Many of us, without a second thought, splurge on a variety of facial products, such as sunscreens, toners, serums, scrubs, moisturisers, and cleansers. But have we ever spared a thought for the skin beneath our hair? We tend to forget that even our scalp is made up of skin, too. The truth is, scalp care is just as important as, if not more so than, even our locks.

So, let’s find out what exactly scalp care is and what makes it so different from hair care that we need to specially incorporate a routine just for it.

What Is Scalp Care?

Scalp care is all about exfoliating, protecting, nourishing, and deep cleansing the skin beneath your hair. Your skin glows right after a facial session and similarly, the scalp freshens up right after a care routine.

1. Why Is It Necessary?

Hair care, as it is called, is solely for the protection of your tresses. This routine only cleanses, treats damaged cuticles and dryness, and seals moisture into your cuticles. Its primary duty is to address the concerns of your locks. But most of the time, it does not benefit your scalp. You need to pay special attention to it through the right medium.

2. Signs You Might Need It

Not sure where to begin? Well, you can start by assessing whether your scalp is in need of some good ol’ TLC. Keep an eye out for signs that it might need a thorough cleanse post-haste, starting with these ones:

• Hair loss
• Irritation
• Dryness
• Flakiness
• Redness
• Itchiness

What Is An Ideal Scalp Care Regimen?

Any decent scalp care regimen begins by adding some new habits into your wellness routine. Let’s go through them step by step:

1. Use The Right Products

Find the right shampoo and conditioner. If you’re unsure where to begin, feel free to approach our highly trained team for recommendations. It’s important not to shop for them at random, but rather look at their qualities and ingredients. They should be geared towards your specific scalp problems and hair type to minimise product build-up. With so much to look out for, our hairstylists can take that burden off your shoulders. They would know precisely what to look out for, keeping an eye for products with labels such as:

• Normal hair
• Dry and damaged hair
• Oily hair
• Deep-cleansing
• Medicated

2. Wash Hair Thoroughly

Cleansing regularly gets rid of any accumulation of natural build-up or dirt due to frequent use of products such as spray, gels, and oil. For many, washing their hair three times a week is ideal. Wash it every alternate day should you have oily hair and every three to four days if you have damaged hair. To begin, wet your tresses using lukewarm water as it helps to open up your cuticles and then lather in your shampoo. Avoid scrubbing your head with your nails while doing so, though, as it might cause abrasions, leading to infection. You can also treat yourself by heading down to our salon for a premium wash and blow to rid your crowning glory of all build-up.

3. Gentle Massage

There are tiny blood vessels carrying oxygen and vital nutrients to your tissues on your head. A gentle massage whenever you lather in the bath or shower can help promote blood circulation within these vessels. To do so, spend five to 10 minutes massaging it once a week, using gentle circular motions. Consider getting a professional massage that comes with a salon-grade wash and blow for complete indulgence.

4. Exfoliation and Nourishing Mask

Exfoliation is key. Weekly exfoliation boosts skin cell turnover, which can help clear clogged hair follicles, bacteria, and dead skin. In between hair appointments, you can use a soft bristle brush or glove to massage in a suitable exfoliating product. This detoxification process will create an optimal environment for healthy hair growth. Remember to complement this with an application of a nourishing mask to deeply condition after every exfoliation process.

5. In-Salon Treatment

Most importantly, not everyone is equipped with the right exfoliation or head massage techniques or a range of salon-worthy products for their own use. For unmatched care, be sure to head over to a premium hair salon such as ours for a luxurious cleanse. A professional treatment will entitle you to an all-rounded experience, from the benefits of proper technique to high-quality products. You can easily put aside your worries and simply relax. A salon treatment will not only focus on exfoliation, but also treat these issues:

• Hair loss
• Oiliness
• Dry
• Dandruff
• Itchiness
• Sensitivity

Reason #1: Cleanliness

Now that we know what encompasses a proper care ritual, let’s move on to the reasons and benefits of taking that extra effort. First up is cleanliness.

Scalp care involves exfoliation, which cleans up unwanted dirt from your skin’s first layer. It is important to keep your scalp free of the following concerns:

1. Dandruff Formation

Dandruff can arise due to multiple factors — two of them include the accumulation of natural build-up and usage of unsuitable hair products. With the former, new skin cells grow to replace the dead, old cells, but slow shedding leads to this build-up, causing flakes known as dandruff. Exfoliation can prevent such an unsightly, embarrassing condition. Using the wrong hair care products, on the other hand, can cause your skin to react adversely, which can also show up as dandruff. A good cleanse can address such an issue.

2. Excessive Sebum

Sebum is a natural, waxy oil secreted from the glands beneath your skin. It protects your head from infection and keeps it moist. But changes in hormonal levels in your body can cause the glands to release more oil than needed. The excess oil then gets locked into your follicles if you neglect proper care, causing them to clog. Your first sign of sebum accumulation is an oily head surface. The second is skin that feels bumpy to the touch, along with dandruff.

