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ALMOST EVERY hair problem you've ever had originates at the scalp: dandruff, hair loss, dry hair, and limp strands are all due to a scalp imbalance. In fact, the roots of your hair are the only part of your hair that is actually alive—the rest of your hair is dead. It sounds crazy but it's true, and understanding how your hair grows can provide valuable insight into treating and preventing conditions like thinning hair or hair loss.
Heathy hair starts with a healthy scalp, and if you want a healthy scalp, it's time you start treating it right. While using a nourishing shampoo and conditioner can help, adding a targeted scalp treatment to your hair care routine can make an even bigger difference in the health and look of your hair.
dpHUE ACV Daily Scalp Serum
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Best Exfoliating Shampoo
Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo
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Scalp treatments often provide a deep cleansing scrub to the scalp, which can help unclog hair follicles and remove product buildup from your daly gels and pomades, dead skin, and dandruff flakes.
According to Dr. Kari Williams, a board-certified trichologist and licensed cosmetologist, the benefits of a scalp treatment can drastically improve your overall hair health. "[T]hey can promote healthy blood circulation in the scalp that promotes healthy hair growth; reduces inflammation in the scalp; alleviates scalp discomfort in the form of itching and flaking and also balance the pH of the scalp."
Some scalp treatments are used before or in the shower before your typical wash routine, while others are leave-in treatments designed to reduce inflammation that often comes as a result of scalp irritation.
"A scalp treatment typically involves some form of exfoliation to rid the scalp of excessive build up, flakes and dirt that can create discomfort or interfere with hair growth," says Dr. Williams. "Scalp treatments keeps the skin healthy and creates a healthy environment for hair growth."
Dr. Williams says anyone can benefit from a scalp treatment, even if you aren't experiencing any symptoms of scalp discomfort. But if you suffer from dandruff or a chronic itchy scalp, you'll benefit the most from a regular scalp treatment.
If an itchy scalp is causing you problems, a soothing scalp treatment has what you need to relieve the itch. We've done the work for you by finding the best scalp treatments to heal your scalp and encourage healthy hair below.
Best Overall Scalp Treatment
Act+Acre Cold Processed Scalp Detox
Pros
- Soothes a dry, itching scalp
- Scalp feels instantly refreshed and soothed
- Improves the shine and health of your hair
Cons
This lightweight scalp detox solution is unlike any shampoo or scalp treatment you've tried before. You use it on a dry scalp 20 minutes before showering, massaging it into the scalp to fully penetrate every hair follicle. This pre-cleanse oil brings your scalp back to a balanced state, breaking down oils and removing build up while soothing scalp irritation and inflammation. Use it weekly to help reduces itchy and flakiness.
Active Ingredients | Salicylic acid and peppermint |
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Size | 3 fl oz |
Brand | ACT+ ACRE |
dpHUE ACV Daily Scalp Serum
Pros
- Lightweight oil
- Balances your scalp's pH
- Doesn't make your hair feel greasy
Cons
- Comes in a small bottle
If you're trying to live a more healthy lifestyle this year, you've probably read that apple cider vinegar is good for your gut, but did you know it's also good for your hair? This daily serum harnesses the power of all-natural apple cider vinegar to exfoliate and unclog hair follicles to help stimulate dormant follicles, which encourages healthy hair growth. It relieves that itchy feeling that you can get from a dry scalp without weighing fine hair down.
Active ingredients | Apple cider vinegar, apple stem cells, peptides, organic maca root |
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Size | 1.7 fl oz |
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Best Exfoliating Shampoo
Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo
Pros
- Great for those with a dry, itchy, and flaky scalp
- Removes product buildup
- Fresh scent
Cons
- Strong, tingling feeling which may be uncomfortable for some
An oily scalp is usually due to product buildup, which coats the surface of your scalp and forms clusters of large visible flakes. Your regular shampoo might keep your hair clean for a few hours, but within a day your hair looks like it hasn't been washed in weeks. That's when you need to reach for something stronger. This exfoliating shampoo manually breaks up all those impurities and product buildup to hydrates and rebalance a dry scalp. You only need to use it whenever your feel your scalp getting "dirty" quickly, so one tub will last you awhile.
Active Ingredients | Coconut oil, charcoal, panthenol, and tea tree oil |
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Size | 8 oz |
Pros
- Water-based and fragrance-free
- Formulated with camphor to cool and soothe the scalp
Cons
- May weigh down hair if you use too much without washing it out
An itchy scalp is an inflamed scalp, and an inflamed scalp can be downright painful. Shampoos and serums can help in the long term, but healing your scalp takes time. This calming toner instantly soothes an irritated scalp to tackle both the symptoms and the root causes of dandruff. It eradicates stubborn flakes and buildup, restore your scalp’s natural balance to prevent any additional outbreaks of flaking.
Active Ingredients | Piroctone olamine, camphor, and benzalkonium chloride |
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Size | 250 ml |
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Best Scalp Treatment For Damaged Hair
VIRTUE Topical Scalp Supplement
Pros
- Probiotics support the scalp's microbial flora
- Calms irritation
Cons
- Small bottle
Consistent bleaching can severely damage your hair, leading to slow or uneven hair growth. Guys that dye their hair platinum blonde should be extra diligent when it comes to scalp care if they want to keep this high maintenance look up. This scalp supplement delivers a powerful combination of nutrients scalp including pure Alpha Keratin 60ku® (a whole, human keratin protein that repairs damaged strands), B vitamins, peptides, and prebiotic activity. A few drops on your scalp every night is just what your scalp needs to continue growing strong, thick hair.
