By Kendall Farr, Licensed Esthetician, Spada Skincare
What’s the secret to great hair days? Ask your stylist and they’ll explain that the foundation of hair that looks shiny and strong begins with a healthy scalp. But like most unassuming and hardworking body parts, we tend to pay attention to our scalp only when it acts up. So, what causes a cranky scalp in the first place? For one, imagine not cleansing your face for days and you get a sense of how a scalp stressor like multiple days without shampooing (that creates filmy layers of buildup from dry shampoos and styling products) can affect your scalp. Add in a dose of stress, natural hormonal shifts, and dehydrating medications and they all can contribute to a scalp that feels, well, older.
As we age, our scalp gets thinner (much like what we experience on the face) and there’s less sebum (oil) production to lubricate and nourish the scalp and hair. It’s oil from the sebaceous glands that keeps our scalp lubricated and our hair looking glossy. Bottom line: less sebum production can result in a dry or sensitive scalp. It’s known as premature scalp aging—yes, it’s a thing—and it can affect the overall health of your hair.
A Facial For Your Scalp
Fortunately, soothing an off-kilter scalp is no longer a matter for medicated shampoos or messy lotions. Enter Aveda’s Scalp Renewal Treatment featuring high-performing ingredients that promote healthier looking hair. This 15 minute ‘facial’ for the scalp utilizes products powered by plant actives and formulated to address your key scalp concerns from dryness and irritation to excessive oiliness. And it’s a treatment designed to seamlessly combine with any cut and style service.
Analysis and Exfoliation
Your stylist begins the treatment by first analyzing your scalp’s condition and then prepping it using a stimulating massaging brush that’s moved from the hair line to the nape-of-the-neck in gentle rotations. This lifts impurities with a gentle motion that also stimulates micro-circulation throughout the skin.
In the same way that an effective facial incorporates an exfoliant to lift dead skin cells and debris from the skin’s surface, your stylist first applies an Exfoliating Scalp Treatment to your dry scalp. This is massaged into parted, clipped sections and then moistened and lathered throughout the hair to remove surface pollution, product build-up, and excess sebum. Bonus: you’ll feel an instantly cooling sensation. A wash with a Balancing Shampoo follows removing it all.
Mask And Serum Give Your Scalp What It Needs
Next, your stylist applies a Balancing Scalp Mask: a luxe, nourishing mask to cover your scalp (look forward to more massage). Formulated with calming oils and butters that nourish and soften the skin, this step is a skin-softening miracle worker. With the mask, your stylist pairs a conditioning treatment best suited for your hair condition that’s gently worked throughout the length of the hair. Enjoy a few minutes of slow massage that aids in deep moisture penetration of the scalp and hair (followed by ‘Ahh’ and a towel dry).
Back at the styling station, it’s time for the application of the Hydrating Scalp Serum, a powerful humectant (water holding) formula that delivers deep hydration while fighting the signs of scalp aging. Then, it’s on to your cut and styling service.
PRO TIP: This treatment should not be performed on the same day as a color service. Your stylist will recommend receiving the treatment one week prior to your next color service.
The best part? It’s easy to maintain the rejuvenating effects at home with Aveda’s Overnight Scalp Treatment, a leave-in serum that treats your scalp while you sleep, improving both hydration and barrier strength.
Think of a professional scalp treatment as the ‘skinification’ of your hair care routine with a ‘facial’ that delivers softer, more supple feeling skin. The Aveda Scalp Renewal system is an ideal change-of-season remedy for stressed out locks. Schedule this effective (and very relaxing) treatment with your next styling service.