoother pores and skin cells beneath, as SELF beforehand reported.
Many scalp exfoliation merchandise are bodily scrubs formulated with elements like sea salt, sugar, or dissolving rice beads. They are typically a bit abrasive for some individuals, however bodily exfoliants have their advantages, particularly for people who’ve a hefty quantity of buildup on their scalps, want fewer wash days, or have coarse, thick, or curly hair. You simply need to be mild as you therapeutic massage them into your hair, Mariel Materek, a New York Metropolis–primarily based hairstylist at Spoke and Weal, tells SELF.