KEY TAKEAWAYS: Learning how to take care of your scalp is a vital step toward healthier hair and skin, luscious locks, and enhanced self-confidence. With these techniques, you can help your clients achieve trouble-free scalps and improved hair growth.
At the crossroads of hair and skin care is the scalp. As a beauty pro, you understand that scalp health is essential to avoiding skin problems and promoting healthy hair growth, and scalp care is the key component of that conversation.
The question is how to take care of your scalp and pass that knowledge along to your clients. Luckily, there are many proven ways, as well as some new and innovative techniques, to keep scalps healthy.
Read on for the latest, most effective scalp care techniques and how you can integrate them into your beauty biz.
Scalp Care 101 That Every Hair Care Specialist Should Know
A healthy scalp helps nourish hair follicles, leading to happy, healthy, good-looking hair. When something is amiss with your scalp, your hair is sure to suffer, too.
From hair loss and thinning to dull, oily hair, certain hair conditions are a symptom of what’s going on with your scalp. Learning how to promote scalp health is key to addressing these and other potential problems before they become serious.
What Kind of Scalp Do You Have?
Evaluating the type of scalp you (or your client) have is the first step toward successful scalp care. It is the foundation that informs your approach to treatment.
The primary scalp types include dry, oily, sensitive, and balanced (or normal). Some people have a combination of scalp types, such as both dry and sensitive.
Scalp Care Starts with Healthcare
Nearly every aspect of your health can be traced back in some way to underlying lifestyle factors and the approach you take to maintaining a healthy approach to living. In other words, if you care for your body as a whole with a holistic approach, specific things (like scalp health) will also benefit.
Before you dive into a rigorous scalp care routine, make sure that you are taking care of lifestyle factors that are within your control. Embrace a diet and supplementation regimen that gives your body the minerals and vitamins it needs to thrive. Hydrate thoroughly every day. Manage your stress. Avoid hairstyles that stress the scalp.
"Nearly every aspect of your health can be traced back in some way to underlying lifestyle factors and the approach you take to maintaining a healthy approach to living – scalp health included."
These basic changes to your everyday routine can work wonders for your scalp and hair health, as well as the rest of your body.
Keep Your Scalp Clean
Scalps can take a lot of abuse. They are often subjected to oily buildup, dry skin, the accumulation of dead skin cells, and more. Optimizing your scalp care routine starts with cleansing it of impurities, build-up, and other residue that could clog pores, stifle hair follicles, and otherwise lead to an unhealthy environment.
Start with regular washing using haircare products that do not contain fragrance or sulfates (especially if your scalp is sensitive). You can also gently exfoliate your scalp to help shed dead skin cells.
If you have specific scalp health concerns, address those with products designed to treat them. For example, moisturizing shampoos for dry scalps, anti-dandruff shampoos to address fungal issues, and so on.
Be Selective with Haircare Products
Not all haircare products are created equal, especially if you have unique scalp needs or preexisting scalp conditions. This is one area where it is easy to fall behind when learning how to take care of your scalp.
Styling products can suffocate your scalp, cause devastating buildup, and lead to new issues or exacerbate preexisting conditions.
These concerns are not exclusive to people with sensitive skin or oily scalps, either. Styling products can harm even the healthiest scalp when used incorrectly or in excess.
If you must use products–whether they’re for styling, moisturizing, or something else–be sure to test them in small spots and wait several days to evaluate how they interact with your scalp.
Schedule Scalp Massages
When it comes to scalp care, massages aren’t just a luxurious splurge. Frequent hair massages can promote increased circulation, allow for better oxygenation to hair follicles, and release tension related to stress. All of these benefits (and more) improve scalp and hair health.
While you can indulge in a professional scalp massage, you don’t have to. Simply take some time every day to give your own head a rub. Trust us; your scalp will thank you.
As a beauty pro, helping your clients live healthier, happier, and more confident lives is a top priority. By embracing scalp care techniques and equipping your clients with the knowledge and tools they need to learn how to take care of their scalps, you are fulfilling that goal one session at a time!
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Meet Hanna Marcus, the Founder and Head Copy Gal behind Boundless Copy, a one-of-a-kind copywriting agency that specializes in big, bold brand voice and industry-disrupting copy that’s all about resonating with the right audience.
Hanna has proudly teamed up with Elite Beauty Society for several years as their go-to copywriter on all things beauty, small biz marketing, and brand voice development. She’s big on feeling-first writing–her personal soapbox is that the best copy starts with telling a story.
When she’s not writing cheeky, converting copy for clients, she’s mentoring other aspiring copywriters and creating digital copywriting resources designed for service pros and focused on taking the stress out of DIY copywriting.
