Scalp care is the foundation for healthy hair.

Many of us (including me for longer than I'd like to admit) only focus on how shampoo, conditioner, and hair products benefit our hair, taking the health of our scalp for granted until we start facing bigger scalp issues like dry itching, dandruff, or psoriasis.

Why Is Scalp Care So Important ?

According to  American Academy of Dermatology Association,  our scalp contains about 100,000 follicles, each follicle sprouting a hair strand like soil. And like any farmland where poor soil grows unhealthy plants, the same applies to the scalp. An unhealthy scalp cannot give healthy hair strands.

An inadequate scalp care routine can have smaller effects such as dandruff, excess oil build-up, itching and dryness, or bigger and more permanent conditions such as hair loss, and dead hair follicles.

For us curlies, scalp care determines how moisturized, shiny and bouncy our curls are. Want your curls to have a bit more life in them, grow healthy and long? Invest in your scalp care. Read ahead to find out how.

How Healthy Is your Scalp presently?

How much care and attention is given to your scalp determines its health condition and its susceptibility to bacterial and fungal infections. Here are some of the characteristics of a healthy and an unhealthy scalp.

UnHealthy Scalp: Experiences Itching,

-Excessive dryness

-Burning Sensation

-Irritation and Redness

-Bumps

-Extreme accumulation of dandruff

-Extreme oil build-up

A healthy scalp is free of these symptoms.

Apart from the different ranges of how healthy and unhealthy your scalp is, there are different scalp types.

Scalp Type - Just as there are different skin types, there are also scalp types, which include; Oily, Dry, and Balanced Scalps. Oily scalp simply means an overproduction of the scalp natural oil - SEBUM. 

Scalp type can be detected by blotting tissue paper on your scalp 2 days after your wash day. If the result is: A small translucent spot - Balanced scalp                                                      

A more saturated spot - Oily scalp                                                      

 No difference or spot on tissue - Dry scalp

Your Healthy Scalp Care Routine

Your scalp is more than a place your hair grows. It is a continuation of the skin on your body and face and has the same exfoliating, cleansing, and moisturizing needs as the rest of your skin. But before your map out your routine, you need to know what scalp type you are working with.

Exfoliate with a good scalp scrub to remove product and dead skin build-up before going in with the shampoo and conditioner on your wash days.

Maintain Scalp PH balance and Clarify with an Apple cider vinegar rinse every 3-6 months, especially important for oily scalps as it helps to restore its acidity. Prepare your apple cider rinse in a ratio of 2:1, i.e mix a volume of apple cider vinegar with twice that volume of water.

The pH value of a healthy scalp ranges from 4 - 5. Which is in the acidity spectrum but more hair products are more alkaline with higher pH values so as not to degrade skin and hair strands.

It then falls on your to maintain that balance and this helps reduce harmful fungal and bacterial infections in the scalp.

Moisturize and Oil Scalp 3-4 times a week with moisturizing and beneficial oils like the Organic Beauty Essence plant-based  Growth Serum which contains Jamaican Black Castor oil, Peppermint oil, Fenugreek among other herbs and oils that hydrates, seal moisture while simultaneously soothing dry scalp, itchiness and stimulating follicles for new growth.

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Shampoo Less Often and Gently by massaging your scalp rather than scrubbing when washing hair thereby increasing blood circulation and preventing abrasions on scalp.

Shampoo less often with sulphate-free shampoos help to preserve sebum, a natural oil secreted from the scalp that hydrates growing hair strands and scalp.

Relieve Oxidative Stress by using clean organic hair products that contain anti-oxidants ingredients such as vit. C, Vit. E and olive all found in the 100% oraganic plant-based Growth serum and Marshmallow roots and slippery elm Detangler.

Oxidative stress is simply when the beneficial antioxidants are out numbered by the harmful free radicals in the body. And it can cause hair loss in the scalp.

Also supplement your diet with food rich in antioxidants such as, berries,  citrus fruits prunes, dark leafy greens, carrots,and tomatoes.

Tailor your Scalp care Routine and practices to match the seasons and which ever protective hair styles you have on . For instance, a Knotless braid in the summer exposing your scalp calls for a bit more Tlc of more frequent oil on scalps, and a sunscreen to be added to your routine.

Lastly but not the  least Massage!, Massage your scalp, it not only increases blood circulation, but also helps remove dead skin cells. Massage your scalp after shower in the presence of all that steam and open up your hair follicles. Apply your growth serum immediately you're out of the bathroom.

In Summary,

A healthy scalp amounts to less breakage, hair loss and regular new growth together with maximium lenghth retention to achieve your hair goals