Active Ingredients | Alpha Keratin 60ku®, B vitamins, peptides, ceramides, hyaluronic acid |
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Size | 2 fl oz |
Best Affordable Scalp Treatment
The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment
Pros
- Good for all hair types
- Hydrates and moisturizes hair
- Reduces excess scalp oil
Cons
Salicylic acid is an ingredient you've probably seen or used in skincare, which is why it's no surprise that it made its way over to haircare. You scalp is, after all, mostly skin with a few thousand hair follicles growing out of it. Salicylic acid does the same thing on your scalp that it does for your skin: it unclogs your pores, or in this case, the opening at the base of each hair follicle. This type of gentle exfoliation removes flakes while supporting balanced scalp-oil production for a healthy scalp microbiome.
Active Ingredients | Salicylic acid, fluidipure, panthenol |
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Size | 5 fl oz |
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Best Scalp Treatment for Oily Hair
Davines Naturaltech REBALANCING Shampoo
Pros
- Calms and soothes overactive sebum glands
- Refreshing lemony scent
Cons
- Doesn't lather up like traditional shampoo
Oily skin and hair can actually be passed on through your genes, which means for some people, it may just be something you have to learn to live with. This shampoo is a great product to help normalize and rebalance a naturally oily scalp. It provides a deep cleanse to remove excess oil without stripping your strands of their natural moisture.
Active Ingredients | phytoceuticals extracted from lemon |
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Size | 8.45 fl oz |
Best Scalp Treatments for Hair Growth
Augustinus Bader The Scalp Treatment
Pros
- Helps to volumize existing strands while reducing hair shedding
- Stimulate regrowth in weak or thinning hair
- Supports keratin and collagen production
Cons
- Expensive
- Small bottle size
Augustinus Bader is a leading skin care brand founded by a biomedical scientist of the same name who is one of the foremost experts in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. This scalp treatment takes all of Dr. Bader's cutting edge research the body's self-healing capabilities and applies to the scalp in order to boost hair growth. It targets weak or thinning strands at the root, calming irritation and clearing blocked follicles to reduce hair loss. It contains the brand's proprietary Trigger Factor Complex (TFC8), which supports the body's renewal process to repair signs of damage — and is also what makes this treatment so pricey.
Active Ingredients | TFC8®, Watercress and indian cress extracts, hazel leaf extract, peppemint extract, bamboo extract |
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Size | 1 oz |
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Pros
- Highly concentrated formula
- Comes with two treatments
- Targeted application
Cons
Dandruff is one of those hair problems that you feel like you can never fully shake. Using a scalp treatment that targets dandruff regularly can help soothe scalp irritation and banish dandruff for good. This intensive treatment contains powerful dandruff-fighting ingredients including piroctone olamine and climbazole to remove dry dandruff from your scalp's surface and maintain the healthy moisture balance of hair and scalp. Natural extracts like peppermint and rosemary calm redness and soothe irritation.
Active Ingredients | Piroctone olamine, climbazole, rosemary oil, salicylic acid, and ginger extract |
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Size | 1.7 fl oz |
Best Scalp Treatment for Curly Hair
DevaCurl SCALP PURI(pH)Y Easy-Rinse Exfoliating Spray
Pros
- Removes impurities & dirt from the scalp
- Generous size
- Resets and refreshes curly hair
Cons
This gentle exfoliating spray uses glycolic acid to gently moisturize and exfoliate the scalp at the same time. It's a pre-wash treatment, which means you spray it on your scalp and let it soak in for 1-3 minutes before you get in the shower. This scalp treatment has an instant cooling sensation that feels ultra-soothing on an irritated scalp.
"This product is great for managing the symptoms of dandruff and offers a deep clean of the scalp when it is applied before shampooing," says Dr. Kari Williams.
Active Ingredients | Glycolic acid, glycerin, castor oil, cetrimonium chloride, acetic acid, allantoin |
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Size | 8 oz |
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What to Look For in a Scalp Treatment
The best scalp treatment is one that's tailored to your specific scalp conditions. Persistent conditions like dandruff might require a more concentrated formula with dandruff-fighting ingredients. If you only suffer from occasional itching, a weekly scalp treatment might be just what you need to help remove product buildup and give your scalp a much-needed reset.
"Effective active ingredients for a scalp treatment include salicylic acid, glycolic acid and coal tar," says Dr. Kari Williams, Board Certified Trichologist & Licensed Cosmetologist. "These ingredients gently exfoliate the scalp."
How We Selected
For the past three years, we consulted with Men's Health's Grooming editors and writers on the best scalp treatments for men. Experts, including our Grooming Editor Garrett Munce, put a number of scalp treatments to the test and evaluated their effectiveness, texture, scent, and price. We also considered top-reviewed scalp treatments that had over 100 five-star ratings on e-commerce websites we trust.