Washing and conditioning your hair are not the only ways you should take care of your hair. It is essential to make sure your scalp is clean and healthy as well. As they say, your hair is only as healthy as your scalp.

If you never detox your scalp, you are leaving heaps of shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, gels, dry shampoo, and whatever other things to put on your locks. All of these products leave buildup each time you use them. Shampooing your hair is not sufficient for removing this buildup.

Keeping buildup in your hair and on your scalp can lead to slowed hair growth, dry hair, brittle ends, scalp acne, dry and itchy skin, and a number of other scalp conditions. If you have a lot of buildup in your scalp, your hair can also look greasy and get greasier faster, which is something that no one wants. Additionally, your hair can also lose its shine and luster, leaving a lot to be desired in the hair department.

However, the good news is there is a super easy solution for a healthy scalp and head of smooth, shiny, and soft hair! All you have to do is a natural scalp detox every week or two and your hair will be better than it ever has before.

2 Ways to Detox Your Scalp

These two natural ways to detox your scalp can be done alone or done in combination with each other, which is what we recommend. Doing them together detoxes your scalp and your hair, leaving your scalp clean and your hair shiny and smooth. You will also find your hair is frizz-free after these detox treatments.

Baking Soda Scrub

The first step of the detox is to make and use a simple and easy baking soda scrub. You likely already have baking soda in your pantry! Baking soda is cheap, easy to find, and useful in so many more ways than baking.

In skin care products, baking soda is one of the best exfoliators you can use. For your hair, it is also beneficial because it keeps the pH level that is ideal for your hair and gets rid of the buildup on your scalp at the same time.

How to make the baking soda scrub:

• Place ¼ cup baking soda into a jar or other airtight container
• Mix in enough water to make a thick paste. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you achieve that thick paste.
• You can add tea tree and/or peppermint essential oils to the mixture too if you are looking for even more soothing and cleansing benefits for your scalp.

Once you have your baking soda scrub, you take it into the shower with you. Wet your hair and take enough baking soda scrub to cover the hair from the tip of your head all the way to the ends of your hair.

Gently scrub both your scalp and your hair with the scrub, paying special attention to your roots and your ends. You want to make sure you are scrubbing your scalp clean, but also your hair.

Once you have thoroughly scrubbed, rinse your scalp and hair well. Make sure there is no grit from the baking soda left. Your hair will feel clean and smooth at this point, but you will need something to cleanse and detox further, but also condition your hair.

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

To make this happen, you will do an apple cider vinegar rinse right after your baking soda scrub. Although it may seem like ACV is drying, the exact opposite is true. ACV is packed with nutrients, clarifies hair, reduces, frizz, makes hair shiny, unclogs hair follicles, and washed away dandruff. This rinse will also make your hair feel light and bouncy, giving you tons of beautiful added volume.

How to make your apple cider vinegar rinse:

• Take a spritz bottle and fill with 8 ounces of water.
• Add ¼ cup of raw, unfiltered, and organic ACV to the water.
• Place the spritz nozzle on and give it a good shake.
• Every time you want to use your rinse, make sure you shake it up to ensure the ACV and water and mixed together and spray out of the nozzle properly.
• Spray the apple cider vinegar rinse all of your hair and scalp. Let it sit in your hair for a few minutes and then rinse well.

After this step, it will shockingly feel like you just deeply conditioned your hair. It will feel silky, soft, and better than it ever has before. When your hair dries it will still feel soft and have a sheen and shine that is to die for!

Repeat this process once a week if you have thick hair and once every two weeks if you have finer hair. If you choose, you can also put in a little bit of conditioner into your hair ends after you wash out the rinse. Do not put the conditioner on your scalp. This is a step that is mainly for those who have very thick and coarse hair.

This article was last updated on May 6, 2022 .