An At-Home Scalp Detox for Healthier, Fuller Hair

Hair care has come a long way from the age-old axiom, “rinse and repeat.” Yet, across trends and hair types, one thing will always be true: healthy hair starts at the scalp. The recent surge of head spa services (like the perpetually booked Blow Me Away in Los Angeles and the viral Masa Kanai in NYC) is proof.

With ancient roots in Japanese culture, K-Beauty, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the famous Taiwanese “chair shampoo,” scalp-focused treatments aren’t new. So why the renewed enthusiasm for head spas? They work. After one trip to a head spa, you can see and feel the difference. Hence the months-long waitlists.

“What makes head spas so unique for us in the West is that our hair services are pretty much all about the hair itself—cuts, color, maybe a deep conditioning treatment, with little to no focus on the scalp,” says Sandra Chiu, acupuncturist, TCM practitioner, and founder of Lanshin. “But in Asia, where head spa comes from, they approach hair beauty in a totally holistic way, rooted in Asian medicine.”

“Taking proper care of your scalp is essential to achieving beautiful, healthy hair,” says Kerry E. Yates, trichologist and founder of Colour Collective. Like the skin on your face, your scalp has a microbiome that needs to be maintained to control excess oil and promote cell turnover, Yates says. Your scalp might be crying out for a reset “dry, and flat, with no lift on the scalp or looks and feels oily along the scalp,” she says.

Like an “everything shower” for your scalp, the head spa experience typically starts with advanced scalp imaging software to show you all the buildup hiding in your hair. “In Asia, head spa technicians have looked at my scalp before and said, oh you’re not sleeping enough, you’re too stressed. They can see the absence of a healthy lifestyle in your scalp.” 

Then, based on your own scalp’s needs, your stylist will take you through a long process of hair oiling, exfoliating, steaming, washing, conditioning, and styling—typically with a ten-minute scalp massage between every step.

But the results—think: glossy, bouncy hair that reaches for the ceiling—last long after you leave the salon. A healthy scalp means healthy hair that lasts. And the good news: You don’t need to go to a head spa every time you want to detox your scalp. You can give your scalp a reset at home (Yates suggests once per week) with these expert tips.

1

HAIR OILING

Hair oiling (often the first step in a head spa treatment) is an ancient ritual that strengthens your strands from the roots—and you may have seen it trending on social media recently.

“Do this before shampooing and it serves as a cleansing step that simultaneously nourishes the scalp,” says Chiu. Feeding your scalp with a good hair oil helps make the hair shaft strong and seals your cuticles to prevent breakage while boosting shine and smoothing texture, no matter what your hair type.

2

MASSAGE

A deep, rigorous scalp massage is a key component of the head spa experience. Usually lasting 10-20 minutes, scalp massages are not only incredibly relaxing, they’re also good for your scalp health, says Chiu. “[Massage] is so effective at improving the blood circulation in the face and head that you will see an immediate difference in your skin—it will glow and look fresh and even,” she says. It can even have a sculpting, lifting effect on your face, too, Chiu adds.

By promoting blood flow, scalp massages also cultivate the health of your hair follicles, which support hair growth, Yates says. Think of your follicles as tiny hair-making machines, she says. “If you think of each follicle as its own organ, you need to feed it, nourish it and exercise (through massage) your follicles so that they last as long as possible.”

To recreate the scalp massage at home, massage with your fingertips, not your nails. Apply pressure without scratching, and massage, massage, massage. “I like doing this with a scalp comb to cause stronger stimulation that mobilizes blood flow better,” says Chiu. “Do this for at least five minutes and then let the oil sit for another five minutes before washing.”

3

EXFOLIATE

While you don’t want to damage your scalp, you do want to slough off all the dead skin and product buildup that might be clogging your hair follicles (and negatively impacting scalp and hair health). “Consistent cell turnover and dry skin sloughing needs to be aided through gentle exfoliation or daily massaging and brushing,” Yates says.

This is the part of the head spa experience that really makes a difference, giving your hair that instant volume and airiness. It’s also the part we overlook most in our own hair care routines, says Chiu. “Folks mistake flakes to mean dryness so they over moisturize their scalp with heavy masks when they should be doing more clarifying cleanses and scalp exfoliation.”

You can opt for a gentle scrub that lifts off residue or a chemical exfoliant like glycolic acid. Look for exfoliating ingredients in a detox shampoo or pre-wash or even swipe a glycolic acid toner through your hair. Just like on your face, a gentle AHA toner works wonders for your scalp because it can help lift off dead skin for immediate results and prevent excess oil production in the long term. Leave it on for 20 minutes then rinse and, you guessed it, massage.

4

STEAM

Steaming your scalp seems luxe. But you can do this at home, too! Hair steaming tools and blow dryer attachments are one way to go, but you can also replicate the benefits with a hot towel. Wrap your hair in the hot towel and let it sit for a while to open up your hair follicles, increase blood flow, and increase moisture retention.

5

SHAMPOO

Now, you shampoo. The wait is worth it when you feel how squeaky clean your hair is. Yates recommends using a hydrating shampoo, and lathering it into your scalp with yet another massage. The secret: “Rinse for a full five minutes minimum,” Yates says. “Ensure everything is rinsed off your head so there is nothing left to clog the follicles impeding growth and overall hair beauty.”

6

CONDITION

While important for soft and shiny strands, this step doesn’t actually involve your scalp. That’s right: Conditioner should be applied to your mid strands and ends only to avoid clogging your hair follicles or inflaming your scalp, Yates says.

From bond-repairing protein treatments to clarifying conditioners, this penultimate step doesn’t have to be an afterthought. The most important thing is to choose a conditioner tailored to your specific hair concerns (heavy conditioners can weigh down fine or thin hair), Yates says.

7

MASK

Finish by boosting your conditioner further with a hair mask or leave-in treatment that’s, again, tailored to your hair type. Focus on hydrating and strengthening your strands for a healthy, glossy look. (Again, mid-lengths and ends only!) “Emollients and conditioners keep the hair strands more supple, giving them more flexibility to absorb the torque of brushing, combing, drying, curling etc.,” Yates says. You should already feel a difference, even before you style your hair.

8

BLOWOUT

What’s a head spa without a dramatic head turn moment? Don’t skip the heat-protecting hair oil to your ends to help your hair handle the heat, Yates says. After drying, the final step is to give your scalp some extra nourishment with a scalp tonic, followed by a five-minute scalp massage, Yates says. (Usually a spray or a serum, a scalp tonic helps seal in all the benefits of your scalp detox with lightweight but powerful ingredients that hydrate and protect your follicles.)

Voila! Head-turning hair is a scalp detox (and a few scalp massages) away.