Scalp Exfoliation

Benefits, How-Tos, and Products Explained

While many think of skincare as for the face, it’s actually critical to remember that skincare applies to the skin all over the body. Yes, this means don’t forget your body scrubs, lotions, creams, and oils, but there’s another area of skin that often still gets overlooked — your scalp.

As much as it seems like common sense to exfoliate the dead, rough skin off of your face and body, did you know you need to regularly exfoliate your scalp to have healthy hair follicles? Scalp exfoliation helps with hair growth, shine, and moisture balance, but skipping out on it can lead to dry hair, buildup, and stunted growth.

The way the hair cycle works is that hair sheds and regrows many times throughout your life. It has four phases that categorize the process — growth to eventual hair fall out — of each individual strand.

The anagen phase is the growth phase when hair follicles grow out from the root. The scalp’s health plays a major role in this process — too much dry skin can impact hair growth, as well as not enough moisture or nutrients.

It’s important to exfoliate and condition your scalp as part of hair care to meet your hair goals, whether that is growth, strength, shine, or general health. Let’s talk more in-depth about the benefits of exfoliation and how you can encourage scalp health.

What Are the Benefits of Scalp Exfoliation?

As you wash and condition your hair, use hair products, style it with hair tools, and go through everyday life, your strands — and, more specifically, your scalp — can begin to slip into a state of decline. You know that if you don’t use protective and nurturing products on your hair, like quality shampoos and conditioners, your hair may become oily or dry and will lack benefits from vitamins and nutrients.

However, even using the right products can lead to scalp buildup.

People often overlook the fact that over time, the skin cells on your head will stack up. This is caused by regular life, such as product buildup, age, skin conditions, or weather creating dryness.

Dandruff is little flakes of dry skin coming off of the scalp, caused by various factors. A dry scalp can lead to the main symptom of dandruff — flaky skin — but it is caused by a lack of moisture in the scalp. This can also be due to stress, as well as using too many products that strip essential oils.

You likely need some scalp exfoliation if you exhibit any of the symptoms of product buildup, including oily hair (especially at the roots), dandruff and excess scalp/hair dryness, or an itchy scalp. Also, if your hair doesn’t seem to grow at a regular pace, this is another key sign that the natural hair cycle isn’t operating as it should.

So, what are the benefits of regular scalp exfoliation when you notice it’s time for a refresh?

Aids With Oil Control

Like other parts of your skin, your scalp produces sebum, a natural oil that moisturizes. In your facial skin, too much sebum can lead to oily skin, clogged pores, and breakouts. The same is true with the skin on your head — excess oil leads to greasy roots, weighed-down hair, and even clogged hair follicles, ingrown hair follicles that deter hair growth and cycling.

Exfoliating your scalp removes the buildup of products and debris so your naturally produced oils can adequately coat your roots and work down to the ends.

Helps With Flaking

Opposite to having issues due to too much oil, not having enough moisture in your scalp can lead to dryness and flaking. Dead skin cells begin to build up and flake off, just as the skin on your face does when the skin barrier becomes damaged. Exfoliating sloughs the dead skin away for a cleaner surface.

Moisturization after exfoliation is also key for flaking. Your scalp has its own microbiome, which is its unique environment that thrives with more healthy bacteria than bad bacteria. It has been shown that dandruff is connected to a poor microbiome balance, but using more nourishing and moisturizing ingredients like coconut oil can improve scalp dryness and hair health.

Supports Blood Flow

Scalp massages promote blood flow to the hair follicles, which can support hair growth along with moisture distribution. In short, exfoliation helps to create an environment conducive to hair regrowth, even when it seems all other tactics aren’t working. When exfoliating, scrub in a circular motion with the tips of your fingers to increase the circulation of blood to the scalp.

Supports Hair Health

Even if you aren’t looking for hair growth, exfoliation removes what shouldn’t be lingering on your scalp—dry skin cells and product buildup—and restores it to its natural healthy state. “Exfoliation can help stimulate blood flow to stimulate growth of hair. Not to mention, it’s an excellent self-care tactic to promote relaxation,” notes Johannah Gregg, Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.

You can think of scalp exfoliation as a detox for your head—thus getting you closer to your hair care goals. Every hair type benefits from a clean, smooth scalp surface instead of one clogged with impurities.

