7 Ways To Detox Your Scalp: Grow Thick and Healthy Hair
A Healthy and Clean Scalp is the key to thick, shiny, gorgeous hair.
If your scalp is unhealthy, inflamed and full of toxins, imagine what quality of hair will it grow. Dull, thin, weak that falls out easily.
Like the delicate rose plant which requires the right moisture, soil pH, and nutrients to grow and flourish, our hair too is very demanding.
It needs the right conditions to grow, especially the hair on the scalp. It’s a real tough cookie to crack.
Sadly in the quest to make our hair look beautiful, we are exposing it to an onslaught of chemicals. Everyday use of hair dyes, mousse, sprays, shampoos and conditioners only makes the matter worse.
And it’s not your fault. The flashy advertisement and glossy models lure you in the promise of thicker, fuller and shinier hair. And most of us switch from one product to another only to be left in more hair misery.
Even if you opt for natural hair care, the pollution and water quality is another factor you can’t do much about. Unless we all live in the forest and use pure spring/river water, which would be so lovely.
But if you are a city inhabitant, you can give yourself a scalp detox every so often.
A scalp detox is like doing a deep cleanse. It helps to remove toxins and gunk from the scalp, unclogs the hair follicles, and balances our natural oils and scalp pH.
Detoxing your scalp will rejuvenate and renew the hair follicles and create a perfect environment for hair growth.
Why detox your Scalp and Hair?
- Gets rid of toxin build-up to promote healthy new growth
- Improves scalp circulation, bringing nutrients and oxygen to roots of hair
- Helps regenerate hair cells
- Unclogs hair follicles so hair can grow without any hindrance
- Gets rid of dryness, flakiness and scalp irritation
- Helps with scalp acne
- Most importantly improves the health of your scalp which is the bedrock of your hair follicles.
7 Ways to Detox Your Scalp and Hair
Scalp Detox does sound fancy, but you don’t need to go to the spa to get this done. You can give yourself a scalp detox right at your home, with simplest possible ingredients. Choose from following options:
- Scalp Massage: useful for everyone, removes toxins and helps stimulate growth
- Lime juice clarifying Rinse: beneficial for oily hair or if you live in hard water area
- Honey and Cinnamon Scalp tonic: if your hair growth is deadly slow or you have bald patches, use this
- Sea Salt Scalp Scrub: removes dead skin cells and product buildup
- Cucumber and Lime Scalp Detox: helps with itchy, flaky scalp
- Baking Soda Cleansing Mask: naturally exfoliates scalp and helps with dandruff
- Clay Scalp Detox: pulls out scalp toxins; also works as a natural shampoo for greasy hair
1. Scalp Massage to Remove toxins
The good old scalp massage is the easiest way to detox your scalp.
When you head massage, it increases blood circulation – this helps to carry away toxin from the scalp and remove them from your body via the detox organs.
Head massage also stimulates and strengthens your hair follicles to grow healthy hair.
Besides, there is nothing quite as relaxing as a head massage, especially after a long day.
How to do it? Use the pads of your fingers. Alternate between gentle rhythmic movement and brisk rubbing of the scalp.
In the end, use long strokes along the length of the hair to finish. This is amazingly relaxing.
You can also use a wooden hair brush or wide tooth wood comb to massage your scalp.
Here’s a video on how to head massage or you can buy a scalp massager from amazon.
To oil or not to oil? It’s up to you if you want to. Use of oil is beneficial if you have dry scalp and hair, it helps to lubricate the scalp and create shiny and vibrant hair. As the oils are absorbed through the pores of your scalp, its best to use pure, cold pressed oils.
Most beneficial oils for hair are coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, almond oil or argan oil.
2. Lime Juice Clarifying Rinse
We know that lime juice with warm water makes a great detox drink for our body, but lime juice also helps to detox our scalp and hair.
Rich in alpha hydroxy acid, lime juice gently removes the outer layer of dead skin cells and product build-up to promote hair growth and give a lustrous shine to hair.
you will need:
- 1 tablespoon lime juice*
- 1 cup water
- 5 drops of lavender essential oil (optional, useful for dry flaky scalp)
Stir all the ingredients together and use.
*If your hair is on dry side swap lime juice for orange juice or apple juice.
How to use: Pour the rinse over your hair. Massage your scalp and work it through your hair, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then wash with plain water.
Tip: you can use lime rinse as a conditioner after shampooing your hair. Or just use in-between shampoos to remove oil and grease and fresh up your hair.
Use once a week.
3. Honey and Cinnamon Scalp Tonic
Along with detoxifying your scalp, the honey and cinnamon combo is super nourishing for hair. If your hair growth is deadly slow or you have bald patches, I encourage you to try this. It will revive your hair and bring new life to it.
Honey is a great moisturizer and works wonders to balance the scalp pH – this keeps the microbes and other nasties in check.
Cinnamon is a natural anti-inflammatory and helps remove scalp impurities, increases circulation, and stimulate hair growth.
You will need:
- 1 tablespoon honey* (buy raw honey)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Mix the ingredients in a bowl.
How to use:
Massage the mixture into your scalp gently. Leave the mask on for 10-15 minutes covered with a shower cap and rinse. Shampoo if needed.
*Always buy unprocessed raw honey as it retains maximum antioxidants, enzyme, vitamins, minerals and healing properties. Such honey will bring great results.
