You’ve probably noticed the new beauty trend that has recently been making waves on social media. Scalp care is all the rage now, with people raving about how giving their scalp a little TLC has been transformational for their mane.

Is this a trend to buy into? Most definitely. Scalp health is directly linked to the health of your hair. The healthier your scalp feels, the healthier your hair will look, making it well worth learning how to give your scalp the care that it needs. 

Read on as Evalectric talks you through the basics of scalp health, along with how you can look after your scalp in the best way possible.

The Importance of Scalp Health

First things first; scalp care is nothing new. While you may have only recently noticed all of the scalp-related hashtags on TikTok, cultures all over the world have been focusing on scalp health for centuries. After all, the hair begins at the scalp, so it only makes sense that the two are intertwined. 

To get more specific, your scalp is home to roughly 100,000 follicles, with each follicle producing a single hair. Those same follicles are also responsible for sebum production. This is the natural oil that keeps the scalp moisturized and lubricated, while also protecting the skin on the scalp from bacteria and infection. A healthy scalp will produce just the right amount of sebum, whereas an unhealthy scalp may produce too much or too little.

Just like the skin on the rest of your face and body, your scalp also has its own microbiome. This plays a significant role in determining scalp health. Research shows that if that delicate microbiome is disrupted for whatever reason, a number of different issues can arise, including dandruff, atopic dermatitis, and seborrheic dermatitis. 

Once these problems start to occur, it’s not just scalp health that will suffer – the health of your hair will be affected too. You’ll likely experience roughness, brittleness, frequent breakages, a lack of shine, and even premature thinning and hair loss.

How to Take Care of Your Scalp

If your hair and scalp have been feeling less than perfect lately, then this is a sign that it’s time to up your scalp care game. How? By following these steps:

Be Gentle When Shampooing Your Hair

Do you scrub your scalp when applying your shampoo? It’s a habit that many people are guilty of, simply because it can often feel as though the scrubbing action helps to provide a more thorough cleanse. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case at all…

Instead, harshly scrubbing your scalp can lead to irritation and abrasions. There’s more chance of disrupting your scalp’s microbiome if you’re overly rough with it. If you want to prioritize scalp health, then this starts with being gentle with your scalp when shampooing it. Massage your shampoo into your scalp, rather than using your nails to scrub it in. Not only is this far gentler, but a quick massage will also help to boost circulation in your scalp, which will improve scalp health.

Speaking of being gentle when shampooing…

The shampoo that you use will have a huge influence on how healthy your scalp feels. There are a number of common ingredients out there that can potentially harm the scalp, so pick a formula that’s gentle and moisturizing, just like Evalectric’s Moisturizing Shampoo. Infused with argan oil, this shampoo, which is suitable for all hair types, will leave both your hair and your scalp feeling soft and soothed.

Don’t Wash Your Hair Too Often

How often you wash your hair should depend on your hair type, as well as your lifestyle. For example, someone with oily hair who sweats a lot will need to wash their hair more often than someone with a dry or sensitive scalp who spends most of the day indoors. Assessing your hair’s needs is vital when it comes to maintaining scalp health because over-washing your hair can be extremely detrimental to this.

How? 

Because each time you wash your hair, you’re removing the sebum that your scalp has produced. As we mentioned earlier, this sebum is essential for keeping your scalp moisturized and maintaining scalp health.

Ideally, you should only be washing your hair once this sebum has built up and actually needs to be reduced. For those with a naturally oily scalp, this could mean washing your hair every other day. Don’t be tempted to overdo this and wash your locks every day instead, as removing too much of that precious sebum will only encourage your scalp to ramp up oil production, leaving your hair and scalp even oilier as a result. 

If you have a dry scalp, then you’ll need to wash your hair less than this. You should be trying to preserve as much of that sebum as possible since your dry scalp will be desperate for as much moisture as it can get.  

Add a Hair Oil or Scalp Serum to Your Hair Care Routine

In order for your scalp to feel as healthy as possible, it needs plenty of moisture. This holds true for the skin everywhere else on the face and body too – moisture is a must in order for the cells to thrive.

How do you give your scalp the moisture that it needs?