How Do You Exfoliate Your Scalp?

In order to receive the benefits of a scalp reset, use an exfoliating scalp treatment and massage it into your roots section by section. Do this one to two times a week, or whenever you notice your scalp needs some TLC. You may need to increase how often you exfoliate in the colder seasons, as dryness is more common.

Always follow up with a hydrating conditioner for some post-exfoliation moisturization. This will keep everything balanced.

To exfoliate a sensitive scalp, use gentle products and naturally-derived ingredients that you know don’t irritate you. Tea tree oil, peppermint oil, and castor oil are sensitive-skin friendly and offer great results. You can also find professional scalp exfoliation products specifically made for sensitive or easily-irritated skin.

What Are Some Scalp Exfoliation Products To Try?

When picking an exfoliant, you can choose between physical and chemical exfoliants. Physical exfoliants are made with grainy, rough ingredients that are perfect for removing excess skin. For example, sugar, salt, and ground coffee beans are common in physical exfoliant recipes. Chemical exfoliants are natural skin-peeling ingredients, such as glycolic acid, salicylic acid, or mandelic acid.

We personally love the following exfoliating massage products because they offer a deep clean and truly satisfying scalp feeling.

Oribe Serene Scalp Exfoliating Scrub

The Oribe Serene Scalp Exfoliating Scrub sloughs away debris, dirt, and oil with soft polymer beads. The ingredient list contains a blend of soothing flowers, peppermint oil, caffeine, and exfoliating alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) for a guaranteed scalp polish.

It not only powerfully removes scalp buildup, but the result feels truly clean and fresh afterward. Add it to your hair repertoire for rejuvenated locks.

Briogeo Scalp Revival Stimulating Therapy Massager

Remember the importance of giving your head a good massage when using a scalp scrub? Your fingertips can’t achieve as deep of a massage, which is where a scrubbing tool steps in. The Briogeo Scalp Revival Stimulating Therapy Massager stimulates blood flow to the hair follicles with gentle bristles.

The easy-to-grip design makes it simple to scrub your exfoliating products deep into your scalp’s fibrous layer. You can also use the Therapy Massager on a dry scalp or with other hair products like shampoo.

Act+Acre Scalp Dermaroller

Another stimulating scalp product to try is the Act+Acre Scalp Dermaroller. Much like a derma roller for your facial skin, this one pokes the skin with tiny needles to create micro pricks that stimulate the body to treat it like a wound. This increases blood flow to the scalp and helps products penetrate faster and deeper.

The Dermaroller supports a stronger, healthier scalp and helps to maximize the potency of your hair products by stimulating greater absorption into the hair follicles. Its stainless steel needles are 0.25mm for a sanitary daily or weekly rejuvenation.

Susanne Kaufman Refining Scalp & Body Scrub

The Susanne Kaufman Refining Scalp & Body Scrub is made with oils that promote hair growth and deep moisturization. Rapeseed oil, sunflower seed oil, apricot kernel oil, and echium plantagineum seed oil (known for supporting the skin barrier) combine to nourish and stimulate the scalp.

This physical exfoliant is safe for sensitive skin because it helps to soothe and restore as it scrubs away toxins.

Philip Kingsley Flaky Scalp Exfoliating Mask

The Philip Kingsley Flaky Scalp Exfoliating Mask is a luxurious scalp treatment that makes a normal afternoon feel like a spa day. This mask is hydrating, soothing, and softening for dry or flaky skin. It contains the chemical exfoliant salicylic acid, green tea, and Piroctone Olamine, which helps restore skin that has dandruff back to healthy conditions.

Perhaps the best part is how easy it is — simply apply the product over a damp scalp section by section and massage it into your roots. After 10 to 20 minutes, you can wash it off and feel the squeaky clean effects.

Pro Scalp Care

Taking care of your scalp is simple. It needs some TLC, just like the rest of your skin. Generally, a drier scalp should be exfoliated once to twice a week (such as during the colder winter months). Other people benefit from semi-regular exfoliation every five to ten shampoos or so.

If you have an oily scalp, you are also in need of deep exfoliation so your natural sebum can properly distribute throughout the strands. Try once a week and adjust accordingly. Along with exfoliation, make sure you incorporate quality shampoo, hair oils, and moisturizing conditioner to restore your hair to utmost health.