Most hair advice starts at the ends. It probably shouldn't. Every strand you own is produced by, and anchored in, a piece of skin — and that skin behaves like the skin everywhere else on your body.
Your scalp is skin
It has a barrier that holds moisture in and irritants out. It has oil glands, and they are more active here than almost anywhere else. It has a resident population of microbes that is normal and useful. And, like the skin on your face, it responds badly to being stripped, scrubbed or ignored.
The practical consequence: the things that help facial skin — gentle cleansing, adequate moisture, not over-treating — tend to help the scalp too.
The four problems people actually have
Dryness. A tight, itchy feeling, sometimes with fine flaking. Usually caused by over-washing, harsh detergents, hot water, hard water or dry indoor air. Responds to gentler cleansing and a leave-in that puts moisture back.
Oiliness. Roots greasy within a day. Frequently made worse by the instinctive response — washing more, with something stronger, which strips the barrier and prompts more oil. Counter-intuitively, gentler and slightly less frequent often settles it.
Build-up. A film of styling product, silicone, dry shampoo and hard-water minerals that leaves hair dull and heavy no matter what you put on it. A clarifying wash every few weeks clears it.
Flaking. This is the one worth distinguishing carefully. Small, dry, white flakes with a tight scalp are usually dryness. Larger, greasy, yellowish flakes with redness and persistent itch are more likely dandruff or seborrhoeic dermatitis — which are medical conditions with medical treatments, not cosmetic problems. In the US, anti-dandruff actives are regulated as over-the-counter drugs, and no botanical hair oil is one. If your flaking is persistent, greasy or itchy, see a pharmacist or a doctor rather than buying another serum.
What actually helps
- Wash to suit your scalp, not a rule. There is no correct number of washes per week. Oily scalps often need daily; dry ones may be fine twice a week.
- Lukewarm water. Hot water strips oils and leaves the scalp tight.
- Shampoo the scalp, condition the lengths. The scalp is where the oil is; the ends are where the dryness is. Most people do both in both places and get neither right.
- Fingertips, never nails. Scratching a scalp that itches makes it itch more.
- Rinse longer than feels necessary. A surprising amount of dullness is simply product that never came out.
- Put moisture back. A lightweight leave-in oil or essence, applied to the scalp rather than the hair, addresses the dryness rather than covering it.
What a healthy scalp will and won't do for you
A comfortable, well-cared-for scalp is a good foundation, and it makes hair look better — less dullness, less flaking, less irritation. What it will not do is reverse pattern hair loss, and we are not going to suggest otherwise. Genetics, hormones, illness and medication drive most significant hair loss, and none of them is addressed by a cosmetic routine.
What a good routine reliably delivers is the hair you already have, in better condition, kept longer because it breaks less. That is a real result, and for most people it is the one that changes how their hair looks.
Our scalp serums and essences are all leave-in, lightweight, and list every ingredient in full.