You lovely readers had a lot of questions about our blog on salicylic acid which lead to a general conversation about scalp exfoliation so we thought we'd delve a little deeper on this topic today. Along with the best DIY scalp scrubs and exfoliators that we've tested out below.
Why exfoliate your scalp?
Scalp exfoliation can come in many forms and we'll cover them all today. But first, why do it at all? Your body naturally replaces dead skin cells with new, live ones, but those on your scalp can tend to get a little more trapped or clogged because of the presence of your hair. If you've ever exfoliated any other part of your body you know the difference it can make to the softness and cleanliness of your skin. Exactly the same is true of your scalp.
Scalp exfoliation is also an excellent way to invigorate your scalp and add a bit of mindfulness into your hair care routine. It can be an enjoyable experience for almost anyone however, scalp exfoliation may be especially beneficial for those with the following conditions:
- dandruff
- dry skin
- oily hair
Scalp exfoliation can be part of your regular hair care routine, but not part of your daily routine. Just as you wouldn't want anything too abrasive on your skin every day, you don't want to over-exfoliate your scalp. We wouldn't recommend more than once a week.
You should exfoliate your scalp just after shampooing, when the hair is still wet. Separate your hair into sections and apply your exfoliation scrub using your fingertips. You can also use an exfoliation brush or glove should you wish. If using a physical exfoliant, rub gently in small circular motions with your finger tips - do not scratch with your nails.
Here are a few DIY scalp scrubs. As always, we wouldn't suggest them without testing them ourselves first, so check below for our verdict!
1. Salt, ground oats and olive oil scrub (best for dry hair)
To make this exfoliator mix:
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons oats, finely ground
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
The sugar-oats combination creates a physical exfoliant to help thoroughly clean your scalp. Use on dry hair before shampooing as the olive oil will repell the water. Gently massage into scalp and leave for 10-15 minutes. The olive oil will help lock in moisture and sooth your scalp. After rinsing out, shampoo (probably twice) to make sure all the oil is removed.
Lizzy and Tina's verdict:
This one was not easy to put on and even harder to wash out. The oil didn't love my low porosity/ thick/ oily hair and it felt very sticky when I was trying to wash it out. I had to shampoo lots of times before I felt like my hair was properly 'clean'. It was also quite hard to spread over my scalp properly meaning that I don't think my whole scalp got the full treatment. That being said, it did exfoliate my scalp quite well and didn't leave my hair feeling heavy afterwards which I was worried about given the oil content.
My hair felt light afterwards and my scalp thoroughly cleansed and fresh. My hair also had good body at the roots which I am surprised by as I thought the oil might weigh it down.
Overall, I wouldn't use this again as it was so hard to apply and wash out again, but with drier/ thinner hair, this might work a treat!
2. Aspirin scrub (best for finer or oilier hair)
To make an aspirin scrub, mix:
- 6 to 8 aspirin crushed to a powder
- 4 tablespoons warm water
Aspirin contains salicylic acid, a chemical exfoliant. Crush the aspirin and dissolve in warm water. Gently rub the past over your scalp after shampooing and before conditioning. Leave for 5-10 minutes and rinse thoroughly.
Exfoliating can be a little stronger than your standard hair care routine, so take care with it. Your scalp might feel a little more sensitive after an exfoliating treatment and you may want to keep out of strong sunlight straight after.
You should also avoid exfoliating your scalp if you have any of the following:
- an active infection, such as ringworm
- an open cut or sore
- lice
Always use DIY treatments with caution, especially if you have a sensitive scalp.
3 comments
Hi Andrew,
So lovely to hear you enjoy reading the blogs :) that’s really made our day!
Yes absolutely we will look at editing the format to black text (it shouldn’t be too hard, although sometimes these technical things take longer than we imagine!)
As for your questions:
1) The test is really simple. All you have to do is take a strand of clean hair and place it in a bowl of water. If your hair sinks quickly it’s high porosity, if it floats, it’s low porosity.
2) As for the oils, I don’t think almond oil would work as a replacement for the rosemary unfortunately. You could try a peppermint oil, tea tree oil, eucalyptus or just leave it out altogether. Rosemary oil has shown some promise in helping hair growth, and the others have different, but still beneficial properties but none are essential for the exfoliation if that makes sense?
Almond oil is lovely to use on the hair, very hydrating and strengthening, but might be a bit heavy to use as part of an exfoliant scrub. That being said, it certainly won’t do your hair any damage – it will just take more shampooing to properly rinse it out!
Would love to know how you get on?
P.s yes, unfortunately our French isn’t as up to scratch as it should be, so thank you for translating it into English for us!
Sorry, just remembered that you are in UK, so my previous message in French perhaps escaped you. I just asked if you could do your messages in black, so that they could be more visible. At the moment it’s not that easy to read them, and I enjoy reading them.
As regards the coffee, rosemary and apple cider vinegar scrub, I have two questions.
1) how can I tell if my hair is low porosity or not?
2) I do not have any rosemary oil but I do have almond oil that I rarely use. Could this be an acceptable replacement? I’d love not to have to buy another lot of oil if possible!
Ce serait beaucoup plus facile de lire vos articles si vous changiez la police en noir. J’aime bien lire vos articles mais ce serait mieux s’ils étaient plus foncés.
Merci !