Ladies, when was the last time you detoxed your scalp?
No, we’re not talking about the last time you thoroughly shampooed and conditioned your hair. Just like the skin that covers your body, the skin that covers the top of your head absorbs everything that’s applied to it. And over time, this debris builds up, where it can ultimately wreak havoc on your scalp’s delicate microbiome — aka, a community of itty-bitty microorganisms that reside on the scalp.
Like your skin microbiome, your scalp’s microbiome is its first line of defense against outside elements, which means that keeping it in check is of the utmost importance to the overall health of your hair. In other words, if you’re hoping for locks that are as luscious as they are healthy, you’ll need to start with your scalp.
This is where a scalp detox can help. Interested in learning more? Love Wellness has your back! Read on as we explore hair health to uncover why a scalp detox is vital for healthy hair.
What Exactly Is a Scalp Detox?
Simply put, a scalp detox — aka, “scalp cleanse” or “hair detox” — is a deep cleanse of the scalp that helps remove buildup from products, processing, pollutants, bacteria, dirt, hard water, sweat, grime, and oil.
Similar to exfoliating the skin, scalp detoxing involves applying cleansing ingredients to the scalp to draw out impurities, boost hydration, and restore shine and luster to hair.
More often than not, a clarifying shampoo can do the trick, but if you have super thick hair, you may want to consider using a scalp brush, too. This coveted beauty tool will not only massage your roots as you wash, but it’ll ensure that the product you’re using is really getting down to where it needs to be, too.
What Are the Benefits of a Scalp Detox?
By detoxing your scalp, you help rid the skin on your head of all the icky chemicals and pollutants that have built up on it — both from products and just day-to-day life! By nixing the bad stuff, your hair will be ready to thrive.
Detoxing your scalp offers many benefits, including:
Benefit #1: Stimulate Hair Follicles
All the toxic residue on your scalp can close off the follicle and dry out the hair, ultimately causing it to become brittle. By removing this buildup, the hair follicles get stimulated, supporting the growth of new hair and increasing thickness.
Pro Tip: For fuller, thicker hair, pair your scalp detox with Healthy Hair Probiotics. This powerful blend of full-spectrum probiotic strains and nutrients supports stronger, shinier, and thicker-looking hair from within.*
Simply take one capsule daily to support hair growth, hair strength, and hair health. What’s not to love?
Benefit #2: Boost Hair Growth
When your hair follicles are clogged and unhealthy, it can slow down hair growth tremendously. By detoxing the scalp, you can reach deep within the pores and cleanse them to allow the growth of new, healthy hair.
Benefit #3: Reduce Dandruff
A dirty scalp is one of the most common culprits behind dandruff. You see, your scalp is a moist environment that promotes the growth of bacteria. Pollutants, dead skin cells, dirt, and other debris catalyze the growth of these unfriendly microbes, which can lead to itchiness, acne, and infection.
Fortunately, detoxing the skin on your head can help wash away the bad bacteria and balance pH for an itch-free and happy scalp.
Benefit #4: Improve Texture and Strength
All the environmental damage your hair goes through on a daily basis can weigh it down immensely. This can cause an imbalance of oil levels in the scalp, leaving your strands looking dull, dry, and flat.
A scalp detox curbs the effect of problem-causing elements from the roots, helping to improve texture and strengthen the hair strands near the follicles.
Benefit #5: Reduce Hair Fall
Thanks to a number of factors — such as poor diet, stress, and pollutants — many adults face hair loss.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), losing around 50 to 100 strands of hair in a single day is normal. Still, hair loss can become a bit concerning when you start to shed too much, too often. Clogged follicles are usually to blame.
Detoxing the scalp can help flush out the toxins clogging the follicles. It also enables better blood circulating at the hair bulb, encouraging new strands to grow.
When combined with a well-balanced diet and our Healthy Hair Probiotics, scalp detoxing just might be able to reduce hair fall.*
What Are the Telltale Signs You Need a Scalp Detox?
So, how can you tell if you should detox your scalp? While performing regular scalp and hair care is essential —regardless of the condition of your locks — here are some of the telltale signs that the skin on the top of your head may benefit from a detox:
Sign #1: Your Scalp Is Itchy
Can’t stop, won’t stop scratching your scalp? Often, scalp itchiness is the first sign of residue buildup — and it’s especially common among dry-shampoo users. While there are a number of awesome benefits to using dry shampoo, it’s important to remember that it’s not a replacement for properly washing your hair.
