Causes Of Build-Up On Curly Hair & How To Prevent It

In this video, i'm going to be talking all about some of the common causes of build up on our scalp and on our hair. I'M going to be covering things like a dead skin cell buildup, sebum buildup, which is our scalps natural oils, product, buildup, improper, washing techniques and styling products and ingredients, as well as hard water build up. If you are new to my channel welcome, my name is gina and i make videos all about naturally curly hair and i like to break things down in simple easy to follow steps for beginners so that everyone can achieve healthy hair. I also wanted to thank tangle teaser for sponsoring this video you'll get to hear more about the scalp, exfoliator and massager here soon and some tips for removing build up on your scalp. So let's go ahead and get started so build up on our scalp and on our hair can happen whether if you are following the curly girl method or not, because a lot of the traditional curly girl methods involve using co washes are very gentle cleansers. So sometimes you can get more buildup when using those types of cleansers, it's really important to remove buildup from our scalp and from our hair, because excessive amounts of buildup on the scalp can lead to things like dandruff and even hair loss in really extreme cases. When we have build up on our hair a lot of times, it will look very dull. It doesn't really have any shine. It blocks moisture from getting in your products, won't soak in your curls might feel kind of sticky and gummy, and they won't curl up as much. You might not be getting that bounce or elasticity in your hair a lot of times. This leads to frizz and lots of tangles and even breakage too, because of the excessive amount of tangling. I let my hair get a ton of product build up just to show you guys what that looks like here on my hair now, so i was using a particular gel that was definitely causing a lot of buildup on my hair. I was layering it on as i was refreshing, and i even applied some directly to my scalp, just to show you what some product build up looks like on your scalp when it accumulates over the days. So the first cause of build up is dead. Skin our scalp is skin, so it sheds its layers just like the rest of our body. If those dead skin layers are not properly being slofed off, like they are on our skin, when we exfoliate, we exfoliate our face, if those are not easily being turned over on our scalp, that can lead to excessive buildup of dead skin cells on your scalp exfoliation Is really great at removing dead skin cells that accumulate on our scalp? Our scalp also naturally produces sebum, which is oil, that protects our scalp and our hair it's necessary, but when it builds up over time and combines with dead skin cells, you can get lots of issues and when those dead skin cells build up with sebum or oil. On our scalp that can lead to issues like dandruff. I'Ve actually done a whole video all about how to detox your hair and there's a lot more information in there about dandruff and other scalp conditions. So if you are looking for more dandruff help and more help with exfoliation and dead skin cells, i would recommend checking out the scalp care video i'll link it for you down below. So another cause of build up on our scalp and on our hair is not properly cleansing and shampooing our hair. It'S very important when you're washing your hair to really massage your scalp, give it a very good scrub with the pads of your fingers. If you've ever noticed, when you get your hair washed in a salon, they really scrub your scalp, and that is because they're usually trained as hair stylists to really get in there and scrub. Your scalp and your hair always feels super clean afterwards, a lot of times when we're in the shower and we're in a hurry, we're not actually taking that time to properly scrub our scalp one thing that can really help you get in there and better exfoliate and Remove dead, skin buildup and product buildup is using a scalp massager. Today i used the tangle teezer scalp exfoliator massager, which is a very flexible scalp massager brush that helps to exfoliate away dead. Skin cells helps remove product buildup, and it just makes the shampooing experience so much easier and more relaxing. So the scalp exfoliator and massager from tangle teezer can be used on wet hair in the shower. When you have shampoo in your hair and it can also be used on dry hair, i like using this on dry hair, to give myself a nice scalp massage and also to help loosen up build up on my scalp before i shampoo here. You'Ll see me using it to loosen up a lot of those flakes and build up before i hopped in the shower the shorter teeth that are on the scalp exfoliator massager help reach those pressure points on your scalp, so you get a really nice relaxing scalp massage This can be used on all hair types, whether if you have curly hair like mine, wavy or straight hair, it's really easy to use. All you do is suppress it onto your scalp and work in small circular motions. I like to move it very slow when i'm doing