Sloughing off dead skin cells and impurities to let it breathe — exfoliating works miraculously for our skin’s health. It is an essential and an unmissable part of a skin care routine and for that matter, even for our scalp and hair. Yes, our scalp is meant to be exfoliated too and it is a hair care step that you should not miss out on. And if you’re wondering about all the scalp exfoliation know-hows, the answer lies in hair scrubs.

Just like a body or a face scrub, a hair scrub helps in exfoliating your scalp and makes for a quick shower add-on before shampoo and conditioner. Formulated with either chemical exfoliators (AHAs and BHAs), physical exfoliators (walnut shell granules, castor beads, coffee, sugar) or both along with other nourishing ingredients, hair scrubs ensure a good scalp health and hair growth. Let’s understand how!

Scrubbing your scalp cleanses it off from all the build-up, flakes, grim and excess oil and decongests the clogged hair follicles. This consequently promotes happy and healthy scalp and hair from the roots to tips. Using a hair scrub also rids you of dandruff and is especially beneficial for people who have a dry or an oily scalp. When a shampoo falls short of deeply cleansing your scalp, a hair scrub comes to the rescue.

Much like a face or a body scrub, you should choose a scalp scrub as per your scalp type and relevant concerns. Also, look for other ingredients including coconut oil, tea tree, panthenol, clay, charcoal that further enhance the efficacy of the scrub and improve your hair health. If your scalp is dry, itchy and tends to get flaky you can opt for a scrub like the Dot & Key AHA Exfoliation Apple Cider Hair & Scalp Scrub (Buy it for Rs 575 on Tata CLiQ), which contains both chemical and physical exfoliating agents and moisturising ingredients to keep your scalp hydrated.

If you have an oily scalp, the Christophe Robin Purifying Scalp Scrub (Buy it for Rs 6,868 on Amazon) can be a saviour as it not only detoxes oily and sensitive scalps but also rebalances and calms them. If dandruff is your top concern, the mCaffeine Coffee Scalp Scrub (Buy for Rs 495 on Amazon) is what you should be adding to your hair care routine for visible results.

You should essentially use a hair scrub to exfoliate, once or twice a week depending upon your shampooing frequency and the use of styling products. Follow through these steps to exfoliate your scalp:

1. Wet your hair properly and part it into sections.

2. Start applying the scrub on the scalp generously and massage for a few minutes in gentle circular motions using your fingertips or a massaging brush. Do not use your nails.

3. Rinse thoroughly with water and follow it up with a mild shampoo and conditioner.

4. In case of a chemical exfoliant, simply apply it directly onto the wet scalp and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse it off with water and shampoo and condition your hair like you normally do.

(Main and Featured Image Courtesy: Christophe Robin)

Concocted with the goodness of luxurious lotus flower extract, this oil-in-scrub by Schwarzkopf Professional is also a blend of purified natural oils. While the argan shell gently yet effectively removes impurities, panthenol delivers moisturisation. It decongests clogged pores and prepares the scalp and hair to look their beautiful best all the time.

The Inkey List Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Scrub is a chemical (glycolic acid) and physical (castor beads) exfoliator hybrid. It’s a treatment that removes product build-up and dead skin to boost healthy hair growth from first use. It also helps protect and balance out the microbiome of the scalp and keep the hair follicles clean. Suitable for sensitive scalps, this scrub is ideal for all hair types including coloured hair.

Image: Courtesy The Inkey List

The OUAI Scalp and Body Scrub is a deep-cleansing foaming weekly treatment formulated with sugar crystals and coconut oil that gently exfoliates the skin. It removes all the excess build-up while softening the skin and balancing its moisture levels. This scrub is best suited for fine, medium and thick hair and both oiliness and dryness.

