3 Things You Must Know About Shampooing, From A Trichologist

So while she's the first to say that shampooing is and should be highly individualized, there are some takeaways that most of us would benefit from knowing. Tune in to the episode to learn more, but for now—here are three must-try techniques for shampooing your hair and scalp: 

Certainly you can find an option specifically marketed as a pre-shampoo treatment (this number from JVN's new line is what I'm testing currently), but you can likely just use an oil you already have at home if you're not looking to make a purchase. Most botanical hair oils—or pure options like argan and jojoba—make for excellent pre-shampoo treatments to slick on the hair. For scalp-specific ones, Hill loves options that contain citrus oils as they have cleansing properties. "They're not going to be moisturizing for the hair fiber, but they're great for treating the scalp microbiome," she says. 

Think about how lovely it is to get a shampoo at a salon—that thorough scalp massage is sometimes thought of as a bonus luxury, but there's a very real reason stylists spend time doing it. They're not just washing the root or the hair fiber; they're manually cleaning the skin. Whereas think about the at-home process: Chances are, Hill notes, you're only shampooing the fiber. Take this as a cue to give yourself a scalp massage on wash days. 

Want help targeting that scalp? Opt for shampoo with a nozzle—or if your formula of choice doesn't come in said bottle, "I like to suggest transferring a shampoo into a bottle with an applicator nozzle," she says. "So that you're putting the shampoo directly onto the scalp." Once it's on the scalp, you can start massaging it and building that lather to activate that cleaning process. If you're looking for one that comes prepackaged, Sunday Riley Clean Rinse and Alikay Naturals Moisturizing Black Soap Shampoo are fan favorites.

Shampooing is complicated in the way that there are many ways to do it—but it's not complicated if you just listen to your scalp and clean it intuitively. And if you don't even know how to start doing that—this episode is a great place to start.