Exfoliating vs. Hydrating Scalp Treatments (And Why We Need Both)
That’s right, your scalp deserves a facial too. Like the skin on your face, your scalp also benefits from regular exfoliation and a good moisturizing treatment. Using both will help your scalp stay balanced for healthy hair growth.
Ahead, we’re covering the difference between exfoliating scalp facials and hydrating scalp facials and why both are needed for your best hair.
Why is Scalp Exfoliation Important?
Over time, everyday buildup from product residue, oil, dead skin cells, and grime can accumulate on your scalp, clogging your hair follicles and stifling your hair. Here’s where scalp exfoliation comes in.
Hair Growth
Regular scalp exfoliation is recommended if you want to free up follicles and create a healthy environment for your hair to grow. Exfoliation can also boost blood circulation to your scalp and follicles, which can further encourage hair growth.
Scalp Issues
Aside from helping enable hair growth, scalp exfoliation can also help prevent breakouts and relieve scalp itchiness and flakiness! If you ever have dandruff, scalp exfoliation is a vital step in sloughing away dry, flaky skin and creating a more balanced scalp.
Rejuvenated Skin
Your skin naturally regenerates cells, but sometimes it could use the help of an exfoliant. By unclogging dead skin cells, newer, healthier skin cells are able to surface so that your scalp skin is rejuvenated and healthy.
How to Exfoliate Your Scalp
One thing to know is that there’s a difference between physical exfoliation (scrubs) and chemical exfoliation, which helps loosen and unglue the bonds of dead skin cells. Be careful with physical exfoliants, as harsh abrasive scrubs can potentially cause microtears and damage your skin’s moisture barrier.
The Najeau Scalp Mask is an exfoliating scalp facial that contains tea tree oil as an active ingredient. A natural chemical exfoliant, tea tree oil helps clear oil buildup, unclogging follicles to promote healthy hair growth. If you have an itchy scalp, you’ll also enjoy the soothing burdock root and anise oils in this facial.
Just like with your skincare routine, it’s a good idea to exfoliate about once or twice a week. No need to overdo it, since daily exfoliation could actually disrupt your scalp’s natural skin shedding process and create an imbalance.
Why is Scalp Hydration/Moisture Important?
Now that we’ve already covered the difference between hydration and moisture in a previous post, we know it’s important to introduce both hydrating humectants and moisturizing occlusives to your scalp. Essentially, humectant ingredients pull water into your skin, while occlusive ingredients lock this moisture in.
When your scalp’s thirsty, this can trigger an overproduction of sebum. If you have a flaky, dry, or oily scalp, adding healthy fats to your ritual can be important for helping protect your skin’s vulnerable barrier for better balance overall.
How to Moisturize Your Scalp
Najeau Follicle Drops feature hydrating aloe vera with healthy fats from olive oil, castor oil, vitamin e, sweet basil oil, and neem oil for a moisturizing scalp facial in a bottle. Use this pre-shampoo treatment 2-3 times a week, sectioning hair and gently massaging in the drops.
To recap, scalp exfoliation and moisturization are both important if you want a balanced scalp free of dandruff, itching, and other issues. Unclogging your follicles can contribute to freer hair growth, while hydrating ingredients and healthy fats can help pull in and lock in moisture to keep your scalp balanced.
