How Do You Get Rid of Scalp Buildup?

Maybe you have practiced social distancing for too long and are skipping regular shampoos — or you have been experimenting with bolder styling products trying new looks before a return to society. Changes to your routine can lead to flakes and an itchy head from sticky scalp buildup.

Over time dry shampoos, hairsprays, mousses, gels, oils, sweat, and dead skin cause residue accumulation clogging pores and blocking new follicle development. When this happens, your hair thins and can grow at a snail’s pace.

Scalp exfoliation and targeted cleansing will get rid of scalp buildup allowing for healthier, fuller hair.

What Causes Scalp Buildup?

Following menopause, your scalp and hair biology evolve triggering circumstances where excess dead skin cells, oils, and sweat can build up on your scalp.

Additionally, attempts to improve age-related dry or thin hair may leave you turning to hair care products that can leave behind sticky residues.

Natural Scalp Buildup

If your skin lacks balance or is overproducing certain substances, these naturally occurring materials could accumulate on your scalp and hair follicles:

• Dead skin cells — The skin cells on your scalp should fall away as they die; however, delayed shedding sometimes creates a dead cell logjam that clogs your pores.
• Sebum — Sebaceous glands grouped around your hair follicles generate a waxy, yellowish oil called sebum. Your glands could produce too much sebum if you receive high-dose hormone replacement therapy during menopause.
• Sweat — Menopause symptoms include hormonal hot flashes and night sweats. Sweat impurities collect with noticeable greasiness and emit an undesirable odor if not washed away.

Product Buildup

You invest in heavy conditioners, styling products, and hair serums to enhance the thickness or body of your aging hair — instead, these products leave you with dry hair and an inflamed scalp. Many of these heavy solutions leave behind residues that stubbornly cling to your hair and scalp through successive shampoos:

• Waxes — Certain styling products contain gummy waxes that give your hair control and shine but also create hard-to-remove layers.
• Moisturizers — Overusing deep conditioning products intended to replenish hair moisture can lead to a heavy, greasy buildup.
• Silicones — Silicones add fullness and sheen to your hair, yet some types can be challenging to remove with ordinary shampoos and cleansers.

How Does Scalp Buildup Harm Your Hair?

In addition to embarrassing flakes, dull hair, and an itchy head, scalp buildup can form a water-resistant film that impedes skin and strand nutrient or moisture absorption. Over time this biological blockade can leave your hair weak and malnourished, and your scalp dry and irritated.

Residue particles can also lodge inside your pores, leading to folliculitis — a bacterial or fungal infection of your hair follicles. Signs and complications of folliculitis include:

• Scalp pain or discomfort
• Skin redness
• Crusty and persistent sores
• Scars
• Hair loss that could be permanent

How to Get Rid of Scalp Buildup

Better Not Younger’s scalp-care and priming products exfoliate the scalp and provide targeted cleansing that:

• Removes product buildup
• Exfoliates dead cells
• Unblocks hair follicles

Remove Product Buildup

Clarifying shampoos with abrasive sulfates can leave your hair feeling squeaky clean, but at what cost? These severe cleansers strip away beneficial oils, damage your cuticles, fade your hair color, dry out your scalp, and even cause hair loss.

Instead, use New Dawn Activated Charcoal Scalp Cleanser to gently remove dirt and impurities while hydrating and protecting your hair and scalp.

Exfoliate Dead Cells

Shampooing alone is usually not enough to clear away dead skin cells, sometimes exfoliation is necessary. Exfoliation uses friction to scrub away stubborn skin cells to make way for new cells.

Use New Dawn Activated Charcoal Scalp Cleanser and its unique stiff-bristled applicator brush to exfoliate your skin while stimulating scalp blood circulation and promoting healthier hair.

Unblock Hair Follicles

Scalp buildup can obstruct your hair follicles and hinder hair growth, leading to gradually thinner tresses. The activated charcoal in New Dawn Scalp Cleanser draws out impurities from deep within your skin’s dermal layer, unclogging pores, and unblocking hair follicles for lush, beautiful locks.

Preventing Scalp Buildup

After successfully eliminating scalp buildup, it is essential to choose the right hair products to maintain scalp health and to minimize its return.

Seek out lightweight solutions that easily absorb into your hair and scalp, including these Better Not Younger products:

• Serum — Superpower Fortifying Hair & Scalp Serum can be applied each night to nourish your scalp and stimulate blood flow to your follicles. It requires no rinsing, absorbs easily, and leaves no greasy residue.
• Shampoo — Some shampoos contain heavy moisturizers that stay behind and build up in your hair. Wake Up Call Volumizing Shampoo rinses clean, leaving you with full-bodied, resilient hair.
• Conditioner — Wake Up Call Volumizing Conditioner delivers lightweight conditioning that moisturizes your scalp and supports follicle health without weighing down your strands or leaving behind a sticky film.
• Masque — Hair Redemption Restorative Butter Masque balances your scalp’s sebum production to prevent the buildup of natural oils. It also reduces your scalp’s oxidative stress and nourishes hair follicles.
• Heat-protection spray — No Remorse Heat Protection & Taming Spray utilizes a light, non-greasy coat to protect your hair and control frizz.

Better Not Younger Helps You Get Rid of Scalp Buildup

If stay-at-home orders have caused you to neglect your scalp, you could be doing more damage than you think. Oils, dead skin cells, and styling products can collect on your scalp, clogging pores, and obstructing follicle development.

Maintaining your scalp with proper hygiene and a thoughtful hair care regimen can permanently eliminate scalp residue, paving the way for vibrant hair that is better today than it was at 20.

Use Better Not Younger products to nourish your maturing hair and to get rid of scalp buildup. Our haircare collection addresses both the signs and root causes of aging hair. Find our full Better Not Younger product line on our Shop page.