How To Clean Your Scalp At Home

When it comes to pampering and getting pretty, we think about so many things. Skincare, haircare, makeup… skincare for the body… but what about your scalp? I have personally victimized my scalp in oh so many ways. Piling on the dry shampoo. Overloading it with product. Spending days at the beach and at the pool. Abusing it with ultra-drying clarifying shampoos. Ignoring it.

The health of your scalp is so, so important. Poor scalp health can actually lead to hair loss – keeping it clean and able to breathe is extremely important. And while washing your hair helps, it needs a deep cleanse every now and again, too. Deep cleansing your scalp regularly will help to encourage healthy hair growth and natural oils, exfoliate dead skin cells, and remove all that yucky dry shampoo buildup.

(PS – this apple cider vinegar hair rinse is magical!)

How to Deep Clean Your Scalp – Scalp Detox Treatment at Home!

Back in 2016 I had the chance to visit Younghee Salon (in Tribeca) to give their Hair + Scalp Balance Treatment a whirl. The salon markets it as a facial for your scalp, which sounded like the greatest idea ever. I was excited to try it as I had never really done anything like that for my scalp, and after a summer of blowouts (so much dry shampoo), weekends at the beach, and plain old product overload (my hair is thick so I use a heavy hand with styling creams, serums, and sprays) it just felt necessary.

It was such an awesome, over-the-top treatment. The stylist began by massaging René Furterer's Karite Oil throughout my scalp. I was then treated to a (heavenly) seven (yes, seven) minute scalp massage. From there, they washed my hair twice (first with a clarifying shampoo and then with a regular shampoo) and did a vinegar rinse prior to conditioning and blowing out my hair. The idea is that the oil helps to lift dirt, debris, and buildup from the scalp, allowing the shampoo to get hairreally, really clean. It's kinda like a good old fashioned double cleanse… except for your hair. Afterward, my scalp felt amazing… and my hair has never been shinier!

If you are in New York I would highly recommend paying Younghee a visit (I need to go back!) but if not, here are a few DIY ways to get your scalp ultra clean – including some tips + tricks from Younghee herself!

Younghee's at home Method

You can (sort of recreate her spa treatment at home). Massage a generous amount of oil (Younghee likes this one) all over and into your scalp. Leave it on for two hours (!!!) and shampoo using a clarifying shampoo. From there, shampoo again and do a vinegar rinse with apple cider vinegar (mix 2-4 tbsp vinegar with 16 oz. water in a plastic squeeze bottle). Be sure to use the rinse all over the hair, from scalp to ends. Besides the clarifying benefits for your scalp, a vinegar rinse also helps make your hair look extra shiny. Leave the vinegar mixture on for a few minutes, and then rinse with cold water. Condition the ends, and style appropriately.

The budget/on the fly method:

A long, long time ago a hair stylist noticed all the dry shampoo that had been accumulating on my head and suggested mixing in a teaspoon of plain old baking soda with my regular shampoo and massaging it in to my scalp. The baking soda helps to exfoliate and clarify, and my hair felt super silky and soft afterward. The best part? Everybody has baking soda… and if you don't, it's dirt cheap! Condition the ends, and style appropriately.

The luxe method

A few years ago I tried Christophe Robin's Cleansing Purifying Salt Scrub a try and LOVE IT. It's a great way to deeply cleanse and remove buildup. It's also very soothing if you have sensitive skin or a flaky scalp. I loved how tingly it was. Christophe's background is as a hair colorist and he actually created the scrub to be a post-coloring treatment as your scalp can get so itchy afterward, but quickly realized that it could be used for so much more than that (especially for all of us dry shampoo addicts!

Besides exfoliating, the sea salt also purifies and rebalances excess oils while hydrating the scalp – making it ideal for everyone!

More recently I gave Briogeo's Scalp Revival a try (you can read the full review here!) and like it even more… probably because of the smell (it literally smells exactly like a Girl Scout thin mint cookie!), its amazing soothing properties, and the smaller granules which are easier to rinse out!

Last but not least, Kerastase actually has an amazing pre-shampoo scalp treatment treatment, which I have used before. Inspired by skincare, it's kind of like a scrub for your scalp. Apply a quarter-size amount to damp hair, rub in all over, massage for 3-5 minutes and then rinse out. From there, use a clarifying shampoo. You'll want to give your hair an extra rinse as it can be tricky getting the scrub out of your hair!! Condition the ends, and style appropriately.