Do You Need to Exfoliate Your Hair?
We all know the benefits of exfoliating our skin - it helps remove dead skin cells and leaves skin feeling smoother and softer. But do we need to exfoliate our hair too? Some products out there are suggesting that we need to add this to our beauty routine but I wanted to investigate further before I added another step to my hair care ritual!
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What is a hair exfoliator?
Hair exfoliators are simply a hair conditioner that contain some kind of scrubbing element like sugar, salt or beads (just like you would find in a facial scrub). These type of products claim to gently remove impurities and buildup while restoring the shine and health back to your hair.
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Do they work?
The idea of removing impurities and buildup from your hair is not a bad one, especially if you use lots of styling products (particularly those containing silicone). However, scrubbing particles are not the most efficient way to remove product residue-- a deep cleansing shampoo is all you really need to remove styling product from your hair. Your hair is made of layers of cuticles that protect the soft protein core (just like shingles on a roof). If you scrub those away, you'll have more breakage and your hair could look more damaged. You actually want to smooth the cuticles down to make hair look and feel healthy, not scrub them away.
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Bottom Line
While I wouldn't recommend a hair exfoliator for your hair, it could feel great on your scalp! Exfoliating your skin is a great way to remove dead skin cells, especially in these cold winter months when our skin is extra dry and flaky and our scalps are often neglected. Just be careful to be gentle when using these type of products and focus on the scalp area, not the hair. Happy scrubbing!
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