You probably spend a good amount of time thinking about your hair. You take steps to ensure your hair is healthy and that you are using the best possible products on it. You may even spend some time on specialized care for your hair – turning to a stylist that you love. But, how much time and effort do you put into caring for your scalp? The scalp is just as important as your hair and, though most people do not realize it, the scalp can impact the way your hair looks. In addition to supplements, there are several things you can do to ensure your scalp is just right.

Avoid Harsh Chemical Use

One of the most important steps you can take to protect your scalp and therefore your hair, is to avoid the use of chemicals on your hair as often as possible. The more chemical you use, the more damage you are creating to the cells of the scalp. To prevent this, look for alternatives to many of the products you are already using. For example, using ammonia free hair coloring and formaldehyde free straightening product will do much less damage to your scalp and can still give you the look you are after.

Go Clean

When we say clean, that means improving your lifestyle. Your scalp is a component of your skin. You may have heard that your skin is a direct reflection of the health within your body. Therefore, when you smoke, you are going to have a higher indication of problems to your skin and that includes the scalp. The healthier you are inside, the healthier your skin is. Try to work towards a healthy body weight. Spend some time getting extra fluid too from more water in your diet. These things will translate into a healthier scalp quickly.

Find Out if You Have an Oily or Dry Scalp

Did you know that one of the first signs of thinning hair or hair loss is having an over production of sebum or oil in the scalp? Visiting a hair professional that can look at your scalp and determine if you have an oily or dry scalp is important. At Unique Hair Concepts, we conduct a private thorough consultation and we use specialized tools to measure the oil, hydration and ph levels of the scalp. A dry, dehydrated scalp requires moisturizing scalp treatments and a scalp that produces too much sebum or oil needs to be treated differently. These scalp specific treatments are important to balancing the scalp and provide a healthy environment for growing beautiful, strong hair. A shampoo alone is not the answer but an actual scalp care protocol to treat your scalp. Just like skin on your face is unique so is your scalp. Remember your scalp is your skin and your skin is your scalp.

Give Your Head a Massage

If this sounds a bit strange, think again. Have you ever noticed when you visit your favorite hair salon that you are getting a pretty intense massage when you get your hair washed? If that’s not happening, it may be time to switch salons. That type of massage of the scalp is a good thing. Massage helps to stimulate healthy hair growth. In addition, massage helps to wash away toxins and helps to create naturally beautiful and vibrant hair. It may be easier to do this than you realize. Encourage it further with the addition of a bit of aloe.

Eat a Healthy Diet

The health of your scalp is directly dependent on the nutrition coming into your body. What you eat is what your skin gets. If you have a naturally oily scalp and your diet consists of greasy French fires every day you will see an over production of oil in your skin and scalp. If you want to see improvement in your overall health and in the way your scalp and hair look and feel, add more nutrients to your diet. This includes a larger variety of vegetables and herbs (aim for a rainbow of colors of foods that you eat). Get more salmon and foods with high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. And, work to cut out unhealthy fats as well.

The scalp isn’t just the skin under your hair. It is where each of the follicles that your hair grows from is located. As a result, if you do not put in a bit of time and effort into managing your scalp, chances are good you’ll see limitations on what your hair looks like. This can lead to thinning and damaged hair. Pay attention to your scalp’s needs. To learn more about healthy scalp care and treatments contact the team at Unique Hair Concepts for a free, private consultation.