Dr. Ziering quoted in NBC News | The best products for maintaining a healthy scalp, according to experts

A healthy skin care routine typically involves cleansing, wearing SPF and moisturizing, but there may be one critically important area of the skin you’re overlooking: your scalp. Scalp care is essential for hair health, the same way good soil is essential for a flourishing garden.

“A clear, clean, balanced scalp is going to be the optimal environment for growing healthy hair,” says Dr. Craig Ziering, a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and hair transplant surgeon in California. Hair, which is primarily built from protein cells, grows from follicles located in the skin, according to Ziering. “The root of the hair, what’s below the skin, is where all the activation in the cells takes place,” says Ziering. The health of the scalp, therefore, either promotes or deters hair health and hair growth. “A healthy scalp is going to give you new growth, stronger, shinier and thicker hair and a well-balanced scalp microbiome, will encourage less breakage and less hair loss,” he says. 

We spoke to experts about the best scalp care products, and their importance for healthy hair.