Is your hair flat, brittle and dull? Then you might be neglecting your scalp care! The right care routine is the key to strong and healthy hair.
There are countless conditioners, treatments and oils for the hair. But what about the scalp? Lack of scalp care can be the root cause of dull, dry hair and flat roots. These tips and product recommendations strengthen your hair from root to tip.
Shampoo, UV radiation & Co.: Every head needs care!
Scalp care is superfluous? These external influences affect every head!
Very lovely: shampoo
A healthy scalp is crucial for long-term healthy and shiny hair. Shampoo, hair color, heating air and UV radiation irritate their natural fatty acid protective layer. Irritating the scalp too often can lead to micro-injuries. These are a reaction to the irritation and an attempt to regenerate. Brittle, thinning hair and even hair loss can be the result. If you are plagued by an itchy scalp, you will find tips and product recommendations here.
This blocks the hair follicles
Hair follicles nourish and grow hair. They are the structure that surrounds the hair bulb and anchors the hair to the skin. If these are blocked, they cannot be properly supplied with nutrients and vitamins, which is noticeable in hair health and growth. But what blocks the hair follicles? This can be product residue, dead skin cells or other deposits. These are not completely removed by shampoos, which is why additional care makes sense.
Scalp Care: These tips will bring out the best
Just as there are different skin types, there are different ones scalp types. Before you use any care product, you should take a look at your scalp: is it dry, oily or maybe flaky? These products can help.
Chemical Peel
Chemical peels have become an integral part of the skin care routine. Instead of using a mechanical granular peel whose sharp edges can cause micro-injuries, a chemical peel is a better choice. There are several reasons why they are also a real game changer for the scalp:
- she remove deposits, such as dead skin and product residue. This keeps the hair follicles clean, which ensures normal hair growth and allows sebum to drain better. The result is more volume at the roots and shiny hair.
- she regulate sebum production. Too little sebum causes the scalp to dry out. With excessive production, it quickly becomes greasy. Balanced sebum production is crucial for hair health.
- she moisturize. Due to the cleaning effect, care products can penetrate and be stored better.
In general, make sure you use a fragrance-free formulation without essential oils and a pH value between 3 and 4 – otherwise the effect will be impaired. There are different chemical peels designed for different needs.
AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid): This peeling is particularly suitable for dry and sensitive scalps because it mainly works on the skin’s surface. Because dry scalps usually produce too little sebum/oil, the water-soluble acid is the right choice here.
glycolic acid and lactic acid are among the AHAs and are often used in cosmetics. To avoid skin irritation, the concentration of glycolic acid in the product should not exceed 8 percent – for lactic acid it is 5 percent. Regular AHA peeling can also be the solution for dryness-related dandruff.
BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid): A BHA peeling is the best choice for oily scalps because the acid is fat-soluble. It penetrates deeper into the skin than alpha-hydroxy acid and cleans deep into the pores. Salicylic acid is one of the beta-hydroxy acids and is almost always used. A concentration of 2% is sufficient here.
PHA (poly-hydroxy-acid): It is the most gentle of all three acids and is also suitable for very sensitive skin. It is very similar to the AHA and is therefore particularly recommended for dry skin. Due to the larger molecules, PHAs penetrate the skin much more slowly than AHAs and BHAs.
Don’t let the declaration of the scrubs confuse you: although they are intended for the face, they can and should be used on the scalp as well.
Application: A liquid scrub is applied to the dry scalp before washing. After ten minutes you can start washing your hair as usual. An AHA/BHA/PHA Cleanser/Cleansing Gel is massaged onto the wet scalp before shampooing for one minute and then washed out. There are also exfoliating shampoos, which combine two steps. If you have insensitive skin, you can also combine several acids. Regular use once or twice a week ensures long-lasting results.
scalp masks
Scalp masks should not only be used regularly on dry skin types. Washing your hair is always a strain on the scalp. Shampoo removes the sebum – but if the washing-active substances (surfactants) are too aggressive, too much oil is removed and the skin produces them in excess as a reaction. An oily scalp can therefore also be a sign of too little lipids (fats), which disrupts the skin barrier. This imbalance can scalp masks be restored.
Do not apply conditioner or hair masks to the scalp. Because hair is dead tissue, it can handle irritating ingredients like alcohol, fragrances and preservatives better than the scalp. Hair products are generally always very heavily perfumed, which can have a negative effect on the scalp. In addition, the pH of the hair (about 3.6) differs from that of the scalp (about 5.5). The products are (at best) formulated with a suitable pH for the hair and not for the skin.
And what should be on the scalp?
Oil! jojoba oil, argan oil, almond oil or for very dry skin too avocado oil. An oil mask before washing your hair works wonders: Simply leave it on for as long as possible on the day you wash your hair and then shower as usual. The ends of the hair are also happy about the oil mask if there is anything left. Pay attention to the quality of the oil here: cold-pressed, organic, pure and preferably unrefined.
Of course, there are also special hair masks that are even more pleasant on the skin. These also contain soothing ingredients such as aloe vera, panthenol, niacinamide, allantoin or ectoin. But please no strong fragrances! Here, too, ensure a slightly acidic pH value (4.5 – 5.5) so that the balance of the scalp is not disturbed.
scalp serums
Hard to believe, but true: the scalp is also skin! Anything that gets on the face can theoretically also get on the scalp. The only problem is that skin care products make the roots look greasy. If you don’t leave the house, you’re welcome to grab it. All other days are scalp serums a great solution! Because they leave no film and care weightlessly. Here, too, make sure that the formulation is mild without fragrances, essential oils and alcohol as a preservative, which is mainly used in natural cosmetics.
scalp massages
As grandma said: “100 brush strokes in the evening”. Because this soothing massage stimulates blood circulation in the scalp, which means that the hair roots are better supplied with nutrients. It also acts like a gentle mechanical peel, the benefits of which are no longer a secret. Mild is the keyword here too! Do not use a brush with sharp bristles. Or you can grab a special one right away Scalp Massage Brush: There is nothing softer than silicone bristles.
Note: This article first appeared on Gala.de
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