Key ingredients: Color Guard Complex, aloe vera, piroctone olamine, peptides | Who it’s for: color-treated hair | Scent: white jasmine, galbanum, and linden blossom
Best for Fine or Thinning Hair: Sachajuan Scalp Shampoo
Why it’s worth it: Fine hair types work best with a lightweight cleanse in the form of Sachajuan’s Scalp Shampoo. The key ingredient in this strand-fortifying formula is rosemary oil, which moisturizes the hair cuticle and makes it more malleable, creating a thicker appearance and protecting it from breakage in the process. This ingredient also has anti-inflammatory properties to ease any itchiness or sensitivity felt on your scalp.
Key ingredients: rosemary oil, ginger extract, menthol, salicylic acid, lactic acid, wheat protein, piroctone olamine | Who it’s for: thin, breakage-prone hair types | Scent: rosemary, mint
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dry scalp the same as dandruff?
Like dryness anywhere else on your skin, a dry scalp is simply skin that’s lacking moisture. “Dryness is less common on the scalp due to its natural oils, though it may still occur, particularly during winter when the air is drier,” Dr. Murphy-Rose previously told Allure.
Meanwhile, dandruff is caused by fungal overgrowth, according to Dr. Murphy-Rose. “The scalp contains an abundance of hair follicles with glands that produce large amounts of sebum, an oily substance, creating an ideal environment for fungi to thrive,” she says. The fungal overgrowth can lead to similar side effects of dryness including itchiness, flaking, and redness on the scalp, which is why it’s important to consult a professional before lathering up with a new shampoo.
Which skin-care ingredients help minimize scalp dryness?
There are many factors that lead to a dry scalp, including chronic skin conditions like seborrheic dermatitis, eczema, and psoriasis, harsh hair products, or cold weather, according to Dr. Rambhia. But the effects of these triggers can be eased by using cleansing ingredients and exfoliators like salicylic acid, zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, and ketoconazole. “Salicylic acid exfoliates the scalp to help shed the outer layer of dead skin cells,” she says. “By breaking down these cells and preventing the buildup of plaques or scales, salicylic acid helps to keep the scalp clean and reduces itchiness and inflammation.”
Zinc pyrithione and selenium sulfide in particular have anti-fungal properties that reduce yeast growth and inflammation, which is ideal for minimizing the symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis. “Ketoconazole is another antifungal that targets scalp conditions like seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff, relieving irritation,” she says. “These ingredients can be incorporated into a regular scalp care routine to improve scalp health.”
Meet the Experts
- Pooja Rambhia, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City
- Carmen Castilla, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City
- Elizabeth Geddes-Bruce, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Westlake Dermatology in Austin, Texas
- Quynh-Giao Sartor, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Houston, Texas
- Blair Murphy Rose, MD, FAAD, a board-certified cosmetic and medical dermatologist practicing in New York and California and founder of Skincare Junkie
How we test and review products
We always enlist a range of testers for our makeup vertical, but hair-care products and tools are another story. While there are certainly products that can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and needs, hair products are often created with specific consumers in mind. Many are created in order to address a concern (dandruff, breakage, brittleness) or to work most effectively for a specific hair type (4C curls, wavy hair, gray hair). You wouldn’t want to pick up a purple shampoo that’s only been reviewed by someone with, say, auburn hair, or a diffuser that’s never been tested by anyone with curls—right?