this, because i don't want to rough up my hair too much and i don't want to cause tangles. I just move in tiny little circular motions all over my scalp. It'S good to do this for about three minutes when you're shampooing, your hair, the flexible teeth are not going to hurt your hair or your scalp or anything. It actually feels really nice. I also really like the design of it, so you can fit about three fingers in between here, so it actually grips onto your hand. So it's not going to slip out of your hand when you're using it so much easier to hold. So this is not meant to be used to detangle; it's simply meant to help you reach your scalp better and help exfoliate and remove product buildup from your scalp. You also wouldn't want to use this if you have a super, sensitive, scalp or any broken skin. On your scalp, so after i'm done giving myself a nice scalp massage with the tangle teaser scalp exfoliator massager, i like to rinse out the shampoo and make sure i get that shampoo fully out by massaging my scalp some more with just my fingertips. One little tip that i like to do is i always check my scalp after i'm done shampooing to make sure all the buildup is gone. If i see any gunk under my fingernails, then i know that i need to do a double cleanse, don't be afraid to use a little bit more shampoo if needed. Sometimes i miss some areas a lot of times that happens around my hairline, where there's like a mixture of sunscreen and makeup and hair products that always builds up around the hairline. Sometimes i'll have to go in with another little bit of shampoo just to further cleanse that area. So a lot of times you will see me, do a double cleanse, especially if i have a pre-poo oil in my hair, sometimes that's necessary to completely remove all build up. So if you're interested in checking out the tangle, teaser, scalp, exfoliator and massager, you can find it in your local ulta stores. It'S now available in all ulta stores throughout the us. I'Ll also put the link in my description box, for where you can order it online. The next common cause of build up is only using co-washes in your routine. I never really recommend co-washing and i don't usually recommend it as the only source of cleansing your hair. The reason i don't usually recommend co-washing as your only source of cleansing, is because co-washes contain cationic surfactants, there's different types of surfactants and they all have different levels of cleansing because they work in different ways. Cad ionic surfactants will actually bind to your hair they're. More conditioning so they're not going to actually be able to remove product buildup from your scalp. They might be able to remove super gentle light styling products from your hair. So you can just restyle your hair and have a quick gentle cleanse mid-week, but they're not going to give you a super deep clean. So in this wash day routine, i decided to clarify, i always clarify anywhere from every two to three washes. It just depends on the products that i'm using and, if they're, building up on my hair today, it was definitely time to clarify it. So i used the one from giovanni. This is the tea tree triple treat invigorating shampoo. It was definitely pretty cleansing, so i had to follow up with a deep conditioner today. So keep that in mind this one will definitely strip out everything from your hair, which is good for a super deep cleanse every once in a while. Another favorite of mine is from the curlsmith scalp recipe. I love the detox kit. I'Ve done a video all about the detox kit, basically a three-step system to give your hair a super deep cleanse without stripping it. The wash and scrub detox probiotic clarifying shampoo actually has little tiny microbeads that help exfoliate the scalp. I don't really feel them on my scalp, though, but it's great to give your scalp a little bit of exfoliating action. It'S not going to strip your hair anything like that, but i do still usually follow up with a deep conditioner after this. So i will list out some ingredients here on the screen that you want to look for in your shampoos, both your regular shampoos and your clarifying shampoos to make sure that you're actually getting a deep cleanse. Another thing you can also try, if you don't want to use a clarifying shampoo, is doing an apple, cider, vinegar, rinse. I'Ve also done a video on this. I will link it for you down below. It shows how to do it step by step. You do want to dilute it with some water and you can use that to remove any product buildup, and i've also heard that apple cider, vinegar, rinses, can remove hard water buildup. So the next common cause of buildup is not fully rinsing out your conditioner again. This goes along with us being in a hurry, a lot of the times, if you're just rinsing out your conditioner really quickly and not massaging your scalp, you could be leaving some behind, especially with the nature of conditioners, they're meant to bind to the hair. So if you get any of that on your scalp, it definitely could stick to your scalp and cause buildup, especially if you have very fine