Head of Content Viola Levy explains why scalp scrubbing is so important to boost growth and health of your hair (it can benefit your mental health too).
You may not be feeling like making any resolutions at the moment – especially where your beauty routine is concerned. Resolutions are tricky to keep at the best of times, but when things are particularly stressful it’s even more of a challenge.
But there is an important reason why just a few little resolutions can make a big difference – and it’s not just because of the outcome. When our anxiety levels are high and morale is at an all-time low, establishing small habits can not only give us something to work towards but can also help us feel grounded. Sticking to these habits is a form of self-care, we’re showing up for ourselves each day or each week which can have a positive cumulative effect on our mental health over time.
It can be something as small as taking 10 minutes to meditate each morning, or half an hour reading a book, or learning a new language via zoom once a week. Or you could embark on a scalp-skincare regime – which can be as little as scrubbing your scalp a few times a week, which will not only lift your mood but even boost your hair growth in the long-term.
Scrubbing up is an underrated joy – take it from me. Buffing away those little granules of goodness over your skin can wake you up out of your morning grump and give scaly limbs a new lease of life. Any good scrub worth its salt (whether it contains actual salt or not) should have a heavenly scent, with beads that invigorate the skin without being scratchy (some scrubs I’ve tried are like rubbing shards of glass on one’s skin, I kid you not…)
So why scrub away at your scalp, you ask? Isn’t a good old shampoo n’ rinse enough? Well, as mentioned in previous posts, it’s high time we stopped neglecting our scalps and gave them some long-awaited loving. Look after it and you’ll be rewarded with less itching, dandruff and irritation – not to mention thicker, fuller hair for your troubles. When it comes to neglecting our scalps, the majority of us have a lot to atone for. And using a scalp scrub is the first step on the road to recovery.
And as with the skin on your face, your scalp has its fair share of dirt and debris. But with your hair covering it, it’s less noticeable and something we tend to overlook. However, left to its own devices, all this gunk can easily build up – causing scalp irritation, itchy, flaky skin and stunted hair growth to name but a few.
Similar to facial and body scrubs, scalp versions like MONPURE’s Clarifying Scalp Scrub work in the same way. Wet your hair and gently massage the scrub into your scalp to exfoliate away any clutter that might be clogging those hair follicles. Instead of microbeads, this contains biodegradable jojoba beads, conditioning shea butter and nourishing argan oil extract. Anyone who’s been on the receiving end of a scalp massage will tell you, rubbing this stuff in is a sheer unadulterated joy, and – like most things in life – something that shouldn’t be rushed if you want to enjoy it.
De-stressing and slowing down are not things that come easily to me, but this has certainly flipped my regular hair-washing routine from a hurried 10-minutes in the shower to an enjoyable ritual worth lingering over. If you’re not sure how to get that scrub through your hair so it reaches your scalp, here’s a technique I’ve found that works quite well: take a tiny amount on your fingertips and rapidly tousle it through your strands, working quickly until you find your scalp so it can work its magic (you don’t want the majority of it to get lost in your hair on the way).
And if you’re worried about those tiny beads getting stuck in your strands, fret not. Take it from someone who has wild, frizzy locks that wouldn’t look out of place in a Victorian gothic novel – this stuff rinses out well (make sure you flip your head over under the shower to make doubly sure). I’ve been using it once a week with no rogue grains hidden in my scalp post-wash.
One last thing, before you get scrub-happy, a word of caution comes from our resident dermatologist Dr Sue Ann Chan: “Not all skin types are suitable for scrubbing – if you have any dermatological conditions, do consult your dermatologist before using scalp scrubs as these can sometimes irritate the skin if you have a pre-existing scalp condition such as scalp eczema or scalp lupus etc.”
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