Just like many things buzzing in beauty recently, scalp care is trending but not for the first time. Tending to your scalp dates to ancient ayurvedic and eastern medicine. Ask any hairstylist and they’ll tell you—if you want luscious and healthy hair, a healthy scalp is essential. Below, we’ll unpack all things scalp health and help you get to the root of any issues.

What Is a Healthy Scalp?

First, what is the scalp and its main function? It might seem obvious, but your scalp is all the area in-between your hairline. The scalp’s main function is to produce hair and sebum that will lubricate the follicles and prevent dryness. (Sebum is an oily substance produced in the sebaceous glands to hydrate and protect the scalp). Taking care of your hair follicles is a big job with an average of 100,000 hair follicles on your head that need to be properly hydrated for them to thrive, which is why we need to tend to our scalp and make sure it is healthy.

Just like your body, your scalp has its own microbiome, or micro-environment, that helps it stay protected and healthy. Common scalp conditions occur when that protective barrier environment is out of balance and manifest as either dryness and/or an over-oily scalp. The reason for those issues are often the same—over washing of hair and not regularly hydrating the scalp.

A healthy scalp is free of:

♦ Hair product build up
♦ Tension from too-tight ponytails, hats, etc.  
♦ Heat sensitivity from styling tools, the sun
♦ Debris

How to Tell If You Have an Unhealthy Scalp

The main indicators of a scalp in need of some TLC are dryness, tightness, flakiness and being overly oily. The reason? Often it’s due to over-washing, thereby stripping your hair of its natural oil and sebum. Your hair could be thirsty for moisture from either not applying conditioner all the way to your roots or shampooing your hair everyday with harsh detergents, like shampoos, that removes oil needed for healthy locks. Washing your hair with piping hot water is another culprit, as it can compromise the integrity of the scalp and hair follicles.

Benefits of a Healthy Scalp

The connection between a healthy scalp and your hair is simple. Your hair follicles need to be clear of both debris from product build-up and excess sebum mixed with flakiness. This cycle can clog the hair follicle and block hair growth. Eventually that clogged hair follicle can lead to thinning of hair and hair loss.

How to Get a Healthy Scalp

The good news is that remedying occasional scalp issues is easy. Here are a few tips to get a healthier scalp. The two main things to remember are to cleanse the scalp and moisturize the scalp. You can do a bi-weekly treatment like applying scalp oil and using a conditioner that hydrates without leaving behind residue and weighing hair down.

Use Hair Care Products That Are Gentle on Your Scalp

This is a big one. You want to avoid harsh sudsing agents that will strip your hair and cause scalp sensitivity. We recommend clean-beauty, holistic products that will nourish your hair with gentle but effective plant nutrients and botanical lipids. Try Hair La Vie Shampoo and Conditioner, packed with keratin, silk amino acids, marula oil, and horsetail extract. The lightweight conditioner can be used directly on the scalp to add hydration and nourish both the scalp and hair follicles.

Wash Your Hair Less Often

Finding the right balance for hair cleansing while maintaining moisture is essential. It may differ for each person slightly; however, most hair professionals recommend against washing your hair daily. Every other day is better, if not every third day. This will give your hair a chance to feel comfortable, not stripped or worse—cracked and flaky. Another tip is to be extra gentle with how you wash your hair by not scrubbing too harshly. Just use the same pressure you would as washing your face, and be sure to only use the pads of your fingertips, never your nails.

Take Supplements

Taking supplements can fortify the health of your scalp and nourish the follicles. An omega supplement is great to maintain skin elasticity. We recommend increasing antioxidants like vitamin C and adding prebiotics as well. Antioxidants will minimize common oxidative stress and benefit whole-body wellness. Prebiotics are great to help maintain a healthy gut microbiome, which supports our skin and hair health as well. That’s why we love our Hair La Vie Foundation Collagen Elixir with prebiotics, cleansing ginger, and potent vitamin c. It really is your all-in-one beauty beverage!

Do a Pre-Shampoo Treatment

One way to balance a stressed scalp caught in a cycle of dryness and over oiliness is to apply a pre-shampoo treatment like hair oil. We love applying a few drops of our Hair La Vie Pure Argan Oil directly to the scalp for 15-20 mins before we shampoo. You can work it through the hair as well for added hydration. It will immediately moisturize any dryness, calm the scalp, and leave hair glistening.

Another pre-shampoo treatment is a scalp exfoliation. This is best for flaky scalps and/or hair that is shorter, and perhaps uses waxy products that leave build up. You can also use a liquid salicylic acid exfoliant to clarify, or make a simple DIY exfoliant by mixing a pinch of salt into your hair oil and gently buffing away debris. 

Try a Scalp Massage

Scalp massage is a great way to not only relax and unwind, but stimulate circulation to the scalp and hair follicles. This regular circulation will invigorate the scalp by delivering fresh, oxygenated blood and nutrients to the follicles. By now we know—thick healthy hair comes from healthy supported hair follicles. This is a great method to encourage and promote natural hair growth.

Final Thoughts

Now that you’re armed with the basics of scalp care, you can put your best head of hair forward! Help your hair stay lustrous and strong by giving some much needed TLC to your scalp. We hope you’re informed and ready to nurture your scalp as part of your hair-care wellness and self-care. Practicing self-care really does mean pampering yourself from head to toe, so why not start at the top?