"Get It Beauty" Tips: Scalp Care

Hair can be hard to manage sometimes, right? And sometimes no matter how well you treat your hair and give it the best products, it just doesn’t completely get better, right? Two words: Scalp Care. It seems that most people don’t give a second thought to their scalp. In reality, a healthy scalp leads to strong, healthy hair! This week, the “Get It Beauty” hosts sat down with an expert to get right down to the root of the problem.

Intro to Scalp Care

Hair artist Beom Ho does an introduction to scalp care by explaining how damaging the hair products we use can be. Specifically perm and coloring products. Beom Ho brings in litmus paper, which measures pH to determine acidity and alkalinity, to test these products.

Normally, healthy hair should be in the 4.6-5.5 range (weakly acidic). However, nearly every product he tested was highly alkaline, falling between 11 and 13. Beom Ho explains how products with high alkalinity lead to rough hair with split ends.

Acidic products, on the other hand, help your hair become smoother. Actually, all exfoliation products are acidic. Healthy skin is about 5.5, so sheet masks should be used after exfoliation to balance pH.

Hosts’ Products

Jung Min – Because her hair is so damaged, Kim Jung Min uses all professional products that are optimized for her hair. Though her products are perfect for her hair, Beom Ho points out that she has nothing to treat her scalp with. A healthy scalp leads to strong hair!

Ha Nui – Since she is currently in a historical drama with a lot of fancy (and difficult) hair styles, Lee Ha Nui has been very conscious about her scalp condition. Thus, she uses a lot of scalp shampoos and products for different hair conditions. Here Beom Ho re-emphasizes the need to use multiple shampoos based on your hair’s condition. If you have oily hair and use a product to fix that, eventually your hair with become too dry and you will have the opposite problem. Additionally, don’t share products with your family unless you share the same hair conditions.

Soyou – As it turns out, Soyou uses some of the same products as Lee Ha Nui and is also very conscious of her scalp. In fact, when she was getting her beauty license in school, she learned that conditioner actually takes away moisture while treatment gives it nutrition and now rarely uses conditioner, using treatments instead.

Min Young – The other hosts jokingly give Hwang Min Young a hard time for being a guy and using more than one product. He explains that he uses different shampoos based on his scalp’s condition. Beom Ho was even amazed that Hwang Min Young uses a special vial product that he doesn’t even use!

Better Girls’ Products

Beom Ho goes around to check the kinds of products the Better Girls use. As it is likely universally true, many people by products in bulk or large sizes to save money. Then, they use that product until it’s gone, not conscious of their hair’s current condition. Beom Ho once again reiterates that different products should be used for different situations.

Expert Demonstration

To begin scalp care treatment, use a scalp cleanser/toner (product used) on the crown of your head, rubbing it in with your fingers. Then, wrap a steamed towel around your head for 5-10 minutes (don’t worry about the towel cooling off!)

Spray scalp down with water (or wet it down if you are in the shower) before applying a scalp shampoo. Take note that scalp shampoo does not make very many suds. Then, massage shampoo into your entire scalp.

You can also use a scalp massager to do the work for you. Using a massager can be more soothing than your fingers, and it really helps the shampoo absorb.

Next, use a separate shampoo for hair that suits its current condition. However, don’t try mixing the shampoos because then they are ineffective in the wrong areas.

After you rinse your hair, comb it out. Use a cushion brush if you have straight hair or a wide-tooth comb if you have permed or curly hair. And remember, always brush from the bottom up to reduce hair breakage!

On the damp hair ends, apply a hair treatment or mask with about a thumbnail amount for every two inch section of hair. Make sure to rub the product in your palms before applying to your hair so that it goes on evenly.

Wrap the ends of your hair in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil to prevent the moisture and heat from escaping. You can wait 5-10 minutes or even up to 30 min before removing it and rinsing again.

This is the before and after of the scalp of the Better Girl from above. It’s really amazing what one treatment can do!

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