Thick, Durable Hair Starts with a Healthy Scalp

When we begin considering how we can maintain, or rekindle, a head full of strong, healthy hair, our thoughts tend to revolve around haircare products, when they should be focusing on our scalp. You wouldn’t expect a plant to reach its full potential when you know the soil from which it sprouts is malnourished. Yet, that’s exactly what you’re doing when you gloss over your scalp.

A scalp that’s out of whack is almost never the cause of hair loss, but it can hinder hair growth and speed up pre-existing hair loss. Genetics are often the scapegoat for our overly fragile hair or hair loss. In reality, there’s a spectrum of potential reasons (medical history, stress and anxiety, even haircare products). And solutions. Each, in their own way, aims to create an optimal growth environment for the follicles. Ensuring you have a healthy scalp, basically. Here are a few tips for just that.

Seek out the right nutrients

The supplement market is booming, and scalp- and follicle-fortifying supplements are no exception. But a lot of it is overkill. You – and your scalp – would be better off prioritizing a balanced diet comprised of lots of natural, whole foods, proteins (beans, eggs, nuts), fatty acids (avocadoes, nuts, fish), and vitamins A, B, C, and E (berries, leafy greens, sweet potatoes).

Scrub your scalp

Weekly exfoliation may already be a part your skincare routine, but are you also including your scalp? If not, you should be. You’re probably thinking, But the scrubbing’s going to uproot my delicate hair. Yes, you may lose a few hairs, but they’re going to fall out either way. And there’s so much to be gained by exfoliating your scalp. It’ll clear the dead skin cells, excess dirt and grime, and any lingering hair products. It’s also going to boost nutrient delivery to your scalp and hair follicles and mitigate flaking and fungal breakouts. 

Just don’t do it more than once or twice a week or you’ll run the risk of irritating healthy skin cells.

Blow dry mindfully

The smell of burning hair that can fill a room after a vigorous blow dry is probably the most obvious clue that something’s not right. It’s even worse than you’re thinking: The heat from your blow dryer isn’t just damaging your hair; it’s also wilting the follicles themselves. To prevent this irreversible frying, keep your blow dryer on cool. And take shorter, milder showers, while you’re at it.

Apply a scalp serum or tonic

Much like the rest of your skin, your scalp would benefit from the daily application of a serum or tonic that suits your specific needs. Generally, they aim to stimulate circulation in the scalp, which, ultimately, will fortify and better anchor hairs. Depending on the active ingredient, they can also help in a host of other ways, including slowing DHT production (DHT is the hormonal byproduct that can shrink hair follicles), balance oil production, and neutralize fungus.