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The Science of Beauty: The Complete Guide to Scalp Care

You might think the skin that comprises the scalp is vastly different from the skin on the rest of our bodies because it grows thicker, longer hair. But in fact, the scalp is anatomically similar to the rest of your skin, just with a little extra density (it’s made up of five different layers of tissue while the rest of our skin has three), more oil glands, and a ton of hair follicles — about 100,000 to be exact. Each hair grows from, and through, an individual follicle located within the scalp. Sebum (also known as oil) is produced by the sebaceous glands in each individual follicle and helps condition the hair and surrounding skin. The amount of oil produced on the scalp varies from person…

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 Scalp Science: Should the Scalp be Cared for like the Skin?

Did you know that there is a specific microbiome that lives mainly on the scalp? Different types of microbes live in various parts of our body, and the skin also has its own microbial ecosystem, known as the 'skin microbiome.'

 This Breakthrough Drug Wakes Up Sleepy Hair Follicles. It May Be the Ultimate Baldness Cure, Scientists Say.

A hidden biological switch controls hair growth. Scientists just learned how to flip it back on and kickstart the process.

 This is what your scalp reveals about your health (and it's so interesting)

Did you know that your hair is considered to be a barometer of your health and hair issues are often the first symptom of a medical or nutritional problem? Nope, us neither.

Articles of Interest

Scalps Ahoy

Propeller-inflicted deaths and injuries have become such a serious public health issue in the region that local activists established the Associação de Mulheres Ribeirinhas e Vítimas de Escalpelamento da Amazônia (Amazonian Riparian Women Scalping Victims; AMRVEA) to provide aid to scalped women and to educate the public about how important it is to cover engines.

Your Scalp Would Like Some Attention, Please

A new wave of serums and exfoliators highlight the importance of creating a good foundation for healthy hair.

Evolution of long scalp hair in humans

The ability to grow long scalp hair is a distinct human characteristic. It probably originally evolved to aid in cooling the sun-exposed head, although the genetic determinants of long hair are largely unknown.

Flaky Scalps Have a Unique Fungal Microbiome

Certain species of bacteria and fungi seem to proliferate on dandruff-ridden scalps. The reason is a little more mysterious.

Hair Kept Our Ancestors’ Brains Cool—and Gave Them an Evolutionary Advantage

New research explains how scalp hair grows so long, and how its characteristics helped us thrive.

How Important Is Your Scalp Health, Really?

If you want good hair, it's actually pretty important.

How to Get a Healthy Scalp, According to Hair Specialists

Luckily, even if you're someone who suffers from dry scalp, scalp acne, or dandruff, experts say it's possible to give your scalp the reset it needs. But what does a healthy scalp even look like? We turned to hair experts, including a certified trichologist, to find out how to get a healthy scalp.

How To Take Care of Your Scalp and Why It Matters

Using both hands, start at the nape of your neck and work your fingers upward. Then, work from the base of your ears to the top of your head on both sides. Spend 3-5 minutes massaging in an oil to soften skin cells, exfoliate, and remove debris, and improve blood flow.

Human scalp hair as a thermoregulatory adaptation

Humans are unique among mammals in having a functionally naked body with a hair-covered scalp. Scalp hair is exceptionally variable across populations within Homo sapiens. Neither the function of human scalp hair nor the consequences of variation in its morphology have been studied within an evolutionary framework.

Lice don't spread the way you probably think they do. Here's what to know.

As school starts back up, so does the number of head lice cases. But humans have been dealing with the parasites for millennia—and that may continue indefinitely.

Scalp Health: 101

The scalp consists of five layers of specialized tissues that protect the skull and brain from pathogens and physical trauma. From the outside in, these layers are the skin, connective tissue, aponeurosis (tissue connecting muscle to bone), loose areolar tissue (nutrient exchange and cushioning) and periosteum (the layer that directly covers bone). Compared to skin elsewhere on the body, the scalp contains a high number of terminal (mature) hairs and oil-producing glands.

Scientists Warn of Dangerous Chemicals in Hair Extensions

Hair extensions contain many more dangerous chemicals than previously thought, new research has found after identifying dozens of hazardous substances in popular products—including those made from human hair. The findings add to growing concern about a largely unregulated category of beauty products that are widely used and disproportionately affect Black women.

The Bacteria On Your Scalp Could Be Key To Fighting Dandruff

Research has shown that the bacteria that live on and inside us can influence our digestion, our weight, our mood, and now even our scalps. According to a recent study, the specific collection of bacteria that resides beneath our hair could influence how much dandruff we’ll develop.

The Connection Between Scalp Health and Overall Well-being

The scalp is an extension of our skin and thus shares similar needs for hydration, cleanliness, and balanced oil production. When the scalp is not well-cared for, it can lead to skin problems beyond the scalp, such as acne on the forehead or irritation around the hairline. These symptoms are often a sign that the scalp’s oil production is either too high or too low, which can also affect the hair. Managing scalp health is thus essential not only for preventing discomfort but also for maintaining balanced skin.

