If you've noticed your scalp is flaking and feeling itchy and generally uncomfortable, it's likely a hair detox needs to be on the cards. That dryness causing the flaking is likely down to blocked pores (just as you get them on your face, you can get them on your scalp, too).
The frequency at which you need to do a scalp detox can vary depending on how much hair product you typically use, how oily your scalp is naturally, and how often you wash your hair. For optimal scalp and hair health, most people can benefit from doing a scalp detox every four weeks.
Start by washing your hair with a clarifying shampoo to rid your locks from build-up and excess oil. You can make your own by mixing coarse sea salt with a normal shampoo, using a ratio of 3:2. Or, if you prefer salon quality, opt for a professional treatment like Nexxus Clean & Pure Nourishing Detox Shampoo.
The effects of the detox effect can vary in intensity and duration from person to person. However, it is important to be informed that this process of detoxification can bring side effects, such as a faster greasy hairline, a very dry scalp, itching or a rash.
If you've ever experienced an itchy, irritated scalp or noticed that your once-voluminous hair has gone lifeless and limp, you might be dealing with scalp buildup.
Use a Clarifying Shampoo
Both Rubin and Shirazi recommend using a clarifying shampoo to tackle buildup. There are many kinds of formulations, with certain ingredients being better for curly or damaged hair. No matter which one you select, Shirazi says to use clarifying shampoo on wet hair focusing on the scalp.
If you've noticed your scalp is flaking and feeling itchy and generally uncomfortable, it's likely a hair detox needs to be on the cards. That dryness causing the flaking is likely down to blocked pores (just as you get them on your face, you can get them on your scalp, too).
Drinking more water can also help eliminate pollutants and other hair-wrecking waste products, improving hair growth. When you drink more water, it helps your kidneys and your liver work better. That matters because both of those organs are involved in your body's natural detoxification.
Poisons that can cause hair loss include arsenic, thallium, mercury, and lithium. If you ingest a large amount of warfarin, which is found in rat poisons, it can also cause hair loss.
If yours is short to medium length, use one teaspoon of baking soda and vinegar in one cup of water. If your hair doesn't seem clean enough once it's dried, use more soda next time. You can also use white vinegar; its smell dissipates quicker than ACV, but neither lingers after rinsing and drying.
Summary. Baking soda as part of your hair care routine might allow you to replace commercial shampoos. People report that baking soda dissolved in water can remove excess oil and buildup in hair, restore pH levels, treat dryness and dandruff, and lighten dyed hair.
Scalp 101
Have you ever scratched your scalp and noticed white, waxy buildup under your nails? That's sebum mixed with dead skin cells. It's hard for shampoo alone to wash away your oily scalp issues. And issues like stress and weather can increase the scalp's sebum production, making you even oilier.
Hair samples are tested with specific chemicals and looked at under a microscope. Hair analysis can also be used to check for poisoning caused by metals such as lead or mercury. But hair analysis alone usually is not used for this type of testing. Hair is a protein that grows out of hair follicles in the skin.
A hair detox involves deep cleansing the scalp and strands to remove buildup, impurities, and excess oils that may accumulate from regular use of styling products, environmental pollution, or hard water. It's like hitting the reset button for hair, allowing it to better absorb moisture, nutrients, and styling products.
How Showering Affects Your Hair. Washing your hair cleans your scalp and washes away oils in your hair, but it has no effect on your rate of hair growth or your hair growth patterns.
Use an Exfoliating Scalp and Hair Scrub
To gently exfoliate daily buildup, use a delicately exfoliating scalp and hair scrub as part of your hair care regimen once a week. An exfoliating scalp scrub can be used as a precursor to shampoo or as a shampoo itself and works wonderfully for a deeper cleanse.
Rough to the Touch
By running your fingers through your hair, you can check for general smoothness and roughness. If at any point your hair feels rough, dry, and brittle and as if random strands are sticking out, this is a sign that your hair is unhealthy and damaged.
Generally, he says, the range is somewhere between once a day and once a week. “If you have very fine or thin hair, you may need to wash more often, while those with thick or curly hair may need to wash less often,” says Dr Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, a double board certified dermatologist and hair health expert.
Scabs on the scalp can emerge due to folliculitis, dermatitis, psoriasis or an allergic reaction to chemical products, like hair dye or or hair treatments. It is rare for scabs to form due to severe health conditions, like skin cancer.
While it may not be visible at first glance, a simple scratch on your scalp could reveal tiny flakes around the part in your hair or even a white, oily substance under your nails. That substance is a high concentration of scalp sebum, along with some product buildup, sweat, and dead skin cells.