hair. I usually start with my ends when i'm applying conditioner and then i work the rest of it up to the root. I do still apply a conditioner towards my root because i want to moisturize all of my hair, but when i rinse out my conditioner, i really focus on massaging my scalp again just to make sure that water fully gets into the roots of my hair. Instead of just rinsing away at the top layer of my hair, especially if you have very thick high density hair, you definitely want to be massaging your scalp when you're rinsing out your conditioner. Another thing to keep in mind that could be causing buildup on your hair. Is if you only rinse out your conditioner with cold water a lot of times we're told that using cold water helps our hair feel more smooth that they say it helps seal the cuticle, but a lot of times cold water doesn't fully remove conditioners because conditioners have A lot of oils in them it's kind of like if you were to try and wash dirty dishes in a cold water, it wouldn't necessarily get them clean, so you would want to use warm or hot water. So what i like to do is first rinse my hair in warm water and then do a cold water rinse at the very end, just to make sure i'm fully removing that conditioner. Another thing that could be causing buildup on your scalp is, if you wash your hair over your tub, a lot of us do this: it's definitely more convenient. If you don't want to hop in the shower, but a lot of times when our hair is flipped over we're, not really getting in there at our scalp very good, because our hair is over top of our heads, we might not be cleansing this area as good, Especially if you have very high density hair, you have very thick hair. It can be hard to get in there, sometimes when all your hair is in the way. Basically, you would want to implement the same tips that i mentioned with really getting in there and scrubbing your scalp very good. You can even lift your hair up and really get in there or you can use your scalp massager to really get in at the root same goes for when you are rinsing out your conditioner or your deep conditioner over your tub make sure you are thoroughly rinsing At the scalp a lot of times when i rinse out my deep conditioner, i can flip my head back over and i can still feel a little bit of residue right here at the top of my head, and that is because all of our hair is pulled Over in the front and the water might not be reaching down onto your scalp on that top crown area, so just make sure you're really getting in there. You can use your fingers to massage your scalp to fully remove that deep conditioner and give it a good rinse with warm water and then with cold water at the very end. Another super common cause of build up on our hair is, if you live in a place with hard water hard water is water that contains minerals like magnesium and calcium, and those can stick to our hair and build up over time. You can install a filter that goes on your shower head to prevent this or a water softener, or just make sure that you are using a chelating shampoo. Every so often here are some ingredients. I will list out on the screen to look for in your shampoos to see if they are effective at removing hard water build up. I'Ll, probably do a full video on this. So let me know if you want to see more information about this topic, because it's a big one that a lot of people might not be considering if they are experiencing build up on their hair. So now, let's talk about some of the styling techniques. That could be causing build up on your scalp and on your hair. The first one is, if you style your hair upside down and soaking wet. If you have your hair, soaking wet dripping with water when you're, applying your products and then you're scrunching them in that product in water is just falling right down your hair follicles onto your scalp, especially when it's mixed with so much water, it's more runny. It can just run right onto your scalp, so if you are really struggling with your roots, getting weighed down then try out damp styling. I highly recommend damp styling for my low density hair because it gives me a lot more volume and control on how my hair lays and i can better cover my scalp. But it also really helps me keep the product off of my scalp, because it's not soaking wet, so it's not just soaking up all that product and pulling it down onto my scalp. You also use a lot less product too, when you do this, so you save products. I also don't usually apply my styling products directly on my scalp. I will start on my ends and then work. My way up and whatever's left over on my hands will get applied to my roots. I do take my gel all the way up to my roots, because i want that frizz protection, but a lot of times i don't apply my curl creams and leave-ins directly. To my roots, another styling technique that we all do is scrunching. If you are scrunching your hair and pressing it right up against your scalp, then your product is likely getting on your scalp, especially if your hair is soaking wet. Another thing you can do when you are scrunching is lift your root up with