A lot of people exfoliate the skin on their face to remove dirt, debris and oils — but how many people know they should also exfoliate their scalp? If you don’t already, you should start exfoliating your scalp because of the wonders it can do for your hair. Just as exfoliating your face keeps skin clean and clear, exfoliating your scalp helps your hair stay healthy, shiny and sleek.
We’ll guide you through different ways to exfoliate your scalp, as well as its many benefits.
Jump to what you’re looking for:
- Signs it’s time to exfoliate your scalp
- Benefits of exfoliating your scalp
- Best ways to exfoliate your scalp
- How-to: physical exfoliation
- How-to: chemical exfoliation
- How often should you exfoliate your scalp?
Signs you need to exfoliate your scalp:
Exfoliating your scalp has plenty of benefits, which we’ll cover in a second, but you might be wondering why you would need to exfoliate your scalp in the first place. For starters, it might be the root cause of some of your most problematic hair issues… Here are some of the biggest signs you might need to exfoliate:
- Your scalp feels dry, tight, flaky.
- Dead skin, styling product, dirt and debris have built up and started flaking.
- Your hair has stopped responding to styling products.
- It's Day 4 of using dry shampoo every day.
- Your hair is looking dull, lackluster.
- There are acne breakouts around your hairline.
4 benefits of exfoliating your scalp
Exfoliating your scalp helps to soothe the skin and keep it healthy. Here are the most notable benefits of scalp exfoliation:
Clears buildup
Each day, your scalp produces new skin cells and sheds the old ones. While washing removes some of these, over time the dead skin can build up and clump together with oil and dirt from your hair. This issue gets worse if you frequently use hair products, which may stick around and build-up with everything else over time. This buildup can clog hair follicles and negatively impact their health while also causing itchiness or irritation on your scalp. To prevent this, you can exfoliate your scalp to regularly remove the buildup before it causes these issues.
Keeps oil under control
When follicles are backed up with buildup, your scalp may produce extra oil as a response which can make the issue even worse and your hair appear greasy. Exfoliating your scalp clears the blockage so your scalp produces only as much oil as you need. Just make sure not to exfoliate too often; doing so can trigger increased oil production in your scalp.
Boosts the effectiveness of hair products
When you’ve got a lot of buildup, your hair products may not be as effective because they won’t be able to penetrate your scalp and reach the follicle at the start. Removing the buildup will help you to get the most from your haircare products.
How do I exfoliate my scalp?
There are two ways to exfoliate your scalp: physically and chemically. Each has its own benefits, but in general physical exfoliation is recommended for people with thick hair and a lot of buildup, while chemical exfoliation is a better choice for those with fine hair and sensitive skin.
Here’s how you can exfoliate your scalp through these two methods:
1. Physical scalp exfoliation
Physical exfoliation is the process of removing buildup by scrubbing your skin. You can do this with a brush or massaging your scalp with your hands, but the ideal physical exfoliation method is using a product that has an abrasive element such as sea salt, sugar or beads among others.
Step-by-step physical exfoliation
- To physically exfoliate your scalp, wash your hair and apply your product of choice to your finger and gently rub sections of your hair in a tight circular motion.
- Do this until you’ve thoroughly scrubbed your entire scalp and leave the product in for 5-10 minutes before rinsing out.
- After rinsing, brush or comb your hair while it’s still wet to help clear any buildup that’s caught in your locks.
Physical exfoliation is a great way to clear your scalp of buildup, but it’s not recommended for everyone because the process can be harsh. Try this scalp exfoliation method and see how your skin reacts. If you notice dryness or irritation, consider trying a chemical exfoliant that’s more gentle.
2. Chemical scalp exfoliation
Chemical exfoliation works by using a product that contains active ingredients like acids including AHAs and BHAs to dissolve buildup on your scalp. Chemical exfoliants actually tend to be more gentle on your scalp, because all you need to do is apply the product to your scalp and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before rinsing out.
Unlike physical exfoliants, you don’t need to aggressively scrub which can dry out and irritate your scalp. As a result, chemical exfoliants are recommended for people with sensitive skin and fine hair.
Try our Ghost™ Exfoliating Scalp Nectar!
Our Ghost™ Exfoliating Scalp Nectar is a lightweight, nectar-like serum powered by AHAs and PHAs to gently exfoliate and help remove product buildup, dead skin and debris for a clean, refreshed scalp. Formulated with moringa oil to hydrate and biotin to nourish, this serum is a great first step to care for hair.
How often should you exfoliate your scalp?
Most experts agree you should exfoliate your scalp 1-2 times a week. Exfoliating too often can be rough on your scalp and dry out your skin, which can result in irritation. Additionally, over-exfoliating can cause your scalp to produce extra oil to replace what’s being lost.
If you’re exfoliating your scalp once a week and still notice dryness, flakes or irritation — try a more gentle approach and consider swapping your shampoo and conditioner with a moisturizing alternative like Verb’s Hydrate Collection or Ghost Collection infused with moringa oil.
Healthy hair starts at your scalp!
If you’re still struggling with scalp issues, try our Dandruff shampoo! Formulated with 3% salicylic acid, clary sage oil and zinc PCA, our newest Dandruff Shampoo is clinically proven to significantly reduce dandruff after just one use*.
We understand that everyone’s scalp is unique, so if you have more dandruff questions, send us a DM at @verbproducts on Instagram because we would be happy to help! And if you want more product recs for your unique hair type, texture, concerns and goals? check out our shampoo + conditioner guide or our hair quiz for personalized recommendations!
*based on a 21-day clinical study of 30 participants
