Something I hear in my chair all the time is “my scalp is so dry.” Or on the flip side, “I just washed my hair and it’s already oily again the next day.” And honestly, both of those can come from the same root issue, which is why this gets confusing for people.
What most people think is dry scalp isn’t always actually dry scalp. Sometimes it is, but a lot of the time it’s buildup, oil imbalance, or even something like dandruff or psoriasis.
A true dry scalp usually shows up as small dry flakes, itchiness, and that tight uncomfortable feeling, especially when the weather is changing — which lately, it has been all over the place. One day it’s warm, the next day it’s freezing, and your skin (including your scalp) is just trying to keep up. So if your scalp has been acting weird lately, you’re definitely not alone.
But what I’m seeing most of the time in the salon is actually buildup. And buildup can come from dry shampoo, styling products, oils, not washing often enough, and even hard water.
When all of that sits on your scalp, it can cause flakes, itching, irritation, and your hair getting greasy faster. And the tricky part is it can look exactly like dryness, so people think they need more moisture when really they need to clean their scalp better first.
A lot of people hear “don’t wash your hair too much” and take that as a challenge, but the truth is everybody is different. Some people can go a week without washing their hair and be totally fine, and some people can’t or honestly shouldn’t.
It depends on your scalp, your hormones, how much you’re working out, the time of year, and even the weather. Sometimes your scalp needs to be washed more often and that’s completely normal.
Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp, and that means actually cleansing it properly. When you shampoo, focus it on your scalp, use your fingertips, not your nails, actually massage it in, and rinse really well. Your ends don’t need to be scrubbed — the shampoo running through them is enough.
And if your shampoo isn’t sudsing very easily the first time, that’s usually a sign there’s buildup sitting on your scalp. That’s when you need to double cleanse. Wash once to break everything up, then wash again. That second wash is where you’ll actually get a good lather and a clean scalp.
This is also where a clarifying shampoo can make a huge difference. Clarifying shampoos help remove buildup that regular shampoo leaves behind — things like product, oil, and hard water minerals. —> Redken Clarifying Shampoo
You don’t need to use one every time you wash your hair, but using one every couple of weeks can really help reset your scalp. And if you live somewhere with hard water, which a lot of us do, this matters even more because those minerals sit on your hair and make it feel dull, heavy, and honestly kind of dry even when it’s not.
Another thing people don’t think about is pH. Your hair and scalp naturally sit at a slightly acidic pH, and when that balance gets thrown off from hard water, weather changes, product buildup, or heat styling, your hair cuticle stays more open. When that happens, your hair can feel rough, frizzy, dry, and just off. It also affects your color. When your pH is balanced, the cuticle lays flatter, which helps your hair feel smoother, look shinier, and hold onto color longer.
One of my current favorites right now is the Redken Acidic Color Gloss SHAMPOO and CONDITIONER because it helps bring your hair back to that balance and you can really see and feel the difference.
If you’re blonde, this is even more important because all of those same things — hard water, heat styling, not using a heat protectant, buildup — can make your blonde turn brassy faster, meaning more yellow or orange tones. That’s where purple shampoo comes in to help neutralize those tones, but it’s not meant to be used every wash, just when you need it.
Once your scalp is actually clean, then we focus on hydration. Conditioner should mainly go on your mid-lengths and ends because that’s where your hair is older and needs the most help.
One thing I see a lot is people grabbing a huge amount of conditioner and just putting it right on top of their head, and that usually just weighs everything down without actually helping where it needs to.
Start at your ends and then work your way up slightly. One little trick I like is keeping a WET BRUSH in the shower and brushing the conditioner through so it distributes evenly. And when you brush your hair, wet or dry, always start at the ends and work your way up — we’re not ripping through knots over here.
Adding a conditioning mask every couple of washes can also make a big difference, especially if your hair feels dry, brittle, or just stressed out from weather, heat styling, or color.
There are also treatments you can use specifically for your scalp. One I really like is the Moroccanoil Dry Scalp Treatment. It has ingredients like salicylic acid that help gently exfoliate the scalp and break up buildup while balancing oils. You can use it every other week or about once a month depending on what your scalp needs. They also make one for oily scalps that helps regulate oil production.
And then sometimes it’s not just dryness or buildup at all. It could be something like dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, eczema, or psoriasis. Psoriasis in particular can show up as thicker patches or scaling on the scalp. If you’re noticing redness that won’t go away, thick patches, or irritation that just isn’t improving, that’s when it’s best to talk to a doctor.
At the end of the day, your scalp is skin. Just like your face, it needs proper cleansing, occasional exfoliation, hydration, and balance. And sometimes what looks like dry scalp is actually something completely different.
Because if it’s something we talk about in the chair… it belongs here.
— From the Chair
