A scrub for your scalp as well as your body: why a scalp collects buildup, and how to exfoliate it gently
Dry shampoo, styling products and oil collect on the scalp just as they do on hair. A sugar scrub that works on both scalp and body is climbing in searches. How to use one, and when not to.
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Researched. We have not used this one long enough to give you a verdict, and we would rather say so than invent one. What follows is how it works, who it suits, and what it will not do. When we have used it properly, this page carries the verdict and the date.
Your scalp is skin, and it collects buildup the way skin does — plus everything you put on your hair. Dry shampoo, styling products and the scalp's own oil gather at the roots, and a regular shampoo does not always clear them. A scalp scrub is one answer, and this one, which works on the body too, is rising in searches this week.
What it is
According to the listing, it is a sugar scrub with coconut oil: sugar crystals to exfoliate and lift buildup, and coconut oil, rich in fatty acids, to soften and nourish. This one is the Melrose Place scent, described as rose. The listing calls it clarifying for the scalp and smoothing for the body.
Why sugar
Sugar crystals are gentle as physical exfoliants go: they are relatively soft, and they dissolve as you work them in with water, so they get smaller and kinder the longer you scrub. That makes them a better choice for the scalp than harder, sharper particles.
How to use it on the scalp
On wet hair, before shampooing. Part the hair in sections and massage a little scrub into the scalp with your fingertips — not your nails — in small circles, for a minute or two. Rinse thoroughly, then shampoo and condition as usual. Once a week is plenty for most people; more often if you use a lot of dry shampoo or styling product.
If dry shampoo is a daily habit, this is exactly the buildup we described in a dry shampoo without the aerosol. For a liquid alternative, see clarifying shampoo and the two kinds of buildup.
When to skip the scalp
If your scalp is sore, broken or flaking from dandruff, scrubbing will irritate it further — flakes from dandruff have a different cause, explained in ketoconazole shampoo. Skip it in the days after colouring, and go gently if your scalp is sensitive.
On the body
Massage onto damp skin in the shower and rinse; the coconut oil leaves skin soft. Avoid freshly shaved or waxed skin, which will sting. It is scented, so test a small area if your skin reacts to fragrance.
What it will not do
It will not deal with dandruff or any scalp condition. It will not replace shampoo. And it will not suit a scalp that is already irritated.
The product
A rose-scented sugar scrub with coconut oil for scalp and body, 8.8 ounces. When we checked, it was sold by a store called Front Row rather than by Amazon itself, so check the seller name on the listing when you buy.
The one people are searching for is the OUAI Scalp & Body Scrub, Melrose Place, 8.8 oz.
We do not print prices here, because a price we typed last month is a price that is wrong today.
Written by JamieG in Garner Town, Tennessee.
JamieG
Skincare and fragrance. Garner Town, Tennessee — population 125, two of whom are us.
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