You may have heard that buildup on the scalp (from sebum, dead skin, dirt + styling products) could be causing unwanted hair loss. If you've been on TikTok, or following the latest in beauty buzz, you might have also heard that a healthy scalp care routine is the foundation to promote hair growth + healthier hair. Scalp care and exfoliating products designed for the scalp have been increasingly gaining popularity with the benefits of a healthy scalp, which lead to healthier hair!
A clean, balanced + nourished scalp provides an optimal environment to promote healthy hair growth, relive tension and helps soothe a dry, itchy and flaky scalp. Let’s dive deeper into the connection of your scalp health and hair loss and why our hybrid scalp + hair detoxifying treatment is your one stop, complete scalp care routine that promotes a balanced scalp and healthier, stronger hair as a result.
What is Scalp Buildup?
Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. Scalp buildup is a valid concern that not only impacts the appearance and texture of hair but also its growth. So what is scalp buildup? Scalp buildup is the accumulation of a variety of substances on your scalp that can reduce scalp and hair health. These substances include excess sebum, particulate matter from pollution, dead skin cells, and residue from hair products. Your scalp is viable tissue like your skin and undergoes similar biological processes such as desquamation, cell turnover, sebum production, and maintenance of its microbiome. Imbalances in these biological processes can lead to scalp buildup and negatively affect the health of your scalp and growth of your hair. Excess dead skin cells from desquamation can lead to flaking or clogged follicles while excess sebum can lead to irritation and inflammation. Microbes in your scalp microbiome, particularly Malassezia, break down the sebaceous triglycerides into free fatty acids that irritate the scalp and lead to inflammation.[2] Not only can it make your scalp as uncomfortable as Ricky Gervais’ Golden Globes monologue, inflammation damages the scalp and can impact the growth of your hair. Particulate matter from pollution such as smoke, urban dust, and phototoxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) cling to hair and can degrade the hair structure as well as cause oxidative damage to hair follicles. This can lead to hair loss and reduced hair growth.[3],[4]
How Does Scalp Build Up Cause Hair Loss?
Build up can contribute to hair loss when the hair follicles have become congested with dead skin cells, oil, sweat, and product build up. When your hair follicles are clogged with bacteria or fungus-filled build up, the follicles become inflamed—this is known as folliculitis.
Folliculitis can be a painful, uncomfortable condition that clears up on its own or after a few wash days. However, when folliculitis leads to an infection in the hair follicle, extreme swelling, sores, red bumps, and crusty scabs can show up on your scalp. These sores and scabs take a long time to heal and if left untreated they can cause hair loss.
How often do you need to clean your hair?
Most of us go a few days without washing our hair. This can be out of environmental consciousness to reduce water consumption (go you!) or to prevent your new color from fading, or simply the daily struggle to find time (I have a toddler, enough said). Between sweating from cycling and Pilates, using a can of dry shampoo to maintain your blow out on Day 4, and exposure to smog and air pollution, your scalp is constantly on the defense. There is nothing wrong with forgoing daily hair washing but it is important to do a deep scalp detox and hair cleanse every so often. There is truth behind your scalp “getting used” to a shampoo resulting in the need to change your shampoo or routine. Some shampoos don’t work on certain hair soil and your shampoo can become less effective over time.[1] That’s when a deep cleansing treatment such as clarifying mask comes into play. Heaven forbid we forget to wash off our makeup at night, but how often do we detox, clarify, and purify our scalp? Most of us don’t treat our scalp as well as our face but current research findings might just scare you straight.
What Is A Scalp Detox?
You may have heard of a detoxifying facial to help remove buildup of dead skin, dirt and oil in the pores, but have you heard of a detoxing cleanse for the scalp and hair? The scalp and hair detox is trending on #HairTok and in the hair industry - and it's here to stay. Buildup of pollutants, dirt, oil and dead skin on the scalp impacts not only the health of the scalp and hair, but also it's growth! Sebum, particulate matter from pollution, dead skin cells and residue from hair styling products can cause inflammation, which damages the scalp, clogging hair follicles + impacting hair growth. A scalp and hair detox, like Save Me From Product Overload takes your hair cleansing a step further, thoroughly removing impurities that traditional shampoo and conditioners may leave behind.
