Healthy Hair Depends On This

Every end starts with a new beginning.

The same goes for your hair. Every split end and frizzy strand started its life as new growth, thanks to sufficient blood flow and nutrients arriving at the hair follicle. You can’t grow strong, thick, healthy strands when things are a little off at the root: your scalp.

If you’ve been on TikTok recently, you’ll know #scalp has over 1.4 billion views. There’s a reason for that (beyond the slightly-gross-yet-oddly-satisfying flake removal videos). We’re starting to realize scalp health is the key to hair health — which makes sense, seeing as it’s the literal root of hair growth.

But there’s more to it than keeping your scalp clean. As well as your gut and skin, the scalp has its own microbiome, too. And keeping it in balance is the secret to stronger, longer, thicker, shinier hair.

Here are 5 ways to support scalp health and the microbiome, to improve all-round hair health.

• Wash Hair Less
  There’s a lot of bacteria living on your scalp. But before you start furiously washing your hair, we need this bacteria to ensure the scalp microbiome stays healthy. Just like the bacteria on your skin protect the body from illness and infection, the microbes on your scalp protect the hair follicles from harmful pathogens that could disrupt the hair growth cycle. Try washing hair 2–3 times a week (or less) to keep good bacteria in positive balance.

• Try Pre- + Probiotics
  Good hair starts in the gut. Sounds weird, but a healthy gut microbiome on the inside supports a healthy scalp microbiome on the outside. PRE + PROBIOTIC repopulates the good bacteria in the gut with 15 billion spores, supporting hair and scalp health from the inside out.

• Watch Out for Silicones
  Lots of hair care formulas contain silicones, chemicals known for their smoothing, detangling, shine-boosting properties. They work by coating each strand of hair to make it feel soft and silky. They aren’t toxic, but many silicones build up over time, repelling water and causing hair and the scalp to feel dry and dehydrated. This happens when moisture can’t get in through the silicone “coat” on each strand. Opt instead for formulas that are silicone-, SLS-, and paraben-free, and won’t disrupt the scalp microbiome with moisture-stripping chemicals.

• Massage Your Scalp
  Next hair wash day, instead of speed-rinsing shampoo, take a few extra minutes to massage the scalp. This stimulates blood flow to hair follicles, encouraging healthy hair growth. A good massage also helps gently remove dead skin cells, which can block hair follicles and stop them from producing new hair. For extra exfoliation, try a scalp massage tool, using circular motions to massage all over the scalp.

• Take Vitamin C
  It’s not just a good immunity booster. Vitamin C is known for its collagen-producing properties. Collagen is full of amino acids that strengthen hair follicles and support healthy hair growth from the inside.You’ll notice your skin looking more plump and bright, too.

Want to learn more about hair and scalp health? Here’s why your hair won’t grow (and how to help it speed up).