Scalp care may be an ‘unsexy’ subject but if you are after healthy hair (who isn’t really!), then you need to think about your scalp first and foremost. Beauty experts Nadine Baggott and Michelle (Lab Muffin Beauty Science) mentioned how much they are interested in scalp health in a recent video, and having tried a few scalp products recently I wanted to share them and help you choose the one for you.
Please note, the clarifying products will mostly be described as a ‘cleanser’ rather than shampoo or could be a described as a pre-shampoo treatment. Most often than not they won’t foam up, but this shouldn’t put you off! Kinder for your hair, and as I’ve talked about before, the foam doesn’t mean the product cleans! Also, shampoo (any shampoo, clarifying or not) should only be applied on the scalp, otherwise it will dry your hair out. While you rinse the shampoo out, your ends get clean too.
With all of the below, as well as my normal shampoos I focus on the scalp by gently massaging with the Manta brush, which offers flexibility in your hand and the way you brush your hair, as well as helping with the circulation in your scalp.
A happy scalp equals happy hair
Anabel Kingsley, Brand President and trichologist
Trepadora Hair Rinse
Who is it for? Aimed at curly-haired people but can be used by everyone
Previously posted a full review, check it out here. Scalp and hair don’t feel stripped, plus you get a nice definition to your natural curls. The ingredients like almond, coconut, gojiberry are nourishing, and green if that’s important to you. The air-tight pump bottle is super useful.
The hair rinse is available in three different formulas, check them out here. The whole line is free from SLS, sulphates, and 96% naturally-derived.
How much? £13.50 for 100ml, here
Christophe Robin Volumizing Paste
Who is it for? Everyone, particularly if you are lacking volume
The Christophe Robin range was the first one I ever used that focuses on the scalp, a few years ago. The rassoul paste is essentially a clay mask for your scalp that will gently scrub away dead skin cells and product build-up.
The first time you use this it might feel strange, it definitely was for me, but as soon as you see how well it works, you will be converted! Take a small scoop of the product, apply all over your scalp and massage in. Add some water, which will create some lather, continue to massage in and rinse off. I usually let it sit for a couple of minutes before I rinse off.
The one I have is the rose, and it smells amazing. The Moroccan lava clay cleanses the scalp, removing oils and dirt, while the rose water hydrates. Free from parabens, silicone, SLS, and colourants. The only thing is that it’s in a pot and it can be harder to use than a pump bottle, but the formula and product are so great that I can live with that!
How much? £40 for 250ml, here
Philip Kingsley Trichotherapy Scalp Masks
Who is it for? Everyone, particularly if you have specific concerns
A brand new product from British haircare brand Philip Kingsley. Its founder has always spoken about the importance of scalp health ever since setting up his brand. The brand was established over 65 years ago, so there is a lot of research and knowledge put into every product and there are a few other products including supplements for hair growth in the Trichotherapy range, (‘trichos’ means ‘hair’ in Greek).
This category is separated into three products, depending on your needs; stimulate, soothe and exfoliate. I’m using the soothing one that promises to calm and hydrate. The ingredients of the soothing mask include aloe vera, which is known for its calming properties, as well as menthol and olive oil, to moisturise. Stimulating is most helpful to thinning hair, and exfoliating is perfect for dandruff as it contains BHAs to cleanse and zinc for inflammation.
The box comes with two tubes, each tube is one application. Apply on damp hair, all over the scalp, massage in and leave for 10-20 minutes before shampooing as normal. I wet my hair over the sink and applied the product, all over my head. Even though I had read the instructions, I wanted to use the product intuitively and applied about half the tube instead of all of it, focusing on the parts of my scalp that felt a bit itchy. I left on for over 20 minutes as I was busy (oops). My hair and scalp felt immediately clean afterwards and no more itchy scalp. The tube is super easy to use, and great for my carry-on for a short sunshine-filled weekend, as post-sun and sea is when my scalp will need more help and soothing.
How much? £19 for 40ml, here
Color WOW Dream Filter
Who is it for? Everyone, especially if you are worried about hard water
This is pure shine in a bottle, imagine the glossiest hair, clean and shiny. I had already used another product from the range of Color WOW called Dream Coat, and these two are the perfect match.
Dream Filter is a pre-shampoo treatment, think of it as a water filter for your showerhead, as it will help remove minerals, like magnesium, calcium, copper, iron and chlorine and all the bad stuff travelling through the water pipes and on your head. This will also clean your scalp of product build-up, and help the colour lasts longer if you colour your hair or get highlights. If you follow me on Instagram and saw how shiny my hair was on this picture, it was thanks to Dream Filter (and Dream Coat) by Color WOW. Apply on dry hair, throughout the scalp and leave on for 1-3 minutes, I leave for 3. This is ideal as a treatment every 3-4 shampoos.
How much? £24 for 200ml, here
Tabitha James Kraan Clean Shampoo
Who is it for? Everyone, particularly if you are into clean beauty and strong brand ethos
I met Tabitha at a panel organised by The Soil Association, discussing the importance of proper labelling and verification of organic and clean beauty, where she also introduced her brand. Tabitha makes one of the only organic hair care brands, as cleaning products are very difficult to make ‘clean’ (no pun intended!).
The shampoos and cleansers in her line are all created with your scalp health in mind, and the one I’ve been using is great at removing all of the product build-up. It’s in a gel texture, and smells really good thanks to neroli, tangerine, and bergamot. My hair feels slightly dry after using, so I always follow with a mask (which I do anyway). This is 100% natural with 73.14% organic ingredients, no SLS, no parabens and the bottle is made by 100% post-consumer recycled plastic.
How much? £25 for 250ml, here
Revlon Professional Anti-Pollution Micellar Shampoo
Who is it for? Everyone, particularly if you’re on a budget and live a polluted city
This is the first product I try from Revlon Professional, which is used at hair salons and not usually available to buy, but they’ve made this range for everyone that needs to remove pollution from their hair, which living in a big city makes this a necessity.
Out of the ones I’ve tried mentioned on this post, this is the one resembling a ‘normal’ shampoo the most. Clear jelly shampoo texture that very lightly lathers (don’t expect loads of foam), and washes off leaving a clean scalp behind. It also smells really really good, a bit sweet and floral. This one also leaves a ‘squeaky clean’ feel on the hair, but I always follow with a deeply moisturising mask on mid to end-lengths anyway, so that’s not an issue for me.
It contains moringa seed extracts, which is probably why I liked the scent so much, and menthol and aims to clean out the pollution as well as metal/minerals in the water.
How much? £17 for 250ml, on sale here for £8.95
