Are you losing more than 50-100 strands a day? Or is it the congestion and buildup of dandruff and debris that worries you?
Whatever the case, tweaking your hair care regimen won’t solve the issue—not when your scalp has been the cause of concern all along. If you want to keep your hair healthy, full, shiny, and smooth, you’ll have to incorporate scalp rituals into your routine.
We’ve put together just the right steps to help you do exactly that.
What Is The Role Of Your Scalp In Hair Health?
The scalp is a connection between the inside and outside of our bodies.
Allow me to explain.
Home to hair follicles, the scalp is an organ that anchors hair strands into the skin. It has a hair bulb at the base, in the region associated with hair growth. The quality of these follicles is affected by various factors, including stress, health conditions, pollution, sun exposure, side effects of medication, and a poor diet—most of which are unavoidable.
This harmful combination could lead to a compromised scalp, which results in a gamut of unwanted issues. These include hair shedding, breakage, thinning, inflammation, pain, and irritation.
That’s why we say —
Treat Your Scalp Like You Would Treat Your Skin
Your scalp is the extension of your face, so your skincare regimen must include scalp care. It should get the TLC it needs to thrive. Only with a healthy scalp would you be able to enjoy a happy head of hair.
As to the elements you need to incorporate into this multi-step routine, your primary focus should be on three basic steps: cleansing, exfoliation, and moisturizing. But each step depends on your scalp condition and specific concerns.
You can use additional products to target your scalp care needs right from the comforts of your home. If you require a more specialized approach, feel free to make your way to the nearest salon.
Treat and Massage
To improve your scalp health, you must start your scalp care regimen before you even step foot in the shower.
Sounds dramatic and totally unnecessary, but hear me out.
Applying a scalp exfoliation treatment can help you get rid of dandruff, debris, and other impurities. It also adds extra moisture to your locks, makes them easier to detangle post-bath, and promotes a softer, shinier texture. The benefits can differ across brands, so make sure to do your research before purchasing.
To seal the deal, end the pre-poo treatment with a deep massage. This stimulates the scalp, encourages cellular turnover, boosts blood circulation, and may even reduce inflammation. Simply use your fingertips to massage your scalp with circular motions, starting at the nape and moving up to cover the entire area.
With this step, you will improve hair health and encourage growth. Exfoliating and massaging also provide your hair with a protective layer, which protects your strands from drying out.
Cleanse Thoroughly and Regularly
The scalp can be a breeding ground of dandruff, product build-ups, excess oils, and more. These problems can wreak havoc on hair follicles and hair growth, by default.
To tackle these concerns, you must wash your scalp thoroughly with a gentle cleansing shampoo. As it involves light massage to work the product in, it helps boost blood flow to your hair to promote growth, keep it moisturized, reduce breakage, and prevent scalp damage.
While your fingertips can be useful in applying light to medium pressure on your scalp for massaging it, we recommend using a scalp massager brush. With its soft, flexible bristles, a scalp brush gently massages, exfoliates, and provides an in-depth clean for skin regeneration and healing.
Just make sure you don’t overdo it as it can lead to irritation, the appearance of dandruff, or worse, hair breakage — the very thing you were aiming to avoid.
Nourish and Hydrate
To keep your scalp in its prime, you must indulge in complete scalp care. That includes moisturizing thoroughly to restore moisture that may have been lost due to excessive use of heat-based tools, exfoliation, and other scalp treatments.
With this step, you have plenty of options.
You can use serum or tonic to lock in hydration, hair oil to provide nourishment, or conditioner to moisturize. You’ll find a wide array of choices both online and offline, so do a thorough research. Choose one that will also take care of your specific scalp concerns for a happy, healthy scalp that results in shiny, smooth, and soft tresses.
Wrapping Up
The health of your scalp determines the health of your locks. Hence, it is vital that you cleanse, treat, and moisturize it regularly to ensure proper hair health and growth.
However, if you notice any inflammation, irritation, itchiness, or excessive hair loss, it would be wise to see a dermatologist to rule out any health concerns. Remember, it's better to nip scalp problems in the bud before they bloom into major issues.