Scalp health advice usually comes as a long list of tips. Here is how to improve scalp health in five steps, plus how to tell when a problem needs a closer look.
How to get a healthy scalp: the short version
To get a healthy scalp, wash it as often as your hair and scalp need, massage it with your fingertips, consider a scalp scrub, and protect it from tight styles and sun. See a dermatologist if a problem sticks around.
A healthy scalp is free of itchiness, redness, flakiness, irritation, pain, acne, cysts, sun damage and excessive hair loss. Itching, burning, bumps, extreme oiliness and extreme dandruff are symptoms of an unhealthy scalp. Step 5 covers what to do if any of those bother you.
Wash as often as your hair gets dirty or oily. Put the shampoo on your scalp and let the suds rinse through the rest of your hair. That cleans away buildup, dead skin and excess oil without drying your hair too much. Use conditioner after every shampoo to moisturize and detangle.
How often depends on your hair. Straight hair with an oily scalp may want a shampoo every day. Dry, textured, curly or thick hair can go longer between washes, though the American Academy of Dermatology says to shampoo at least once every 2 to 3 weeks.
When you see flakes, check your wash schedule first. Washing too rarely can cause them, and so can the wrong conditioner, oil or scalp moisturizer for your hair type.
If you use dry shampoo between washes, it can build up on your scalp and hair, and left alone, it can cause breakage and shedding. Use a small amount only where your hair feels greasy, and shampoo with water after one or two dry shampoos. Relying on dry shampoo alone, with no shampoo and water, could lead to seborrheic dermatitis, which is an itchy, scaly rash.
Use the pads of your fingers instead of your nails, and gently work the shampoo into your scalp in small circles.
Try this pattern each time you wash:
We also offer a standalone
scalp massage if you would rather have someone else do it.
A scalp scrub is optional. It does for the skin on your head what a face scrub does for your face: physical or chemical exfoliants help remove excess skin cells, oil and dandruff. Ask a dermatologist how often to use one. If you want it done for you, we include an exfoliating scalp scrub in our Sapphire, Emerald and Diamond head spa sessions.
Tightly pulled ponytails, buns and up-dos can cause traction alopecia, which is hair loss from pulling on your hair. Rollers worn to bed most of the time can do the same. So can the rubbing of a hat or head scarf, especially if you pull your hair back tightly first.
Watch for pain, stinging or crusts on your scalp, broken hairs around your forehead, or a receding hairline. If a style feels painful, it is too tight. Wear your hair loosely pulled back, use covered elastics made for styling, and switch styles regularly so your hair can recover. Keep braids in for no longer than 6 to 8 weeks.
With little hair to shield it, scalp skin can turn red, flaky or rough from exposure to the sun. Those changes may point to precancerous spots called actinic keratoses, which can become squamous cell carcinoma if untreated. The Skin Cancer Foundation's scalp sun guide calls squamous cell carcinoma the most common skin cancer on the scalp. See your dermatologist for a skin check when you notice anything new, changing or unusual.
Hats are often the best way to protect your scalp because the protection lasts as long as you wear one. A baseball cap covers only about a quarter of your head, so pick a wide brim in a tightly woven fabric and look for a UPF 50+ label. Whatever hat you pick, avoid pulling your hair back tightly before you put it on.
Add sunscreen too: apply a generous amount of SPF 30 to your scalp and reapply it every two hours. SPF 30 provides 97% protection against UV rays, and most people apply less than they need.
If a problem sticks around, or you notice any of the signs below, see a board-certified dermatologist. Home care cannot diagnose a problem, so get hair loss, bumps or scabs checked sooner rather than later.
See a dermatologist if you notice:
Dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis overlap, and dandruff may be considered the mildest form of seborrheic dermatitis. One difference is inflammation (swelling and discolored skin), which seborrheic dermatitis causes and dandruff does not. For plain dandruff, choose a dandruff shampoo and follow the label. If it does not go away, or you are unsure which you have, see a board-certified dermatologist for an accurate diagnosis.
A
head spa is one option if your scalp is healthy and you want help keeping it that way, and so is a
professional scalp treatment.
Every
head spa session here includes a Microscopic Scalp-Skin Screen. You see your own scalp on a screen under magnification, which a mirror cannot show you, and you leave knowing something new about it. The screen is not a medical diagnosis. For a first visit,
what to expect at a head spa walks through the appointment.
Sophia Serrano, MPAS, PA-C
Is the founder of The Head Spa in Dallas. A board-certified physician assistant and former President of the Society of Vascular Surgery for PAs, she spent over a decade in aesthetic medicine, academic research, and clinical education before building a practice focused on scalp health, hair restoration, and skin rejuvenation. Sophia holds a Master of Physician Assistant Studies and has trained medical professionals across the country in advanced aesthetic techniques.
