There’s no doubt that scalp care has become a hot topic over the last few years. Once seen as an afterthought for many hair wash routines, the scalp has come firmly to the forefront. While cleansing the hair is key for getting rid of product build-up and enhancing the shine, definition and texture of our locks, the scalp is hugely responsible for healthy hair growth, too.

Spending time scrubbing and massaging the scalp helps to increase blood flow to the roots, encouraging hair growth. It’s also important to stop skin issues associated with the scalp too. 

“Scalp exfoliation is a way of reducing Malassezia furfur levels, a type of yeast that is found on the scalp and other skin surfaces,” says trichologist Mark Blake. “It has been associated with seborrheic dermatitis, dandruff, irritation and other dermatological conditions.”

Sounds pretty essential, right? Well, if you have tightly curly or coiled hair, you might find that the physical scalp scrubs on offer don’t rinse out of your hair well, and can get tangled into your locks. “With a physical exfoliant you have to rub the scalp and risk tangling or knotting the hair,” notes Blake. 

The risk of knotting is less likely in straighter textures and you can almost guarantee that scrubs will rinse out thoroughly. But the tighter your texture, the more it becomes not worth the wash-day having to pick out scrub grains and tangles.

Fortunately, this doesn’t mean the answer is vetoing exfoliating your scalp altogether. There are a number of great options that keep the scalp healthy without affecting your curls and coils. One alternative to traditional physical scrubs is using a chemical exfoliant. These tend to rely on skincare favourites such as glycolic and salicylic acid to nibble away at dead skin cells without aggravation or issue for your hair. 

Plus, despite the fact that chemical exfoliants effectively slough away dead scalp skin, they won’t affect hair colour or any chemical services you’ve had on your curly or coily hair. “A good chemical exfoliant will not damage the hair or change your hair colour but a cheap, abrasive granular one that needs lots of rubbing might,” warns Blake. The best thing is, a scalp refresh can be easily slotted into your washday routine no matter how frequently you wash your hair. Blake recommends monthly scalp exfoliation for the healthiest roots so, if you wash your hair fortnightly, making every other hair wash scalp-focused will be enough attention to level up your regimen.

Here are the best buys to add to your haircare kit for optimum scalp health and happy hair.

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