That’s where hair oils and scalp serums come in. These contain ingredients designed to balance out your scalp’s microbiome to promote scalp health. Some ingredients, such as lavender and rosemary, are also believed to encourage hair growth too.

Wondering if you can use your regular hair serum on your scalp?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Hair serums, like the Evalectric Hair Serum, are formulated to leave your strands feeling silky and fortified. They contain ingredients that are most beneficial to the ends of your hair. Apply these to your scalp and you’ll likely end up with clogged follicles while also disrupting your scalp’s microbiome. Hair serums are fantastic for promoting glossier locks and for helping with styling, but, when it comes to your scalp, always opt for a scalp-specific product.

Exfoliate Your Scalp Every Week or Two

Chances are that you already regularly exfoliate your face and body. After all, it’s no secret that exfoliation is one of the keys to a healthy complexion. It clears away dead skin cells and excess sebum while removing blockages from pores and follicles, leaving the skin looking and feeling so much healthier. 

Well, the same applies to scalp health too. Exfoliating your scalp helps to remove excess sebum, dead skin cells, product buildup, pollutants, and more. It will clear away any grime that’s blocking your hair follicles. This not only allows the scalp to properly breathe but also enables new hairs to emerge without any problems. 

How should you be exfoliating your scalp?

There are plenty of different options out there, from scalp scrubs to exfoliating brushes. Whichever you end up choosing, don’t forget to be gentle. Overdoing the scalp exfoliation could cause your hair to snap at the roots.

The same applies to exfoliating too often. Although you may exfoliate your face a couple of times a week, your scalp doesn’t need this. Instead, aim to exfoliate your scalp once every week or two, or simply save it for when your scalp feels as though it needs some extra TLC.

Protect Your Scalp From Sun Damage

Just like the skin on your face and body, the skin on your scalp is also vulnerable to sun damage. When left unprotected in the face of UV rays, the skin on the scalp can turn red, flaky, and rough. This, in turn, will affect the health of your hair.

How do you keep your scalp protected from the sun?

While there are now several scalp sunscreens that you could buy, these aren’t strictly necessary. Instead, simply keeping your scalp covered with a UV-blocking hat will do the trick. If your hat isn’t made from a specific UV-blocking material, hold it up to the sun to see how much light penetrates through. If you can see light shining in, then this means that your hat isn’t thick enough to block UV rays from hitting your hair, as well as your scalp.

Avoiding UV rays when they’re at their strongest would also be a wise move. This usually tends to be between 11 am and 3 pm, although this can vary depending on your location. Nevertheless, your scalp, as well as your hair and the rest of your skin, will thank you for staying in the shade when the sun is at its most damaging.

Avoid Hot and Steamy Showers

There’s no denying how relaxing it can feel to spend some time standing under a hot and steamy shower. However, if you do this regularly, you’re causing some serious damage to your scalp, along with the rest of your skin.

How?

Because hot water is infamous for how it strips away the skin’s sebum, and this includes the sebum that your scalp produces. This leaves the scalp, along with the rest of your skin, dry and dehydrated. As you can imagine, it won’t take long for this to trigger other scalp issues. 

If you want to maintain scalp health as much as possible, turn the water temperature down to lukewarm when you’re showering. It may not feel quite as satisfying but it will do the world of good for your scalp, as well as the rest of your skin.

Add More Omega-3s and Antioxidants to Your Diet

Just like when it comes to the rest of your skin, the food that you eat plays a huge role in determining scalp health. If you want to nurture your scalp, then adjusting your diet is a great way to do so.

For starters, add in more omega-3 fatty acids. Oily fish, walnuts, chia seeds, flax, and spinach are great sources of the nutrient. Not only will this help to keep your scalp feeling soft, supple, and healthy, but it will also boost your scalp’s microbiome.

Antioxidants are key too. These will help to negate the visibility of oxidative damage. When this occurs on the scalp, it can lead to hair loss, making antioxidants absolutely vital.

Summary

If your hair and scalp haven’t been feeling their best, then it would be well worth prioritizing scalp care for a while. Whether this means altering your hair-washing routine, adjusting your diet, or following any of the other scalp health tips that we’ve shared, giving your scalp the love that it deserves will quickly pay off big time when it comes to how thick, glossy, and healthy your hair looks.

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