You see, dry shampoo works by absorbing — not removing — all the oils in your hair, which can quickly overload the strands and irritate the scalp. When that happens, one of the only things that may help is a scalp detox to rid the skin of residue.
Sign #2: You’ve Lost Your Shine
Shiny and healthy hair often go hand in hand, so when that envy-worthy gloss is gone, you know something’s up. And that something is — you guessed it — buildup. This is especially prevalent in curly hair types as they tend to require more styling products, which deposit more agents on the hair.
Sign #3: It’s Winter
Dealing with flakes, dryness, and irritation? Blame the weather — especially the cold that comes with winter. When not exfoliated, dry, flakey skin can build up on the scalp and clog pores. A scalp detox can not only buff away the flakes but also restore moisture and balance for healthy and hydrated hair.
Sign #4: Your Hair Smells (and not good!)
This may seem obvious to some, but a healthy scalp should never smell. If you notice an unfavorable odor coming from the top of your head, it could indicate oil and sweat buildup that needs to be removed by a good scalp detox.
Sign #5: Your Scalp is Extra Oily
Not to get confused with shiny hair, an oily scalp is usually a sign of imbalance. Overactive sebum glands on your skin produce excess oil, which can quickly lead to a buildup at the roots of your hair strands and clog pores. A scalp detox can help to unclog those pores and balance oil levels.
Sign #6: You Started a New Diet
Did you know that the average human adult has around five million pores on their body? Yup, it’s true — and when you start a new diet or change your lifestyle, toxins are expelled through these pores, including the large ones on top of your head.
Thankfully, detoxing your scalp can help soothe the irritation and boost the detox process by washing away all the toxins and impurities left on the skin.
How Do You Detox Your Scalp?
Ready to detox your scalp for healthy, lustrous locks? You can use many products to deep cleanse your skin, such as a good clarifying shampoo. You can also make an appointment with your hairstylist, who can detox your scalp. But if you’d rather go the all-natural route, many clean ingredients are good for scalp detoxing, too:
- Apple Cider Vinegar — This popular type of vinegar is rich in balancing alkaline nutrients that are ideal for the scalp’s pH level, which should be around 5.5. It also contains hair-lovin’ components like vitamin B and vitamin C.
- Ginger — This powerful plant helps improve the circulation of the scalp while also stimulating each hair follicle, which in turn supports natural hair growth. Additionally, ginger contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, all of which are great for the skin.
- Aloe Vera — The proteolytic enzymes in aloe vera may break down dead skin cells and promote healing. It also has conditioning and anti-itch properties that might be beneficial for a dry and itchy scalp.
- Bentonite Clay — Loaded with pore-purifying and oil-banishing minerals, this coveted clay is wonderful for clarifying the scalp. It binds to sebum, heavy metals, and impurities so they can be rinsed out with ease.
A Final Word
Your scalp contains thousands of little pores that provide a direct passageway to your bloodstream. By subjecting your hair to harsh chemicals, icky pollutants, and nasty ingredients, your scalp reacts — understandably — in a negative way. You may experience itchiness, dandruff, and irritation on your scalp, and your hair may become dry, lifeless, and flat. When this happens, resetting your scalp with a nourishing scalp detox can help to restore and rejuvenate your locks.
In addition to detoxing your scalp, we recommend taking our doctor-developed Healthy Hair Probiotic Supplement daily to support the gut-scalp connection, giving you thicker-looking and shinier hair from the inside out.*
Combine with Good Girl Probiotics, Clear Skin Probiotics, and Gut Feelings Probiotics for complete microbiome care.*
Here at Love Wellness, we’re on a mission to bring natural solutions for natural problems to the masses. Whether you’re experiencing an itchy scalp or itchiness down there, you can always count on us to have just what you need to feel your best.
Sources:
How Many Pores Are On The Human Body | Realonomics
Do you have hair loss or hair shedding? | American Academy of Dermatology
Role of the Scalp Microbiome in Health and Disease: Malassezia, Friend or Foe? | TRI