3. Sweat Accumulation

If you are someone with an active lifestyle or naturally sweats more than others, do note that sweat also adds to the above natural build-up. This sweat will accumulate if you do not wash it off frequently, leaving behind greasy locks and odour.

Reason #2: Protection

Our scalp skin is just as vulnerable as our facial skin. Beneath the surface, both are essentially the same, but above the surface, there is usually one obvious difference — longer and thicker hair. This makes your head prone to more problems than your face, and it is the reason why it needs special care to prevent any of the following:

1. Infection

Bacteria and yeast thrive in dark, warm, and humid places. The roots of your tresses create such an environment, perfect for these organisms to breed in the follicles or enter damaged skin. Habitually plucking or shaving, frequently touching the head or wearing tight headgear can encourage more of these to enter. This can eventually lead to an uncomfortable condition called folliculitis, where a clogged follicle gets infected. That is why exfoliation is imperative in any decent care routine. If left untreated, dead skin, oil, and sweat will continue to clog your follicles and even cause inflammation. That, in turn, sometimes results in infection, forming crusty sores, which will sooner or later lead to balding.

2. Complications Due to Sunburn

The scalp remains as one of the main spots where sunburn happens. Your head is easily exposed to the damaging UV rays on our sunny island. Signs of sun damage include redness, tenderness, and even small blisters. To mitigate the sun’s harmful effects, do the following:

• Invest in professional treatments
• Adopt a routine to apply nourishing masks at home and salons
• Begin adorning hats

3. Chemical Damage

As your hair condition changes, you may swap shampoos and conditioners or use sprays, gels, serums, and home care treatments to rejuvenate your locks. You may also go for treatments that involve chemicals, such as perming, straightening or colouring, to improve the look of your locks and boost your confidence. Unfortunately, the chemicals found in these products and treatments can dry out or irritate your scalp without proper care.

4. pH Level Imbalance

A healthy scalp should have a pH level that is between four and five. This value can go up or down whenever we frequently expose it to chemical content in certain products, causing pH level imbalance. Those of you who use multiple products on your tresses will thus require a professional to balance out this pH level with a cleanse. Restoring optimum pH values will then keep bacteria and fungus away by tightening your pores. It also makes your locks stronger. An imbalanced pH level, on the other hand, damages your tresses and leads to hair fall.

5. Lack of Moisture

Dry skin is also a known main cause of scalp issues. Your skin produces natural oils that keep it moisturised and supple, and without enough of it, the skin becomes dry and damaged. Washing your locks way too many times than needed will result in loss of natural oils. You can also worsen matters when you use hot water to shower instead of lukewarm water or have a habit of excessive blow-drying. Frequent blow-drying using high heat will dry out your supple skin. Speak with our dependable team to find out how frequently you should wash your hair or blow-dry to protect your locks from moisture loss.

Reason #3: Healthy Hair Growth

Healthy hair growth needs a good base to begin with. Keep your scalp strong by optimising the results of your professional treatment with a healthy lifestyle. A well-balanced diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables may help the skin produce new, healthy cells. Feel free to add more organic products to your daily routine, too. For example, you may add coconut oil, jojoba oil, and aloe vera to moisturise the entire surface of your head including your locks. These may aid in relieving dry scalp quickly.

Here’s how proper care can do wonders for your mane:

1. Promote Cell Turnover

A clean scalp will first promote good cell turnover. You can keep it clean with proper care, beginning with exfoliation to remove dead skin cells from around the follicles. In return, fresh cells are generated within them, creating an optimal environment for healthy hair growth.

2. Prevent Balding

As you age, your scalp loses its ability to maintain healthy follicles. The number of hair follicles and cell regeneration rate within them will eventually diminish. Your scalp will also lose its ability to retain moisture, and the veins within it will not distribute nutrients to and detoxify the follicle as effectively. But you can keep any resultant damage in check by manual exfoliation. Without it, the follicles will remain blocked, causing hair fall or baldness.

3. Improve Blood Circulation

Blood circulation performs an important task: deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. Like any other part of your body, your follicles depend on good blood circulation to be healthy. Caring for your scalp with a good massage will help your blood vessels to work more efficiently to promote healthier hair growth.

Conclusion

What will be more beneficial than clean, comfortable, flake-free tresses? Kick-start your new routine with professional guidance to ensure that your locks and scalp are both well taken care of. Book an appointment with us now to incorporate an intensive premium treatment into your lifestyle changes.

Always remember that your scalp is the primary reason for your locks to look fantastic. Thus, ensure that caring for it is a priority in your life. And then you will not have to worry about unhealthy, weak locks in your life again!