A great hair scrub for dandruff, the mCaffeine Coffee Scalp Scrub deeply cleanses and refreshes while reducing 99 percent of dandruff causing microbes. It also treats itchy scalp and reduces flakes while the perfectly sized pure Arabica coffee particles stimulate roots and improves blood circulation. Not to miss out on that indulgent coffee aroma that amps up the shower experience.

This scalp scrub by Plum is formulated with tea tree and propanediol caprylate that helps in preventing and treating dandruff and dry flakes. This gentle yet effective hair scrub also has a mix of shikakai, brahmi and coconut shell powder that helps in exfoliating the scalp. Ideal for all hair types, it is made without any sulphates and silicones and is 100 percent vegan and fragrance free.

With activated charcoal, kaolin clay and acai berry powder in its make, the Flawsome Dense Intense Exfoliating Hair Mask is a scrub and mask in one. It clears dandruff, excess sebum and flakes by gently exfoliating the build-up. It balances and promotes a conditioned scalp and strong hair shaft and follicles. It is vegan and a cruelty-free scrub that has no sulphates, parabens or silicones in its formulation.

Perfect for people with dry, flaky and itchy scalp, this micro-exfoliating shampoo with Binchotan charcoal draws out the impurities from the scalp and hair follicles. Supporting a clean and balanced scalp, it also reduces itchiness, irritation and inflammation owing to ingredients like peppermint, spearmint and tea tree oils. It also has coconut oil to provide moisturisation and super vitamin panthenol to strengthen the roots and hair shaft. It is safe for all hair types including coloured and chemically or keratin treated hair.

The Kevin Murphy Scalp Spa Scrub, as the name suggests, is a rich pre-wash spa in a tube that promotes optimal scalp health and hair growth. With perlite (a volcanic rock shaped into small spheres) in its formulation, it gently sloughs off the impurities. Micellar water and celery seed extract helps in removing excess oil, while hydrating for a soothing and rejuvenated effect. It can also be used as a body scrub.

The Exfoliating Hair and Scalp Complex by Earth Rhythm aims at preventing dandruff, removing dead skin cells and promoting thicker hair growth. Its key ingredients include hexapeptide-11 (regulates collagen production) and green tea extracts (protects the scalp from oxidative stress and irritation). It’s also formulated with AHAs of sugar cane, lemon and apple extracts to exfoliate and promote cell renewal.

The Cleansing Purifying Scrub by Christophe Robin is an exfoliating shampoo that detoxifies and soothes oily and sensitive scalps. It removes daily build-up and refreshes itchy scalps owing to the presence of sea salt crystals (for exfoliating), natural carbohydrate complex (rebalancing) and bisabolol (calming the scalp).

A hair scrub for dry, itchy and flaky scalp, the Dot & Key Scalp Scrub is an impeccable blend of physical and chemical exfoliating agents like AHA, BHA and walnut shell particles. Additionally infused with luxurious plant oils, the scrub effectively cleanses the scalp from dirt and impurities while moisturising it and balancing its pH. It unclogs hair follicles to promote healthy and shiny hair growth along with a calm and soothing effect.

Image: Courtesy Dot & Key

The Apple Cider Vinegar Scalp Scrub by dpHUE is a gentle exfoliator that removes dandruff, dead skin and all the dirt and debris without disturbing the pH balance of your skin. The presence of Himalayan pink salt further adds to its efficacy and encourages scalp health and hair growth.

Answer: Hair scrubs are a pre-shampoo treatment. Hence they should be used before shampooing, however, on a wet scalp and hair.

Answer: No, hair and scalp scrubs are the same and help in maintaining the health of your scalp and hair.

Answer: You should scrub your scalp not more than once or twice a week. If you shampoo your hair frequently and do not use a lot of hair styling products, exfoliating once every two weeks is also sufficient.

Answer: To exfoliate your scalp naturally at home, you can prepare hair scrubs using exfoliating agents like sugar crystals, coffee, oatmeal and Himalayan sea salt combined with other nourishing ingredients according to your scalp concerns.

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