Product Buildup Is Problematic for the Scalp
In addition to environmental aggressors and biological imbalances, some of the scalp buildup is self-inflicted from our use of hair products. Many styling products, such as pomades, hairsprays, and hair waxes leave behind residue after washing which builds over time. This buildup weighs hair down and can clog hair follicles. Water insoluble ingredients like waxes and silicones stay behind after rinsing while polyquats are cationic and very substantive, sticking to the hair despite their water-soluble nature. With the amount of pomade and hairspray needed to achieve the 60’s volume look, a forecasted 2020 hairstyle trend, you may want to consider adding a buildup banishing hair mask to your routine.[5] There are numerous culprits of scalp buildup but the outcome is the same: decreased hair shine, loss of hair volume, irritated and flaky scalp, greasy and stringy hair, and in extreme cases hair loss and Sensitive Scalp Syndrome.[6]
How to Detox Your Scalp At Home
Turn up your healthy hair game with your scalp care routine with a double-cleansing pre-shampoo treatment using our SAVE ME FROM Product Overload that will rid your scalp of bacteria and any irritation from too much build up. We created this buildup banishing, detox pre-shampoo mask to address these issues all while replenishing hair moisture instead of stripping. It is so revolutionary it was voted as a finalist for Best Hair Product by Cosmoprof North America. Our clinical results show hair is 108.5% more hydrated, 48.2% stronger, has 84.78% less split ends, and 59% more shine. Our warming pre-poo mask can also be used as a hair texturizer, making hair 138% thicker. Let’s peek behind the curtain and see what makes this product work.
Silt
Silt is produced when a form of running water deposits sediment that appears fine and granular (somewhere between sand and clay). Feldspar and mica are minerals in this material. Silt contains aluminum, iron and magnesium hydrated silicates in a crystalline network, although the composition of these muds can be different. It commonly possesses thermal capabilities as well as strong absorbing power – which is why it is commonly used as an absorbent and anti-acne agent, mud is of great use to treat greasy acne-prone skin. Since the mud can be occlusive in nature, it can raise skin temperature and promote circulation – all of which can produce a degree of moisturization and heating.
SAVE ME FROM Product Overload utilizes two forms of silt for their unique properties derived from its methods of formation (collected from blue algae at depths that lack oxygen with slower rate of decomposition and also collected from an oxygenated portion with a faster rate of decomposition). Both types of these silt contain humic acid, organic nitrogen and free fatty acids which increase moisture levels while simultaneously reducing oil content.
Peat Moss
Peat Moss is rich in bioactive properties that have been used for decades to treat hair loss and promote hair growth. Peat is an accumulation of partially decaying vegetation or organic matter. It is also high in skin-loving humic acid, with proven anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties, hymatomelanic and amino acids.
The Nordic Peat found in SAVE ME FROM Product Overload originates in Finnish swamps where it is naturally developed for hundreds of years and rich in humic and fluvic acids, as well as vitamins, amino acids and fatty acids. Finnish nature is unique due to its short summers with long days and long winters with freezing temperatures. Therefore, the plants have a short but intense growth season and due to high proton content, they are much richer in nutrients than plants grown elsewhere. Naturally macerated by microbial action, these plants have a high concentration of active substances. Hundreds of herbs, flowers and plants degrade through biochemical processes which now replenishes the peat. The unique molecular structure of the substance is so fine that it penetrates the skin on the scalp to rejuvenate cells and promote healthier hair growth.
