A clean and healthy scalp is an ideal environment for hair to grow. Unfortunately, when we use too much dry shampoo, the build-up it leaves behind can clog the follicles in the scalp, which may eventually lead to balding. Don’t freak out, though — dry shampoo is not the main cause of going bald and you shouldn’t just stop using it all together! However, too much of something, is never a good thing, which Flora Fuentes, founder of Unique Hair Concepts, says is the case when it comes to dry shampoo. Fuentes wants everyone to know, first and foremost, that “scalp is skin.” Fuentes has been in the hair restoration industry for 24 years, and she told HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY, “More and more, we are seeing guests come into the salon with dry, irritated or hyper oily scalps. I tell my guests quite often that to grow healthy hair, you have to take care of your skin and scalp.Especially with the popular overuse of dry shampoos, the scalp is not getting the proper cleansing it needs. The frequency of how often you should wash your hair should be determined by whether or not you have a dry or oily scalp, and then the appropriate scalp care routine will be recommended.”
For avid dry shampoo users, Fuentes recommends switching up your brand, explaining that you should look for mild and natural shampoos that will remove excess oil that can clog your pores. As for her rule of thumb, “Use warm water when washing your hair, because very hot water may dry and damage your hair. Massage the shampoo throughout your scalp, as massaging helps improve circulation, aids in stress reduction and promotes healthy hair growth. Rinse well and condition your hair if needed.”
Fuentes wants people to know that dry shampoo, overall, is indeed harmful. “Women are under the impression that dry shampoo actually cleanses the scalp, but it does not,” she told us. “Dry shampoo soaks up the excess oil of the scalp, irritates the scalp by clogging up the pores and then can eventually lead to hair loss.” This is where a scalp scrub comes in handy, as it is beneficial to hair growth in many ways. “At Unique Hair Concepts, we exclusively use the CRLAB scalp care protocol — an all-natural scalp care line based on the science of trichology,” she revealed. “A scalp scrub or a pre-shampoo, is beneficial for exfoliating and detoxifying the scalp, because it gently removes hair product build up, excess sebum, dead skin cells and dry dandruff. Similar to a facial scrub that lifts dead skin cells and cleans out the pores, a scrub for your hair does the same.” After hearing about how beneficial scrubs are, we rounded up a few great scalp scrubs that are specifically formulated to treat your hair follicles and leave you with fresh locks, which you can see in the gallery above.
It seems like in just the past few years, dry shampoo has become a huge fad in the beauty industry, as people want to prolong their blowouts for as long as they can. Even Fuentes admits that she’s seen a rise in people complaining about itchy or irritated scalps. “More and more each day, I see men and women complaining of itchy scalps which can be a result of a scalp that is too oily or dry. Other causes of an itchy or irritated scalp include: hormonal fluctuations, stress, psoriasis, dehydration, and autoimmune conditions,” Fuentes explained.
As dry shampoo lovers, we had to bring in a second opinion regarding scalp scrubs and how often you should use them if you want to prevent balding but don’t want to give up dry shampoo. Anabel Kingsley, Philip Kingsley’s Brand President and Consultant Trichologist at the Philip Kingsley Clinic in New York, shared her advice with us. “Your scalp is simply an extension of the skin on your forehead,” Kingsley shared. “Therefore, it makes complete sense to look after your scalp in a similar way to the skin on your face. If you were experiencing problems with the skin on your face, such as breakouts or flaking, you would use a weekly intensive mask with targeted ingredients to help clear the issue. The same applies to your scalp.”