How to Actually Take Care of Your Scalp For Healthy Hair Growth

We’ve finally gotten it through our skulls (pun intended) that our scalp is indeed skin and we must care for it accordingly.

“Let’s face it, a healthy scalp equals healthier hair,” says says Philip Wolff, an L.A.-based hairstylist and DesignMe’s guest creative director. “You want to create a good landscape for healthy growth because the scalp is where your hair follicles live.”

One of the most important things you can do is also the most basic — keep your scalp clean with a solid regimen. Adding a massaging scalp brush or an exfoliating scrub — like Moroccanoil’s Purifying Scrub, made with sloughing argan-shell powder and scalp-stimulating herbs — alongside your go-to shampoo on washday is a great way to help bust through buildup. This is especially true if you are a fan of hairspray and dry shampoo, like to layer different styling aids or don’t wash your hair daily.

In Kérastase salons across Canada, scalp health is a top priority, too, with the luxury hair-care brand setting out to equip stylists with its new K-Scan device for consultations, starting this winter. The hair-and-scalp smart camera is powered by three illumination modes (UV, LED white light and cross-polarized light) and is AI-trained, using more than 12,000 images to interpret results and get to the root of clients’ issues.

“The three lights assess any irritation and redness, the density of the hair [hair] and bacteria buildup, like dandruff,” explains Melissa Tedeschi, Kérastase’s national education manager. “It really puts a magnifying glass on what is going on while also elevating the consumer’s in-salon experience.”

Heat tools can affect scalp health as well, with chronic exposure to high temperatures frying your hair and weakening the hair cuticle, which can contribute to thinning and shedding over time. To minimize damage, invest in high-quality tools, such as Shark Beauty’s foldable blow-dryer with a Scalp Shield setting to regulate temperatures around new growth, L’Oréal Professionnel’s latest dry steam straightener meets curling iron or Remington’s One Multi-Style Hair Dryer, featuring a diffuser that dries curls four times faster.

Get The Look

Moroccanoil Purifying Scrub

L’Oréal Professionnel Steampod 4S

Shark Beauty SpeedStyle Pro Flex Hair Dryer System

Kérastase K-Scan in-salon service

Remington One Multi-Style Hair Dryer

This article first appeared in FASHION’s Winter 2025 issue. Find out more here.