The Importance of Scalp Health

Before we dive into exploring the methods for maintaining a healthy scalp, let’s take a closer look at why having a healthy scalp is so crucial. To begin with, our scalps consist of hundreds of thousands of follicles that produce oils to protect the skin from infection. Each hair follicle and the whole scalp have their own microbiomes. Disruptions of these microbiomes lead to poor hair health, including dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, and eczema.

The itchy truth: What to know about head lice

You may have the urge to scratch an itch in your hair when you hear about head lice. The tiny insects like to move in and make their home in clean hair while feeding on blood from the human scalp. Knowing how to prevent and treat head lice can ease your family's scratching. Getting head lice isn't a sign of poor hygiene or unclean surroundings. Head lice prefer clean hair to attach and lay their eggs. Another common misconception is that head lice can jump or fly from one person to another. Head lice only crawl, most often leading to transmission through direct head-to-head contact.

What could be causing your itchy scalp?

There are a number of different reasons your scalp might be itchy, from simple dry skin to infection, irritation, or infestation.

What does your hair actually need?

Our earliest ancestors were covered from head to toe in hair. It was important for regulating body temperature and protecting the skin from sun exposure. Scalp hair might have even provided important padding for our skull, says Brett King, an associate professor of dermatology at Yale University. However, over time humans evolved to grow less hair on our limbs and bodies. While some body hair serves important health functions––nose hair protects against bacteria getting in our airway––the most prominent hair, on our scalp, is primarily aesthetic.

What Your Hair & Scalp Say About Your Health

Our scalp has a story to tell about our overall health, and today we’re helping you uncover it. Just as a flower depends on healthy soil to grow and bloom, hair growth challenges often begin at the scalp level. But what’s beyond that? What’s causing hair and scalp challenges in the first place for your clients? That right there, is where the bigger picture starts to unfold.

What Your Scalp Reveals About Skin Health

The scalp is continuous skin tissue, sharing the same basic structure as facial and body skin, but its unique environment poses distinct challenges. Higher sebaceous gland density produces more sebum, and hair follicles create openings for microbes. Skin barrier issues affecting the body often impact the scalp too, sometimes more intensely due to its warm, moist, hair-covered environment. Conditions like eczema, seborrhoeic dermatitis, or sensitivity often mirror broader skin dysfunction, even if symptoms differ.

What’s at the root of gray hairs?

Aging has been said to be a “privilege denied to many”—and gray hair typically accompanies that privilege. Gray hair can also be caused by stress, but scientists might be closer to figuring out exactly why even the most colorful hair turns gray with age. A study published April 19 in the journal Nature found that certain stem cells have a unique ability to move between the growth compartments in hair follicles, but they get stuck and lose their ability to mature and maintain hair color as people age.

Why Do Humans Have Long Hair on Their Heads?

Tightly curled and long scalp hair of ancient hominins could have evolved to shield the scalp from the sun, reduce heat transmission due to the air pockets between the curls and minimize water loss through sweat.5 While it is not known when curly hair emerged, it is likely that long hair growth evolved later to compensate for curly hair’s tendency for wear and tear.

Why Does Human Scalp Hair Grow so Long?

Every creature has body covering to protect it from its environment. This covering can aid in defense, camouflage, locomotion, and sensory perception. An animal’s skin may produce structures such as hair, nails, horns, feathers, scales, and shells. Hair has four phases: growth, resting, transition, and shedding.

Why the hair on our head could – and should – be so much more than merely decorative

And yet every day our hair leaves us. On average we shed between 50 to 100 hairs a day. This means that the more hairy among us shed over 30,000 hairs a year. In most of Europe fallen hairs are ignored unless a person is suffering from alopecia or some other form of hair loss and, even then, we are more likely to pay attention to its absence from the head than to where the hair once detached ends up.

Resources

10 reasons your scalp itches and how to get relief

When your scalp itches, it can be difficult to think about anything else. You may feel that the itch will never stop, but relief is possible. Getting rid of the itch begins with finding out why your scalp itches.

6 things to know about the scalp

As you can imagine, the scalp covers the entire skull. It is flexible and resistant structure. So far, no major discoveries. In terms of functioning, the scalp has several responsibilities: it constitutes a physical barrier for your skull, it is a thermal insulator and also functions as an immunological protector The scalp is just the tip of the iceberg. In reality, it is composed of several layers, just as the skin: the epidermis contains the hair bulb (also called the follicle) - i.e. the base of hairs and hair. The dermis contains all the blood vessels and 230 nerve endings. The cellular renewal of the scalp lasts only 14 days, compared to the 28 days of the skin. Usually, dead cells on the scalp are removed, thanks to shampoos.

Five ways to care for your scalp

From shampooing to the brush you use, experts pass on their advice for good scalp health

TeachMeAnatomy

The scalp refers to the layers of skin and subcutaneous tissue that cover the bones of cranial vault.