How to unclog sebaceous glands on scalp?

Author: Dr. Dan Green MD  |  Last update: Monday, July 14, 2025

Look for a clarifying shampoo that contains salicylic acid, which helps to break down sebum plugs. Exfoliate your scalp: Just like exfoliating your skin helps remove dead skin cells and unclog pores, exfoliating your scalp can help to remove sebum plugs.

What dissolves sebum on the scalp?

There are commercial shampoos specially formulated to treat sebum buildup. These "clarifying" shampoos contain ingredients like clay, activated charcoal, argan oil, or salicylic acid that gently remove sebum without damaging your hair or the skin of your scalp.

How do I get rid of white gunk on my scalp?

Exfoliating your scalp can also help remove buildup and promote healthier hair. Scalp massage is a simple and effective way to encourage circulation and loosen buildup. Rinsing your hair with apple cider vinegar can also help remove buildup and restore your scalp's pH balance.

How do you get rid of clogged oil glands on your head?

Wash regularly.
  1. Wash regularly. To care for oily skin, you need to clear it of excess oil. ...
  2. Avoid overly harsh cleansers, which can irritate skin and trigger oil production. Use a gentle, foaming wash instead. ...
  3. Exfoliate every few days. Use a gentle exfoliating wash several times a week. ...
  4. Moisturize.

What dissolves excess sebum?

Topical retinoids, isotretinoin, spironolactone, oral contraceptives, and botulinum toxin may help in the reduction in sebum production. However, the risks and benefits of these options, as they apply to you, should be discussed with your healthcare provider.

How To Remove Excess Sebum In The Scalp For HAIR LOSS

Does vinegar dissolve sebum?

Additionally, a diluted ACV solution can help to remove residual product build-up, as well as excess dirt and sebum.

What will dissolve sebum plugs?

Exfoliate: Use chemical exfoliants, such as glycolic acid or salicylic acid rather than physical exfoliants, to gently dissolve dead skin cells.

How do I unblock my oil glands at home?

Putting warm, wet and clean washcloths over your eyelids for about five minutes to loosen the oil. Pressing gently on your eyes near the lashes, massaging the glands. Cleaning your eyelids and lashes with or without mild soap or baby shampoo. Taking omega-3 supplements in the form of fish oil or flaxseed oil.

What is the best exfoliator for sebaceous filaments?

Use Salicylic Acid

“Salicylic acid is your go-to ingredient if you have sebaceous filaments. It's a beta-hydroxy acid that helps remove excess oil and exfoliate dead skin cells from the skin to keep the pores clear,” says Dr. Zeichner.

How to deep clean a scalp?

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.

When I scratch my scalp, I get white stuff under my nails.?

Not only does your scalp have a plethora of sweat glands, but it also has an abundance of sebaceous (oil) glands, which produce oily sebum. Have you ever scratched your scalp and noticed white, waxy buildup under your nails? That's sebum mixed with dead skin cells.

How do I get rid of white fungus on my scalp?

They do, however, clear fungi and fungal spores from the hairs and surface of the scalp. An antifungal shampoo or cream may be advised twice-weekly for a couple of weeks in addition to antifungal medication - for example, selenium shampoo, ketoconazole shampoo or terbinafine cream.

What shampoo removes sebum?

Garnier Pure Clean Shampoo

This clarifying shampoo comes highly recommended by Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in NYC. She loves that it removes residue and gently exfoliates with the help of salicylic acid, which is oil-soluble and can penetrate into pores ​to gently exfoliate and remove excess sebum.

What is the best scalp exfoliator?

  • Best Overall. Christophe Robin Purifying Scalp Scrub with Sea Salt. ...
  • Best for Dry Scalps. Goop G. ...
  • Best Shampoo. Briogeo Scalp Revival Micro-Exfoliating Scalp Scrub Shampoo. ...
  • Best Multitasker. Ouai Scalp and Body Scrub. ...
  • Best for Thick Hair. Ceremonia Papaya Scalp Scrub. ...
  • Best for Oily Hair. Philip B. ...
  • Best Budget. ...
  • Best Drugstore.

How do you unclog sebaceous glands naturally?

You can't get rid of sebaceous filaments, but you can make them smaller by following a skin care routine that includes: Exfoliation: Exfoliating facial scrubs scratch away dead cells on the surface of your skin.

What does a clogged oil gland look like?

Sebaceous hyperplasia looks like small bumps (about 3 millimeters or mm, usually ranging from 2 mm to 6 mm). They're usually skin-colored, yellow or brown with a little dent in the center. Sebaceous hyperplasia can occur anywhere on your body, but is most common on your: Cheeks.

How do you clear a clogged oil gland?

HOW IS MGD TREATED?
  1. 1) WARM COMPRESSES. Applying heat to the eyelid margins helps oils flow better out of the eyelid glands and melts the “thickened” oil that is blocking the eyelid glands. ...
  2. 2) MASSAGE. ...
  3. 3) EYELID SCRUBS. ...
  4. 4) OMEGA- 3 FATTY ACID: FLAX SEED and FISH OIL. ...
  5. 5) ANTIBIOTICS. ...
  6. Updated 03/2023.

How to get rid of hardened sebum on scalp?

Look for a clarifying shampoo that contains salicylic acid, which helps to break down sebum plugs. Exfoliate your scalp: Just like exfoliating your skin helps remove dead skin cells and unclog pores, exfoliating your scalp can help to remove sebum plugs.

What does a sebum plug look like?

What does a sebum plug look like? Sebum plugs usually start out white or yellowish in colour but can turn darker if the pore is open and they are exposed to air. They can occur anywhere on the body, but usually form on the face, scalp, chest and back because that is where we produce the most sebum.

What oil dissolves sebum?

Regarding cleansing, jojoba oil's unique structure offers some notable benefits. Its waxy nature effectively dissolves sebum and impurities that have hardened and lodged within pores. As a result, it can unclog pores and remove dirt and makeup, making it an excellent choice for an affordable cleansing oil.

What is the black stuff in my pores not blackheads?

A sebaceous filament becomes visible as the lining of your pore fills up with sebum (oil). A sebaceous filament may or may not turn into a blackhead – the determining factor is whether the sebum in the pore lining becomes exposed to oxygen (thereby oxidizing and becoming dark, changing into a blackhead).

What is a pimple seed?

Milia seeds, unlike whiteheads, do not contain pus. Milia seeds are keratin-containing cysts, similar to your nails and hairs. Furthermore, we can classify milia seeds as primary and secondary types. Typically, primary milia develop naturally from trapped keratin beneath the skin, occurring in newborns and adults.

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