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Scalp Care

Knox Beasley, MD

Reviewed by Knox Beasley, MD

Written by Rachel Sacks

Published 06/11/2024

Updated 07/25/2024

The scalp — hair’s unsung hero. The scalp is an extension of your skincare routine and is just as prone to things like dryness and itchiness as your face is. The better you care for your scalp, the healthier your hair can be.

While it’s easy to overlook scalp care, taking care of the skin that protects your head can treat and prevent scalp issues, encourage hair growth, and improve hair health.

Want to know how to take care of your scalp? Here’s everything you need to know about scalp care and what makes a healthy scalp for a healthy head of hair.

To learn how to improve scalp health, it helps to understand what makes a healthy scalp in the first place.

A healthy scalp has clean and hydrated skin with balanced oil production an and adequate blood flow. It’s free of itching or flaking.

Since your scalp is just like the skin everywhere else on your body, keeping it clean, hydrated, and free of inflammation are all healthy scalp care practices.

Scalp conditions can affect the hair growth cycle and even lead to hair loss. Certain scalp issues can affect the early stages of hair growth leading to hair thinning, breakage, or slowed down growth.

Having a healthy scalp can also mean healthy hair follicles (the “root” of hair growth). Several studies have found that certain scalp conditions can affect your follicles, often thanks to oxidative stress — or when antioxidant levels are low.

While often linked to aging, oxidative stress can also be a result of conditions that affect your scalp health, hair growth, and more.

Many forms of hair loss — including androgenetic alopecia, the most common hair loss — are caused by physical damage to the thousands of hair follicles located throughout your scalp, whether from oxidative stress or another condition.

Put simply, although you may not see your scalp every day, an unhealthy scalp can have obvious effects on your hair — effects that aren’t always easy to hide.

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To get a better understanding of proper scalp care for hair growth and overall healthy hair, read on about some of the most common scalp types and conditions.

Dry Scalp

You can have dry skin anywhere on your body — including your scalp.

A dry scalp can be caused by several factors, whether from washing your hair too often, using heat styling tools, another scalp condition, or simply a lack of hydration.

Whether natural oils are stripped from your scalp from washing your hair too much or you’re dehydrated, a dry scalp can result in itching, flaking, and irritation.

Dry skin can be caused by everyday things like cold temperatures, harsh soaps and cleaning products, and hot showers — as well as unavoidable factors like aging.

Oily Scalp

But just as a dry scalp can affect your hair, so can the opposite: a scalp that produces too much oil.

While natural oils (or sebum) are healthy for your hair and scalp, there can be too much of a good thing.

Sebaceous glands along your hair follicles produce natural oils that protect your skin and hair and keep them hydrated. Not only do these oils protect your scalp from infection and oxidative damage, they also protect the hair shaft.

Hormonal changes can alter the amount of oil produced, not only making your hair look oily but also causing scalp damage.

Dandruff

A common scalp condition that affects nearly half of the global population, dandruff is a non-inflammatory form of another scalp condition known as seborrhoeic dermatitis.

Dandruff tends to only affect your scalp, resulting in itchy, flaking skin with either a dry or oily scalp.

Leaving dandruff untreated can even lead to hair shedding and hair loss due to excessive scratching of the scalp.

Hair Loss

Male pattern baldness is incredibly common, thanks in large part to a combination of genetic factors and the effects of a male sex hormone called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT.

There are many other types of hair loss in men:

Even certain lifestyle habits can cause hair loss, like smoking or nutritional deficiencies from your diet.

Scalp Eczema

One of the main types of scalp eczema is seborrhoeic dermatitis, thought to be caused by a type of skin yeast that causes inflammation and itchiness.

Scalp eczema can resemble dandruff, but only eczema causes inflamed patches of skin. Those with scalp eczema may also notice patches of waxy skin or yellow discoloration.

Scalp Psoriasis

An inflammatory disorder, scalp psoriasis can cause plaques and scales to develop on your skin, including on your scalp.

These plaques develop because of increased cellular growth. Psoriasis causes your skin cells to grow at a faster-than-normal rate, resulting in a buildup of cells and flaky skin.

Some people with psoriasis experience symptoms such as itching and burning on the affected skin.

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To create an optimal environment for healthy hair, your scalp — and the hair follicles by association — should be kept clean and clear from sebum (oil), dead skin, dandruff, or too many products.

Here are some tips for maintaining a healthy scalp.

1. Determine your scalp type

The importance of knowing which scalp type you have can help you pick the right products.

The best way to know what’s going on with the health of your scalp (and therefore, proper scalp care) is to contact a dermatologist or a healthcare professional who specializes in skin, hair, and nails.

They’ll be able to thoroughly check your scalp and determine if you’re dealing with dandruff, scalp psoriasis, or something else.

2. Choose key active ingredients

After you figure out what scalp condition you’re dealing with, you can pick hair care products with active ingredients that are best for treating that condition.

For example, treating dandruff requires certain ingredients like ketoconazole, selenium sulfide, salicylic acid, or zinc pyrithione.

Meanwhile, saw palmetto may reduce the hormone that causes hair loss in men, DHT, and increase hair thickness.

Some ingredients can also treat multiple conditions; for example, zinc pyrithione can treat both dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis.

Many of these ingredients are in commercially available shampoos, like a dandruff detox shampoo or saw palmetto thickening products.

3. Look into hair loss treatments

If you’re dealing with hair loss, there are several treatments available.

