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Scalp Care · Hub

Your scalp is skin.
Treat it like it.

Idon't know a single stylist who would tell you to skip skincare on your face — but most of us have been telling you to skip it on your scalp for years. That ends here. A healthy scalp isn't one miracle product; it's respect for the microbiome, the barrier, and the sebum cycle that sit under every strand of hair you have.

M
Mara Roszak · celebrity hairstylist + RŌZ co-founder
01

The 5-question diagnostic.

Itch, flakes, oil, and "something's off" all route differently. This quiz is the cluster's front door — each terminal state is a permalinked page, so your answer is also a URL you can bookmark or share.

01
What do you notice most?
02
How long has it been going on?
03
Any flakes — what color?
04
Any red flags? (pustules, patches, weeping)
05
What triggered the change?
Step 01 of 05

What's the thing you notice most on your scalp right now?

Only the biggest symptom. You'll get a chance to flag the others in steps 3 and 4. If it's more than one thing at a time — that's important data on its own, and the quiz handles it.

  • A Itch — constant, or worse at night / after washing
  • B Flakes — white-powdery OR yellow-oily
  • C Oily roots within a day or two of washing
  • D Tight, dry, or tender — no flakes
  • E Dullness, waxy texture, can feel grit when I scratch
  • F Nothing's wrong — I want a better routine
Step 02 of 05

How long has this been going on?

Duration helps separate acute reactions from chronic patterns. Recent onset often points to something you changed; persistent symptoms need a different lens.

  • A Less than 2 weeks — came on recently
  • B 2–4 weeks — not going away on its own
  • C More than 4 weeks — this is my normal
Step 03 of 05

If there are flakes — what color and texture?

Flake type is the single most reliable indicator of whether this is cosmetic (buildup, dryness) or fungal (seborrheic dermatitis). Color matters.

  • A No flakes — or I'm not sure
  • B White and powdery — dry, fine, falls easily
  • C Yellow or oily — sticks to the scalp, greasy
  • D Silvery or patchy — thick plaques, defined edges
Step 04 of 05

Any red flags?

These aren't common, but they matter. Pustules, weeping spots, patches of hair loss, or persistent pain or fever change the answer from a product question to a medical one.

  • A None of those — no pustules, patches, pain, or fever
  • B Yes — pustules, weeping, patchy loss, persistent pain, or fever
Step 05 of 05

Did something change recently?

Product reactions, weather, medications, and hormonal shifts all land on the scalp. Knowing the trigger helps rule out sensitivity from chronic conditions.

  • A Nothing changed — same routine, same season
  • B New product — shampoo, conditioner, treatment, or styling
  • C Season or climate change — moved, weather shifted
  • D New medication — prescription or OTC
  • E Pregnancy, postpartum, or hormonal change
Step 1 of 5
02
The structural metaphor

Six zones. One rule: it's skin, so treat the layer, not the hair.

Dry scalp lives in the stratum corneum. Dandruff lives in the microbiome. Buildup lives on the surface. If you're treating oil with a drying shampoo, you're working on the wrong layer.

Every spoke of this cluster maps to one of these zones — which is how we decide what RŌZ can actually help with and what belongs with a dermatologist.

Barrier · dry Sebum · oily Microbiome · dandruff Follicle · massage pH · itch Surface · buildup
[ MECHANISM DIAGRAM
scalp cross-section ·
6 interactive hotspots ]
03

The three-step system.

Exfoliate weekly. Cleanse without stripping. Support the barrier. Not a four-phase 11-step protocol — three mechanisms in the right order.

STEP · 01 · WEEKLY

Exfoliate.

Dual-mechanism (mineral salt + gentle acid). Lathers like a shampoo, so no extra step.

Salt Scalp Scrub · $45 · 1×/wk
STEP · 02 · 2–3× / WK

Cleanse without stripping.

Sulfate-free, silicone-free. Preserves the barrier while doing its job.

Foundation Shampoo + Conditioner · $81 duo
STEP · 03 · PRE-WASH

Support the barrier.

Replenish the lipid layer before cleansing. 10 / 30 / overnight.

Willow Glen Pre-Wash Oil · $58
04

The seven spokes.

Skip the quiz if you already know what you're looking for. Each spoke is 1,500–2,200 words, clinically cited, and links back here.

Tier 1 · 1.18M SV

Itchy scalp

Itch is a symptom, not a diagnosis. The cause decoder routes by buildup / dryness / sensitivity / seborrheic / derm.

Read spoke→
Tier 2 · 907K SV

Dry scalp

Lipid and water deficit — not fungal inflammation. Hero: Willow Glen pre-wash oil.

Coming soon
Tier 2 · 318K SV

Oily scalp

The "sebum rebound" isn't supported by research. Wash-frequency calculator.

Read spoke→
 Tier 2 · 51K SV

Scalp buildup

"When you scratch and see white stuff under your nails…" Dual-mechanism visualizer.

Read spoke→
Tier 2 · 292K SV

Dandruff vs dry scalp

Three-way flake identifier. Names ketoconazole 1–2%, Nizoral, Selsun by brand.

Coming soon
Tier 2 · 295K SV

Scalp exfoliation

Physical vs chemical vs dual. Salt Scrub ranks #12 on "scalp scrub"; this is the benchmark.

Coming soon
Tier 2 · 667K SV

Scalp massage

Koyama 2016: 9 men, 4 min/day, 24 weeks. The research is real. It's also small.

Coming soon
Cross-cluster

Hair concerns

When the scalp's fine but the hair isn't. Frizz, dryness, damage, color-treated, and five more.

