5 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Scalp - Creating a Scalp Care Regimen to Grow Health Natural Hair
Hi Curl Friends! It’s been a while since I’ve published a natural hair blog and there’s no better time than now because for the month of December we’re talking building solid foundation for healthy hair. It’s no secret that great hair and popping curls starts at the scalp. I believe scalp care doesn’t get enough attention in the hair world, especially for natural hair care. We spend a lot of time buying products for our hair and skin from curl creams to body butters, but when’s the last time you purchased a product for your scalp? Since cutting off my curls, scalp care has been my new focused and now that it’s cold outside, I’m even more concerned with my scalp. Some of you may be asking “is scalp care really that important to healthy hair?” The answer is yes! Did you know that our scalp is an extension of the face? The same multistep skincare routines that make great skin can also make all the difference for hair health. Hair professionals and salons are now expanding services to include luxurious specialized scalp treatments focusing on messaging and exfoliations formulated to cleanse, moisturize and nourish the scalp to combat aging and alleviate problems such as itchiness, redness and dandruff. Given this, it is imperative that we show our scalps extra tender, love, and care. Below are a few ways you can begin to shower your scalp with extra TLC while building a great foundation for healthy hair.
Scalp Exfoliation
Exfoliating the scalp is the same as exfoliating your face. Exfoliating the scalp has many benefits like removing build up that can block hair follicles from absorbing water or products. Using a scalp exfoliator consistently allows for a healthy environment for hair growth by removing dead skin cells on the scalp and encourage cell turnover. If you’re experiencing lack luster curls, take a closer look at your scalp care. I recently tried TPH by Taraji Never Salty Scalp Scrub and when I tell you my scalp felt like heaven, HEAVEN! Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Wash Your Hair with Shampoo
Now, I know Co-washing is a hot topic within the natural hair community, so hear me out. Yes, co-washing is great for moisture retention, but co-washing does not cleanse our scalp or remove product build-up. This is why its important that we use shampoo to wash our hair and scalps. I’m not saying to never co-wash, but what I am saying is that every so often, our scalp and hair needs to be washed with shampoo. If stripping moisture is a concern, make sure you’re using a sulfate-free shampoo like one of my personal favs, Crème of Nature Clay and Charcoal Shampoo. Sometimes our curls can reject product, or perhaps a product that worked wonders on your is no longer working; if this is the case, you may need to shampoo your hair. When it comes to shampooing, its important to understand what your hair needs. For some, shampooing once per week works, for others it may be once a month with co-washing in between.
Steam Treatments
Steaming is one of the best things you can do for your scalp and hair. Hair steaming uses moist heat to open your hair follicles and pores allowing for deeper moisture (water) absorption. The steaming process unclogs pores in the scalp while allowing toxins from the scalp to be released so that it can be purified. A clean purified scalp may help increase collagen production and blood flow to the scalp. I hair steam weekly even with short hair. You can shop my King Hair Steamer on my Amazon store.
Scalp Messages
Who doesn’t love a nice scalp message? Besides the amazing feeling a scalp message brings, other benefits include improved circulation to the head and neck, and hair growth. In fact, studies show scalp message can increase hair thickness by stretching living hair follicle cells and stimulating them to produce thicker individual hair. So on your next wash day, spend a few extra minutes messaging your scalp.
Oil Your Scalp
Remember the days when your mom used to grease your scalp with Blue Magic? (yes, I’m clearly showing my age) Well, its time to get back to greasing our scalp; of course, with way better products like Jojoba Oil, Peppermint Oil, Almond Oil, Boabab Oil, or my personal favorite, Vatika Oil which you can shop on my Amazon store. Benefits of oiling your scalp include restore moisture, protect hair follicles, and prevent hair loss.