There are two FDA-approved treatments available for male pattern hair loss: topical minoxidil and oral finasteride.

Finasteride is a 5 alpha-reductase type 2 inhibitor, which affects your production of DHT to slow down hair loss.

Minoxidil, sold under the brand name Rogaine, improves blood flow to your hair follicles, encouraging more hair growth.

Other treatment options for hair loss include low-level laser therapy or platelet-rich plasma treatments. Some people may consider taking certain vitamins and supplements like biotin for a nutritional deficiency.

4. Start healthy scalp habits

Healthy scalp habits are fairly similar to healthy hair habits.

  • Wash your hair regularly to avoid oil buildup, as this can block the follicles and cause several scalp conditions.

  • But don’t overwash, as excessive shampooing can strip your hair of its natural oils that keep hair healthy and your scalp protected. (The so-called “perfect” hair wash cadence varies from person to person.)

  • Use the right shampoo and conditioner not only for your scalp condition but also for your skin type. Those with sensitive skin or brittle hair may need sulfate-free shampoo, while others may want to use products that focus on hydration.

  • Try a scalp treatment like a mask or hair oil that has anti-inflammatory properties and addresses your scalp concerns. You might even try a relaxing scalp massage for hair growth benefits, as one 2019 study saw reduced hair loss from daily scalp massages.

Hair loss treatments, delivered

Although easily overlooked, the health of your scalp is important, as it can determine the health of your hair. Knowing what scalp conditions to keep an eye out for can not only improve hair health, but skin health, too.

  • Common scalp conditions like scalp eczema, dandruff, scalp psoriasis, and a dry or oily scalp can cause damage to your hair follicles and lead to or worsen hair loss.

  • A healthy scalp is hydrated, clean, has no itching or flaking, and has good blood flow for healthy hair growth.

  • To keep your scalp healthy, seek medical advice from a healthcare professional, look for key ingredients for your specific scalp condition, look into hair loss treatments like medication, and start implementing healthy hair habits as soon as possible.

For healthy hair, you’ve got to start at the root — or in this case, the scalp. And one of the best things about scalp care is that it doesn’t require many expensive treatments or surgeries, just some extra T.L.C.

19 Sources

  1. Tosti, A., et al. (2021). Role of scalp health in achieving optimal hair growth and retention. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ics.12708
  2. Trüeb, R. M., et al. (2018). Scalp Condition Impacts Hair Growth and Retention via Oxidative Stress. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6369642/
  3. Trüeb, R. M. (2021). Oxidative stress and its impact on skin, scalp and hair. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ics.12736
  4. American Academy of Dermatology. (2021). Is Your Dry Scalp Something More Serious?. https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/hair-scalp-care/scalp/dry-scalp-conditions
  5. American Academy of Dermatology. (n.d.). Dry Skin: Who Gets and Causes. https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/dry-skin-causes
  6. Hoover, E. (2022). Physiology, Sebaceous Glands. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499819/
  7. Ranganathan, S., et al. (2010). Dandruff: the most commercially exploited skin disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2887514/
  8. Borda, L. J., et al. (2015). Seborrheic Dermatitis and Dandruff: A Comprehensive Review. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4852869/
  9. Guo, E. L., et al. (2017). Diet and hair loss: effects of nutrient deficiency and supplement use. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5315033/
  10. Tucker, D. (2024). Seborrheic Dermatitis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551707/
  11. Blakely, K. (2016). Management of scalp psoriasis: current perspectives. https://www.dovepress.com/management-of-scalp-psoriasis-current-perspectives-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-PTT
  12. National Psoriasis Foundation. (2024). About Psoriasis. https://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriasis/
  13. American Academy of Dermatology. (2022). What is a dermatologist?. https://www.aad.org/public/fad/what-is-a-derm
  14. Turcu, G., et al. (2023). Selenium Disulfide-based shampoo applied for 4 weeks significantly improves dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37098775/
  15. Barak-Shinar, D., et al. (2018). Scalp Seborrheic Dermatitis and Dandruff Therapy Using a Herbal and Zinc Pyrithione-based Therapy of Shampoo and Scalp Lotion. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5788265/
  16. Zito, P.M. (2024). Finasteride. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513329/
  17. Zarei, M., et al. (2015). Low level laser therapy and hair regrowth: an evidence-based review. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10103-015-1818-2
  18. Almohanna, H. M., et al. (2019). The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Hair Loss: A Review. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6380979/
  19. English, R. S., et al. (2019). Self-Assessments of Standardized Scalp Massages for Androgenic Alopecia: Survey Results. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6380978/
Editorial Standards

Hims & Hers has strict sourcing guidelines to ensure our content is accurate and current. We rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We strive to use primary sources and refrain from using tertiary references. See a mistake? Let us know at [email protected]!

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Learn more about our editorial standards here.

Knox Beasley, MD

Dr. Knox Beasley is a board certified dermatologist specializing in hair loss. He completed his undergraduate studies at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, and subsequently attended medical school at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, LA. 

Dr. Beasley first began doing telemedicine during his dermatology residency in 2013 with the military, helping to diagnose dermatologic conditions in soldiers all over the world. 

Dr. Beasley is board certified by the American Board of Dermatology, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Originally from Nashville, TN, Dr. Beasley currently lives in North Carolina and enjoys spending time outdoors (with sunscreen of course) with his wife and two children in his spare time. 

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  • Dermatology Residency. San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium

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