At a time when people are spending more money on self-care and wellness experiences, scalp care is becoming one of the next big beauty trends.
Fancy serums and moisturizing masks aren’t just for facials any more. Many people have spent years perfecting elaborate hair and skincare routines. Now they’re adding scalp care to the mix with DIY home scrubs and in-spa treatments offered at dedicated head spas around metro Atlanta.
Erika Audrey, owner of Clover Club spa and salon, attributes the growing interest in scalp health to several factors, including widespread GLP-1 use.
“As with any dramatic or quick weight loss, a common side effect is hair thinning and loss, so a customer base is emerging that didn’t previously exist,” she said.
According to Emily Condle, founder and CEO of The Sage HeadSpa, postpartum and perimenopausal and menopausal hormonal fluctuations can cause similar hair and scalp issues.
Why scalp health matters
While some people invest time and money on hair care tools and products, they often neglect the literal root to healthy hair: the scalp.
“Unlike the hair shaft, the scalp is living tissue that supports every strand of hair you grow,” Condle said.
But over time, residue from sweaty workouts and air pollutants, buildup from styling products, and even minerals from shower water can accumulate on the scalp. Because it’s difficult to closely look at the scalp, it’s easy to miss common issues like flaking and redness or more concerning issues that need medical attention.
“I always do a visual scan of my clients to look for any changes in scalp appearance before services,” Audrey said.
She uses this scan to customize scalp treatments for specific concerns like dryness or hair loss. But it can also help her flag concerning scalp changes like precancerous growths or alopecia spots, which should always be examined professionally by a dermatologist.
Scalp care 101
Just like splashing water on your face at the end of a long day doesn’t remove makeup and sweat, “shampoo alone often isn’t enough to remove months of buildup from the scalp,” Condle said.
Audrey’s basic scalp care steps — cleansing, exfoliation, and hydration — are familiar to millennials and Gen Xers who grew up on Clinique’s ubiquitous three-step skincare regimen.
She recommends first shampooing with a clarifying formula to dissolve heavy oils and buildup. Then, use an exfoliating scrub or liquid serum to remove dead skin and debris. Audrey is a fan of Ceremonia’s The Scalp Ritual, a two-step scrub and oil system safe for sensitive scalps and color-treated and textured hair.
Finally, massage hydrating serums and oils into the scalp with the fingertips or the Heeta hair scalp massage brush currently all over #hairtok.
Research shows that scalp massage can measurably lower cortisol levels, the body’s primary stress hormone. Plus, it helps seal moisture into the scalp, boosts circulation, and stimulates healthy new hair growth.
Customized treatments
At Sage, treatments often incorporate additional relaxing steps — think steam therapy to open up the pores and JetPeel technology, which uses high-speed blasts of compressed air and tiny liquid droplets to deliver customized serums directly into the scalp.
Audrey said that the specific mix of products depends on each individual’s scalp needs. For example, growth serums are ideal for thinning hair from GLP-1s or postpartum hair loss, while oils like coconut and rosemary offer hydration to parched scalps.
These trendy head spas often include services that treat more than just the scalp.
For example, many of The Sage HeadSpas’s customized scalp treatments incorporate additional skincare treatments, like LED facials and lymphatic drainage. At Solace Head Spa in Sandy Springs, customers can get add-ons like a mini blowout or hot stone neck and shoulder massage. In addition to a tea tree oil-based scalp “detox” with thermal steaming, 5 Senses Spa in Midtown offers a specialized treatment for people with protective styles like locks and braids.
