Scalp care

[Ylva]

In case anyone on this thread in the UK (or who can otherwise order from Lookfantastic) wanted to try Ameliorate scalp exfoliant, it's currently on offer for £5, normally £20! I don't know when it started and there's no end date specified, just 'for a limited time'.

[You betcha I stocked up! ]

We seem to have a different selection and different sales, unless I'm totally missing something. Too bad, I was interested in possibly giving it a shot!

Now I'm so fed up with this gunk on my scalp that I want to explode it with baking soda like there's no tomorrow. Since no sulfates, no scrubs get rid of it all, I must do it lol. I was wondering if scalp oiling creates this build up, but when I've shampooed without scalp oiling my roots get awfully dry. And now that I tried to mix oil and AVG with shampoo it really helped out to moisturize the roots so that my hair finaly feels soft and silky from roots to ends. So I wouldn't want to ditch oils.

How does one prepare hair for this baking soda operation?

Just in case you haven't heard of this, using baking soda on the hair or skin is generally not at all recommended due to its extreme alkalinity (very damaging to both). It seems that an acidic rinse afterwards doesn't make up for the damage. However, if you are already aware of the risks and still want to use it, it's totally up to you!

[MusicalSpoons]

We seem to have a different selection and different sales, unless I'm totally missing something. Too bad, I was interested in possibly giving it a shot!

Ah that's a shame! I don't know if ordering from the UK site would be worth a shot, maybe depends if there's anything else to buy to make the postage worth it and whether you'd have to pay any extra VAT on top :unsure:

[I did actually just look up the cost to send one to you myself, if you wanted, but it's £5.25, barely any less than just buying straight from the website.]

[Ylva]

Ah that's a shame! I don't know if ordering from the UK site would be worth a shot, maybe depends if there's anything else to buy to make the postage worth it and whether you'd have to pay any extra VAT on top :unsure:

[I did actually just look up the cost to send one to you myself, if you wanted, but it's £5.25, barely any less than just buying straight from the website.]

Oh, that’s so very kind of you to consider! Unfortunately, I think I just need to pass on the whole thing this time. At least I have some Natura Siberica scrubs left in my stash, still!

[Ylva]

Ah that's a shame! I don't know if ordering from the UK site would be worth a shot, maybe depends if there's anything else to buy to make the postage worth it and whether you'd have to pay any extra VAT on top :unsure:

[I did actually just look up the cost to send one to you myself, if you wanted, but it's £5.25, barely any less than just buying straight from the website.]

Oh, that’s so very kind of you to consider! Unfortunately, I think I just need to pass on the whole thing this time. At least I have some Natura Siberica scrubs left in my stash, still!

[cadaverinna]

I'm really big on scalp care so I'm not sure if my routine is as quick and easy as it feels or if I just so grew used to it it just feels natural now. We'll see it as I describe it here lol

I have a dry scalp, so my scalp care starts w not washing it often. That would TERRIFY my professors and instructors from the hair courses I went to, but it's usually a week between washes yet absolutely no less than 5 days. Either sulfate-free shampoo(don't have any favourites) or a good cleansing conditioner(my favourite has AHA and allantoin, and doesn't weight the hair at all). I don't do anything beforehand when I co-wash, but when I'm using shampoo I'll oil my scalp, lengths, and ends, and the scalp blend will usually be castor + a lighter oil + something like rosemary, lavender, geranium, ylang ylang, or benzoin EOs. That'll protect it a bit from drying and keep the hair from matting.

There's also this tonic I make w extracts, tea tree hydrosol, and water. It's super light-weight and I apply it after every wash. I feel it keeps my scalp moisturized w/o weighing it down and I can re-apply it if needed be. Sometimes I'll add some dragonsblood to it if I accidentally scratch it(long nails) or if I have an allergic reaction to a new product, for healing purposes.

I also change the angle I wash my hair in every now and then. I find my fringe area and top of the head get dry and dandruffy-looking if water is always hitting them first, so every now and again I'll wash it w my head down and then switch it up. Seems silly but I can see a bit difference.

Sometimes I'll use a gua sha comb on my scalp. You can use it on a dry scalp, but I like it better w a bit of oil for lubrication. I used to rinse my scalp and hair w some diluted ACV or kombucha vinegar I used to make and it'd make my roots super voluminous, gotta get back to that!!


Doesn't seem too much, does it?

[MusicalSpoons]

… good cleansing conditioner(my favourite has AHA and allantoin, and doesn't weight the hair at all).

What conditioner is that? Sounds good!

[cadaverinna]

What conditioner is that? Sounds good!

Inoar's Sensitine. I think it's only sold in Brazil and Portugal, but you might be able to get it on Ebay.
As the name suggests, it's specially made w sensitive scalps in mind. I heard about cancer patients using it and loving it. I've been using it for maybe 3 years now an't live w/o it ever again, I'm terrified of it being discontinued.

This one:

[paulownia]

I actually started paying more attention to scalp care a few months ago I never had major issues with it but a proper care can increase hair growth so I decided to make some changes.
I use exfoliating mix once in 2 weeks ( I mix some shampoo with coffee grinds and rhassoul clay) its very refreshing and gives me nice volume.
I use hair tonic from Farmona Radical after every wash and give myself a nice scalp massage. I have Khadis Amla Oil which I use before shampoo once a week.
I'm planning to start diluting my shampoo- it's said that its healthier for the scalp, prevents overwashing and drying out the skin

[melesine]

I’ve been sulfate free for 10 years +, which really helped my scalp. It used to be itchy with occasional bumps. I did still end up with some issues when I started using styling products with silicones. Now I’m also silicone free along with parabens, drying alcohols ect. My scalp is trouble free now. I also occasionally use an Ayurvedic scalp oil

[rosmarinus]

Ok I didn't end up doing baking soda on my scalp.. I just had to convince myself that the small flakes on my scalp are not dirt or build-up, but simply a symptom of dry scalp.. so I marched into pharma and bought some Linola, used it in 4 nights in a row. I also read about treating dry scalp by washing it with lotion/cream.. so that's what I did.. and these two treatments have worked wonders on my scalp. Lotion(Humektan) didn't leave my hair greasy at all. For me it works great as a leave-in too.

Now that my scalp is regaining moisture it is not as itchy and updos feel more comfortable to wear.. and no flakes anymore! My hair feels nice and silky too. Before these methods I tried to remove the flakes with strong sulfate shampoos, I just tried to scrub and scrub those flakes off and they just refused to leave and the problem just got worse... so it was just about moisture after all which was able to break those flakes off, and treated the cause at the same time... I'm so happy I finally found a solution to this problem of mine