8 concerns · cross-link→
05
Where RŌZ isn't the answer

We don't make an antidandruff shampoo. Here's what actually works when you need one.

If the flake is yellow, oily, and sticks to the scalp — that's likely seborrheic dermatitis, which is fungal, not dry. It needs a medicated active. We don't formulate with ketoconazole, zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, or coal tar, and we're not going to pretend otherwise. Use one of these for 4–8 weeks, then come back to us for the rebuild.

Active · antifungal
Ketoconazole 1–2%
Most effective OTC antifungal for Malassezia overgrowth. Brand: Nizoral A-D. Use 2×/wk × 4–8 weeks.
Active · antimicrobial
Zinc pyrithione 1%
Gentler than ketoconazole; works on mild sebderm. Brand: Head & Shoulders Clinical. Daily use safe.
Active · keratolytic
Selenium sulfide 1%
Slows epidermal turnover. Brand: Selsun Blue. Can discolor lighter hair — patch-test.

Red flags that need a dermatologist, not a shampoo: patchy hair loss, pustules, weeping lesions, 4+ weeks persistence, fever. AAD locator →

06

FAQ · the 10 answers the PAA tree demands.

Each answer is 50–150 words, FAQPage-schema-marked, and self-contained enough to AIO-ingest.

How can I make my scalp healthy?
Treat it like skin. The three moves in order: exfoliate once a week to clear sebum casts and product residue, cleanse without stripping on wash days (sulfate-free shampoo, silicone-free conditioner), and support the lipid barrier with a pre-wash oil 1–2 times a week. The rest is habit: warm water not hot, massage 1–4 minutes, let the scalp lead the cadence. Cite: Trüeb 2018, Grimshaw 2019.
What are signs of an unhealthy scalp?
Visible flakes, persistent itch (>2 weeks), oily roots within 24 hours of washing, tight or tender feeling after your regular shampoo, waxy texture, gritty bits under your nail when you scratch, odor, or visible redness. Patchy hair loss, pustules, or weeping spots aren't "unhealthy scalp" — those are medical and need a dermatologist directly.
When I scratch my scalp, I get white stuff under my nails. What is that?
Usually sebum mixed with dead skin cells and product residue — a "sebum cast." It's scalp buildup, not dandruff (dandruff flakes are yellow, oily, and visible on your shoulders without scratching). The fix is weekly dual-mechanism exfoliation. If the buildup is paired with itch that won't settle or visible flaking, assume it's more than buildup and route through the quiz above.
How often should I wash my scalp?
Depends on texture, sebum rate, and lifestyle — not on a "2–3 days" rule. Straight or fine hair with oily roots: every 1–2 days, Foundation Shampoo. Wavy or curly: 2–3×/week. Coily or protective styles: 1×/week or less, with oil support. The wash-frequency calculator on the oily-scalp spoke gives you a concrete answer based on four inputs.
What vitamin deficiency causes scalp problems?
Low iron, vitamin D, B12, and zinc are all implicated in scalp symptoms — usually showing as dryness, brittleness, or telogen effluvium (diffuse shedding). But deficiency is a medical question, not a product question: if you suspect it, ask your GP for labs before you buy a supplement stack. We won't recommend one.
How to strengthen hair follicles on the scalp?
Honestly: you can optimize the environment follicles grow in — keep the microbiome balanced, don't chronically strip the barrier, massage 4 min/day per Koyama 2016 — but you cannot override genetic patterns (androgenetic alopecia). Minoxidil is the only OTC proven to regrow hair. We don't make it; we make the routine that supports the follicles you have.
What is the best oil for scalp health?
For the scalp specifically: camellia, jojoba, and squalane sit closest to human sebum and don't clog. Coconut penetrates the hair shaft (Rele & Mohile 2003) but can feel occlusive on the scalp — best as a 30-min pre-wash, not overnight. Our Willow Glen pre-wash blends lightweight oils to replenish the barrier; see the dry-scalp spoke for the mechanism.
How do I increase blood flow to my scalp?
Manual massage — fingertips, firm circular pressure, 4 minutes a day, 24 weeks. That's the Koyama 2016 protocol. The trial was 9 men and showed a small (0.085 → 0.092mm) increase in hair thickness. Useful, non-zero, not a miracle. Full methodology on the scalp-massage spoke.
What stops an itchy scalp fast?
"Fast" depends on the cause. Buildup-driven itch settles within a wash using the Salt Scrub. Sensitivity-driven itch needs an elimination routine (drop SLS/SLES, drop fragrance). Fungal itch (dandruff, seborrheic) needs a medicated shampoo for 2 weeks before anything else will work. The cause decoder above tells you which one you have.
Is scalp health different from hair health?
Yes — and that's the point of this whole cluster. Hair is keratinized cells with no living metabolism. Scalp is living skin with a microbiome, a sebum cycle, and a barrier function. You can have perfect hair with a compromised scalp; you can't have a consistent scalp with a compromised routine. Scalp care is skincare; haircare is downstream.
Clinical citations · this page
  • Trüeb RM (2018). Scalp Condition Impacts Hair Growth and Retention via Oxidative Stress. Int J Trichology 10(6):262–270. PMC open-access · this paper ranks R2 for "scalp health"
  • Grimshaw S et al (2019). The microbiome of the scalp in healthy individuals. Int J Cosmetic Science 41(4):353–361.
  • Gavazzoni Dias MFR (2015). Hair cosmetics: an overview. Int J Trichology 7(1):2–15.
  • Koyama T et al (2016). Standardized scalp massage results in increased hair thickness. Eplasty. PMC4740347