Brazilian Black Clay
Our technology centers on our sustainably produced Brazilian black clay, rich in titanium and other trace elements, to purify and detox the scalp without dehydrating your luscious locks. The black color is due to the natural minerals and oligoelements within. The Brazilian black clay removes excess oil, dead skin cells, and impurities on the scalp through capillary action, the same way paper towels work. We also added European bioactive silt and peat to enhance the purifying process. By reducing excess sebum there is less lipid oxidation by microbes in the scalp’s microbiome and therefore less scalp irritation and inflammation. Our technology far surpasses the drying, chalky clay masks your mom used in her nightly face regimen. Our black clay clinically reverses damage caused by chemical treatments and thermal stress by promoting hair softness and hydration, reducing hair breakage, and reducing scalp flaking.
Activated Charcoal
We used two types of activated charcoal, black charcoal derived from bamboo and Binchōtan white charcoal derived from ubame oak, to remove impurities and product buildup. It has numerous micro pores that act as a magnet drawing out impurities, targeting particulate matter from pollution, and absorbing odor to clarify hair and scalp without disrupting the hair fiber.
Multi-Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic Acid is not only beneficial to the skin but provides numerous hair benefits. To preserve hair softness and hydration we used a ratio of high and low molecular weight vegan Hyaluronic Acids to create a moisture barrier. These Hyaluronic acids create a sheath over each hair strand to increase hair volume while reducing frizz, shield from particulate matter, and flatten and smooth the hair cuticle for suppleness and shine. Hair is better able to resist thermal and mechanical stress while maintaining hydration.
It is worth noting that the Vanillyl butyl ether in our mask not only provides a warming sensation but enhances detoxification and aids in delivery of nutrients to hair follicles through increased microcirculation.
We’ve made it easier than ever to treat your scalp to everything it needs for maximum hair health in one simple to use, pre-wash routine. Shop this post today to get started!
The Ayurvedic Spice Made from Fenugreek Seed for Hair
Do you need a fenugreek mask for hair? It's worth mentioning the proven hair reparative benefits of Fenugen. Inspired by Ayurvedic medicine, we've harnessed the fenugreek's rich phytonutrients including medium and long chain fatty acids, terpenoids, polyphenols, phospholipids and vitamins A, C and B variety vitamins and paired these with bio-boosters like ubiquinone (also known as Coenzyme Q10 for hair), organic karanja (also known as pongamia) and medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s derived from coconut). You’ve guessed it, like a Red Bull for your scalp, Fenugen is also a rich source of nicotinic acid (niacin), nicotinamide (niacinamide) and trigonelline. These phytonutrients include niacinamide hair benefits and have been shown to promote healthy blood flow to help enhance the nutrition essential for follicle survival, boost keratin and ceramide synthesis, restore barrier function and empower you with hair that emerges from the scalp healthier with more resistance to damage. Through a patented eco extraction process, we've magnified these phytonutrients into our clinically proven technology. Fenugen possesses the rich nutrients of fenugreek seeds in a complex 5x more potent in polyphenols. These nutrients include Vitamin A, B Vitamins, Vitamin C and more. With daily and consistent, long-term use of this concentrated hair cream (that you dilute into a silky scalp serum with water), hair bonds are rebuilt, hydration is restored helping to reduce frizz, the scalp is energized and nourished from within allowing hair that's more resistant to damage to emerge. Rooted in Ayurveda, our Save Me From hair products are clinically proven to transform hair from tip to root, inside and out.
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[1] Thompson et al(1985) JSCC 36 271-286
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6369642/
[3] https://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/research/chemistry/LOreacuteal-Research-Confirms-Pollution-Degrades-Hair-Structure-561754281.html?utm_source=newsletter-html&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CT+E-Newsletter+11-17-2019&absrc=rdm
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6369642/
[5] https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/12/9015900/new-hairstyles-trends-2020#slide-9
[6] https://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/research/biology/Keratin-Blend-Anchors-Follicles-and-Prevents-Pollution-induced-Hair-Fall-561357931.html