your hands and then give it a scrunch, that's kind of lifting the root of your hair up away from your scalp. So that way, when you're scrunching, it's not getting it all over. Your scalp, you can also scrunch with your hair, to the side that way your roots are kind of pulled away from your scalp, so you're not just pressing that product right onto your scalp. Another thing that so many people like to do that is definitely putting your product on your scalp is plopping. We love plopping our hair up with a t-shirt or with a hair towel, but when you're doing that, you are literally mashing your hair with product onto your scalp, that's definitely putting product on your scalp. So if your roots are getting way down, i highly recommend skipping plopping, try out micro plopping, that's basically when you just scrunch out the excess water with your hair towel or your t-shirt. That really helps cut down on my dry time, and then i just go in with a little bit more product afterwards. If i still need some more product because a lot of times that does remove product next, one is a big one for me, and that is adding on more layers of product. When i'm refreshing, i always get a lot of frizz and tangles when i refresh so, i always like to apply more product, but some products. I just cannot layer on too much that's what happened with me before i filmed this video and showed you guys all the product build up on my hair. I was refreshing and adding more gel each day and a lot of times you can just reactivate your gel with water, so maybe try just using water to refresh and then see if your hair dries with the cast back, and maybe you didn't even need to add Gel, if you do get that cast back by just adding water and letting it dry, i try and use as little product when i'm refreshing as possible, because we want our style to last throughout the week and if we're just layering on product each day, it's not Going to last as long and we try and stretch our hair to not go as long. I try and stretch my hair to about three to four days and then i'll wash mid-week. So i try and wash my hair about every three to four days, but everyone is different and it really depends on how much product you're adding to your hair when you're refreshing. So i'm also going to list out some ingredients here on the screen that are commonly found in styling products that can lead to build up if you're not properly cleansing your hair and if you're layering on a lot of these in between washes the most common one. That we've all heard of causing build up is silicones. This one can be a little controversial. Some people don't think it cause buildup. Some people do a lot of our curly hair shampoos. Even some sulfate-free ones can remove silicones, but not all of them. But if you are using product that contained silicone, but then you were just co-washing, you probably would definitely get build up if you were not properly cleansing. Your hair with a lathering, shampoo, petroleum and mineral oil are also big ones. Those, i don't think, are technically curly girl method approved, and that is because they can build up on the hair and they cannot easily be removed with a mild shampoo. Some other common ones are waxes a lot of times. Those can build up on the hair and also poly quads and polymers. I love poly quad ingredients and polymers because i, like really strong whole gel and those ingredients help block out humidity, but you just have to make sure you are clarifying more frequently and some gels build up more than others that have these polyplot ingredients in them. Even a lot of curly girl method, approved styling products contain a lot of ingredients that can still build up on the hair, such as heavy butters and oils. There are lots of butters in our hair products. There'S shea butter there's coconut oils. Those could build up on your hair if you're applying it too much, especially if you had fine curly hair, it could really get weighed down from using heavy butters and oils. I find that a lot of drugstore curly hair products that are technically curly girl method approved. Do have a lot of these butters like shea butter and coconut oil, and that can just be too heavy for a lot of people with fine hair. So that is it for all the common causes of build up on the scalp and on the hair, make sure you check out the new tangle, teaser, scalp, exfoliator and massager. I will have the link down below and you can also find it at your local ulta store here in the u.s. I'M going to list out all of these tips that i mentioned on the blog post. That goes with this video that will also be linked in the description box down below so no worries. If you didn't take notes, everything will be summarized over there as a helpful guide for you to follow along and to refer back to. So. Thank you all. So much for watching, if you have not already subscribed, be sure to do so before you leave. If you enjoy this free content, hit that subscribe button and turn on those notifications, so you'll be notified. When i post a new video, i post every sunday, so i hope to see you back next week.