How often can you use: Once or twice a week
4. Sea Salt Scalp Scrub
It sounds like a tongue twister ‘Sea Salt Scalp Scrub’, but it’s another fantastic detoxifier.
The salt dissolves the dirt and product build-up, as well as scrub away dead skin cells. That is the reason you will find sea salt in many clarifying shampoos.
Just after a single use, your scalp will feel much healthier and cleaner. And as a bonus, your hair will have more shine and volume.
You will need
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
- 1 tablespoon shampoo (any shampoo of your choice)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional, for extra softness and conditioning)
Mix the ingredients
How to use:
Wet your hair. Apply to your scalp and hair, and wash. Finish with cold water rinse to make your hair shiny and smooth.
Repeat once or twice a month.
Note: You can use homemade shampoo as well for this treatment.
Also, don’t use table salt which contains anti-caking agent and what not. Use pure sea salt such as these.
5. Cucumber and Lime Scalp Detox
This is a very soothing detox treatment, especially for those with an itchy, flaky and irritated scalp.
How does this work?
Cucumber contains anti-inflammatory and anti-itching properties, which reduce redness and irritation. Cucumber is also naturally hydrating and moisturising for your scalp and hair.
Lime juice works to remove oil, dirt and product build-up while offering a citrusy tingly feel. You can expect clean, moisturised scalp, and soft, silky hair after using the cucumber and lime detox.
You will need:
- 1 cup cucumber
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 3 drops rosemary essential oil (optional, helps stimulate growth)
Blend the cucumber to a fine paste. Mix in lime juice and your detox scalp is ready to use.
How to use:
Apply this mixture to your scalp. You can use your fingers or a cotton piece and apply section by section. Massage gently for a couple of minutes, and let it soak in for 5-15 minutes. Then wash it out.
Use once or twice a week.
6. Baking Soda Cleansing Mask
Baking soda or Sodium bicarbonate is an extraordinary cleanser. That is why it has hundreds of beauty uses – from toothpaste to shampoo you can use baking soda in many different ways.
When massaged into the scalp, baking soda exfoliates the scalp to remove any impurities. It also acts as a natural antibacterial and antifungal and helps to alleviate dandruff.
You will need:
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 cup plain water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder (optional, stimulates growth)
- 5 drops lavender essential oil (optional, balances scalp oils)
- 1-2 teaspoon almond oil (optional, use for dry scalp)
Mix all the ingredients well.
You can pour the mixture into a squeeze bottle for easy application.
How to use:
First, wet your hair. Massage the mixture into your scalp and hair and rinse after a couple of minutes for residue-free hair.
Finish your baking soda treatment with a moisturizing marshmallow and hibiscus rinse, or an apple cider vinegar rinse. This will seal the outermost layer of your hair, the cuticles, leaving it super shiny.
Use once in 15 days
7. Detox Clay Mask
If you are tired of your greasy hair and scalp, then this is for you. It can work as a natural shampoo cum detox treatment.
Clays such as rhassoul or bentonite have this amazing ability to extract impurities from your scalp, as well as absorb excess dirt and oil.
Besides, these clays are rich in minerals such as silica, iron, magnesiun, sodium and potassium. They help repair and renew scalp skin and nourish the hair roots to grow strong, shiny hair.
To prepare this mask you will need:
- 1/3 cup rhassoul clay (use this clay for normal to dry hair)
- 1/3 cup bentonite clay (use this clay for oily hair)
- enough water or herbal tea* to make a smooth paste
Optional add-ins:
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (removes hard water buildup, adds shine)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (same as acv)
- 1 tablespoon marshmallow root powder (extra moisturizing and softening)
- 1 tablespoon fenugreek powder (boosts hair growth; promotes healthy scalp)
- 1 tablespoon shikakai powder (balances scalp pH, increases bounciness and silkiness)
- 5 drops lavender essential oil ( helps with flaky, irritated scalp conditions)
- 1 teaspoon almond oil (use for dry flaky scalp)
Mix all the ingredients to make a yogurt like paste.
Use your hands/brush to apply clay mask to your scalp and hair. Cover your scalp and hair completely with the clay. Allow the mask to soak in for 10-15 minutes. Rinse out with water.
Finish your clay detox with a moisturizing marshmallow and hibiscus rinse, or a herbal tea rinse (see below) to seal the outermost layer of your hair, the cuticles, leaving it super shiny.
*Making Herbal Tea
Brew the tea with 1 tablespoon herb of your choice and 1 cup of boiling water. Let it cool, then strain and use.
For dark hair choose from: rosemary, shikakai, amla, marshmallow root, black tea
For blond hair choose from: chamomile, marshmallow root, calendula, green tea
How often should I do this detox? Once a week or once in 15 days
More Tips to Help With Scalp Detox
- Drink Water: Water is one of the most powerful detox ingredients. It literally flushes out toxins and harmful hormones like DHT (which is the cause of male and female pattern baldness) out of your body.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables: Fresh vegetables and fruits are excellent sources of insoluble fiber, which absorbs toxins, promote speedy digestion and ‘clean’ the digestive tract (GI tract) of waste matter. A healthy digestive system facilitates proper absorption of vitamins, minerals and macronutrients that keep our skin, hair and body healthy and glowing.
- Ghee, aloe vera, amla, and beetroot are also naturally detoxifiers. Use them in your diet.
How do you detox your scalp?
