How to Exfoliate with the Best Ingredients

Scalps are the root cause of happy, healthy hair. Imagine your strands as a garden; if you don’t tend to what’s beneath those daisies, your flowers simply won’t flourish. In the same way, if you don’t maintain what’s underneath your strands, your hair won’t look its best.

To properly care for your scalp, you’ll need to begin a regular exfoliating routine. Before we plunge into the top ingredients for scalp exfoliation, let’s gain a better understanding of why it’s beneficial to care for your scalp. Then you’ll be well on your way to achieving your hair goals!

It’s easy to overlook what we can’t see. It’s why tags stick out of collars, lipstick gets stuck to teeth, or worse – TP gets dragged around by shoes. The horror! Unless someone points it out, it’s usually too late to dodge the faux pas. This is precisely why we’re bringing scalp exfoliation to your attention!

Knowing our scalps can easily go unnoticed is even more reason to take care of them in the first place. You should do so as if the health of your hair depended on it – and it does! Without regular exfoliation, our scalps end up with buildup, clogged follicles, and itchy, flaky dandruff. This affects the quality of your strands and impedes strong, healthy growth.

It’s time to give that scalp some love! To experience the cleanest, healthiest scalp – and the amazing hair benefits that come with it – here are the best ingredients for scalp exfoliation.

Coffee grounds
You know that morning pick-me-up that warms millions of hearts daily? Turns out that cup of Joe does more than allow us to get along with each other. Coffee is a powerhouse of antioxidants – more specifically caffeine – which perks up those follicles. It’s great for your hair and is a popular go-to for scalp exfoliation.

Using coffee grounds to gently exfoliate your scalp removes buildup, increases circulation, and stimulates new hair growth. You may need to rethink tossing that filter in the trash!

Lemon juice
Lemons are rich in antioxidants and essential vitamins – also known as hair-raising goodness. Lemon juice thickens strands, since it stops hair from falling out while encouraging regrowth. Lemons have natural chemical exfoliating properties from citric acid, which helps slough off dead skin and loosen any oil that is blocking hair follicles.

Citric acid also balances the pH of the scalp and can keep dandruff and itchy scalps at bay. So if life hands you lemons, kick up a lemonade stand and pass that advice along with a Solo cup.

Sea salt
Is there really any skin disadvantage of using sea salt? Besides the seemingly endless benefits it has for body scrubs, there’s so much more to sea salt than meets the bath. Sea salt is simply just evaporated seawater, which means it’s not processed and doesn’t contain any additives.

Sea salt can effectively remove any product build-up, oil, and dead skin cells off your scalp. Exfoliating your scalp with sea salt stimulates blood circulation, and loosens micropollutants from hair follicles so that they can be rinsed away. It also encourages hair growth while boosting shine and stunning texture.

Cornmeal
Anyone who has ever visited the South can probably tell that cornbread comes with ALL dishes, and you won’t make friends if you don’t eat it. It might be the key ingredient in cornbread, but cornmeal is also an all-star for scalp exfoliation. A natural exfoliant, cornmeal can remove product build-up, oil, and dead skin cells.

Cornmeal contains hair-beneficial antioxidants, zinc, iron, and folic acid. The tiny grains are what makes cornmeal a gentle exfoliant, plus it's a great substitute for anyone who finds coffee grounds or sea salt too abrasive.

Peppermint
Aside from freshening your breath, peppermint oil is excellent for cleaning your scalp – and smells ridiculously good! Peppermint essential oil stimulates blood circulation to the scalp, which can help with nourishing hair and naturally boosting growth.

Peppermint oil offers a pleasant cooling sensation, which can help to soothe itchy, irritated scalps and reduce inflammation caused by dandruff. The cooling and calming sensations offered by peppermint will definitely help you relax while you're waiting for hair to grow!

Lemongrass
Dealing with stubborn dandruff or a flaking, itchy scalp got your wardrobe devoid of all things black? Take back that black by adding lemongrass essential oil to your hair routine! With its anti-inflammatory properties, this oil helps keep skin safe during scalp exfoliation.

Lemongrass removes dead skin and product buildup, but also promotes hair growth by improving blood circulation to the scalp. We’re ready for this therapeutic scalp remedy to banish dandruff and flakes once and for all!

Much like exfoliation is the cornerstone of a glowing complexion, scalp exfoliation is the root of healthy hair. Once you do it – and see the stunning hair results that come with it – you won’t look back. But as with anything that yields amazing results, you might be inclined to want to exfoliate more often that you should, or skip on some important after-care steps.

After you exfoliate your scalp, be sure to gently massage your scalp and rinse well with warm water. This will help you to thoroughly remove any remaining ingredients that might clog up your brush later on. You’ll also want to re-introduce moisture to your scalp, to nourish it and can keep pH levels on track. Give your scalp some TLC with the best conditioner for your hair type, or start with a moisturizing or repairing conditioner.

Too much of a good thing could be a bad thing – precisely why it’s good to start with exfoliating your scalp no more than once every other week. If you don’t experience any irritation, you can gradually work up to once a week.

Stunning strands start at the root with a healthy scalp, which is why it should be treated like the VIP of your entire hair care routine. As you continue to use these helpful hair ingredients in your natural hair care routine, know that scalp exfoliation is the key to healthier, shinier hair from the roots to the tips.

For more scalp exfoliation tips, check out these do’s and don’ts to improve scalp health!