Scalp Exfoliation: Why You Should Do It

Exfoliation is a long-talked about topic for good skin health for both the face and the body. A lesser-mentioned topic, however, is exfoliating the scalp, but regularly and effectively exfoliating the scalp is major balancing boost for both the scalp itself and for the quality of the hair that grows from it in a variety of ways.

It Paves The Path For Healthy Hair Growth : Hair follicles on our scalp function very much like the pores on our skin, meaning that they can get clogged by excess dirt and debris, sebum, and even flakes of dry skin. Some research even goes on to suggest that our hair follicles are even more prone to getting clogged than most of the pores on our skin due to the delicate nature of our scalp's skin to begin with. Clogged hair follicles ultimately mean that hair has a hard time growing-- and growing healthy-- out of the scalp. This means that the hair that will eventually grow out of the scalp will often be finer and weaker than it would be normally, making breakage and hair loss more of an issue.

It Allows for More Regulated Oil Production And Moisture Retention: A balanced oil production is key for shiny, thick-looking, and healthy hair. An overabundance of oil on the scalp can lead to a host of inflammatory scalp conditions such as an exacerbation of dandruff or itchiness. Yet, on the other hand, a scalp that is too dry also is prone to flaking and feeling tight and uncomfortable and will also produce brittle-feeling hair. When the scalp is clogged or the oil production is either too much or too little, moisture distribution among hair roots and down the hair shafts becomes less even. Often, it is that the roots will remain limp and look greasy while the ends become dry and may even start to split, especially because products such has conditioners hair masks meant to add moisture may have a more difficult time penetrating the shafts because the hair itself has become so brittle and thinned. Weekly scalp exfoliation acts as a kind of reset button to recalibrate a moderated flow of oil our scalp produces.

It Removes Excess Product Buildup: All the products we use to style and even to condition our hair through the weeks and months, leave a lot of invisible and imperceptible build-up on our hair and most especially on the hair roots. Scalp exfoliation is one of the best ways to not only get the scalp in balance and to deep clean it but also the hair roots and leaving them less heavy and less likely to look shaggy or greasy and apt to break off prematurely from the weight of the excess product.

There are a few different ways to approach scalp exfoliation. The most common kind product to use is a scalp scrub, which feature oil-absorbing ingredients such as clays and activated charcoal along with a scrubbing particle made from things like jojoba beads, walnut shells, or bamboo or rice powder to lift grime, excess product buildup, dead skin, etc off of your scalp as you work the product in your scalp and gently down through the midshafts. Alternatively, chemical exfoliators for the scalp are also starting to come onto the scene. These work with exfoliating acids much of the time, often glycolic and salicylic and some citrus ingredients to dissolve flakes but don't require any rubbing that might pull the hair. It is important to note that the physical scrubs will usually (if not always) replace your shampooing step on the days you choose to exfoliate, whereas if you go for a tonic or some kind of acidic exfoliant, these products are usually applied prior to shampooing and need to be rinsed if not completely washed out after a treatment and followed up with a conditioner and/or moisturizing hair mask or oil, especially applied to the ends.

When I first started experimenting with scalp exfoliation, I much preferred an acid-based exfoliant (I used the one from Sunday Riley weekly for a good 2 months), but more recently, I have become a convert to the more common scrub versions, The one I am currently using is the Tweak'd by Nature Scalp Scrub in the Wild Frangipani scent. I find that the key to making the physical scrub exfoliants work well for you and not rip out your hair is to make sure you rub the scrubbing substance in your hands very well before applying to your hair to soften the particles and mix them in with the creams, clays, and oils they are suspended in and to make sure you use wet the hair throroughly before you start to scrub, and if you find some of the product is getting stuck in your hair, add more water and continue to massage and really kick up the debris to get it out of your hair and get the blood flowing to those hair follicles. These products do take time to get the method down pat, and when you first start using them, you may notice more hair breakage at first as the driest, oldest, or most damaged parts are lifted off the ends of the hair along with debris from the scalp. but this effect does go down over time and eventually I have come to see less breakage overall. Just always make sure to condition the ends of your hair or do a hair mask after an exfoliation to add some body and moisture back to the hair strands before combing after washing.

No matter what products suit you and your hair best, I encourage you to give some extra TLC to your scalp with an extra bit of scrub-a-dub-dub. Your luscious locks will thank you for it.