Scalp brushes: brushing your hair when you have a dry scalp

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Go to sectionTackle your dry scalp quickly and easily

A dry scalp is very sensitive to damage, so it’s important to take care of it. Find out how to brush your hair when you have a dry scalp.

Dragging a brush across a dry scalp can be painful – it can disturb the skin cells on the scalp, causing further damage.

You might even make flakes more visible by bringing them farther down the hair shaft from the scalp.

There are so many types of brushes and combs available – which one should you use?

a red-haired boy holds a red-haired woman by the hand

A wide-toothed comb is perfect for carefully detangling your hair, particularly when it’s wet. Start at the ends and slowly work your way up to the roots for the most effective detangling with minimal breakage, and minimal tension on your hair roots.

Brushes with dense bristles (such as boar hair) help spread natural scalp oils down the length of the strands, moisturizing the hair and reducing dryness.

You should use these with caution, though; because the bristles are extra-dense, they can create more friction as you pull them through the hair… potentially damaging the hair and scalp if used too forcefully.

Styling brushes, such as round brushes and vented brushes (for blow-drying), are useful tools, but again be careful not to drag the brush across your scalp.

Look for bristles with polished or rounded ends that will glide more easily across the scalp without scratching it. And remember, if you rely on heat styling too much, you could dry out your scalp even more.

Whatever type you use, it’s important not to brush or comb your hair too forcefully, as this can cause breakage and split ends as well as damaging the scalp’s moisture barrier.