One of the biggest mistakes I see clients make is not scrubbing their head enough. Can you imagine if you wore the same shirt for three days and then you threw it in the wash machine on “delicate?” Here’s 5 reasons you should scrub your head like you mean it.

1. Your hair is no different than that 3-day tee shirt.

It’s exposed to so many environmental pollutions and everything else, like our sweat, oils, the products we put on it. The delicate cycle won’t do it. You’ve got to get in in there and scrub it up.

2. You’re ignoring your hairline.

Here’s how it goes:

You ignore your hairline when shampooing.

Then you go to sleep on your satin pillowcase.

But… you don’t wash that satin pillowcase enough.

Then you wonder why your head has a “scent” or is flaky.

Very rarely do scalps produce their own dandruff, most of that is human-made! Product buildup, lack of exfoliation, etc. See number 3 and 4!

3. You’re not exfoliating.

Exfoliating is so important, especially if you have thick hair. Don’t have shampoo brush? Use a Wet Brush to stimulate your scalp. I have fine hair, but I still exfoliate the heck out of my scalp. After detangling, I use a fine tooth comb to gently scrape. It gets that loose stuff up, it feels good, it stimulates my scalp and it takes care of the health of my scalp. Try it!

4. It’s not dandruff! It’s something else. 

Want to know a secret? Scalps rarely produce their own dandruff. In reality, dandruff tends to be buildup and/or shedding skin due to other reasons. I see this a lot in the summer, when clients see what they think is dandruff through their parts or along their hairlines. Know what that really is? It’s sunburn! Sunburn from sitting on the beach, or sitting in the stands… it’s your scalp flaking off the damage. It’s just skin.

5. You’re probably not scrubbing the back of your head.

Do you think you’re the best shampoo-er around? Props to you! However, while you might scrub okay in the front, you have to scrub the back of your head like you mean it. If your little ones were playing outside all day are you going to just rinse them off or are you going to give them a 360 workup, crack to crevice? No kids? Think about that 3-day tee shirt. The delicate cycle isn’t going to really get the fibers clean is it?

You Should Scrub Your Head Like You Really, Really Mean It

Think about how long it takes your stylist to scrub your head and wash your hair.  You’ll often hear me tell you to get back to the basics. You can use all the right products, you can follow your routine perfectly, but none of it will work the way it should if you don’t wash your hair and scrub your scalp properly. Your hair won’t be clean. It won’t be hydrated. And you won’t be happy.

Getting in there and scrubbing your scalp like you mean it will set you up for success.