Whether it’s greasy hair; dry, flaky skin; or feeling the uncomfortable effects of too many rounds of dry shampoo (is there ever a good morning to get out of bed early for a wash and blowdry?), sometimes a dollop of shampoo isn’t going to cut it in our pursuit of a squeaky clean scalp.
Fortunately, while sweaty and scaly scalps aren’t the beauty worlds most glamorous problem, there’s now one category of product that provides solutions to pretty much any concern: scalp scrubs. The best scalp scrubs use vigorous hair cleansing techniques like co-washing to shame in seconds, clearing up flakes, product buildup, oil, and debris without overdrying.
The benefits of scalp scrubs aren’t limited to voluminous, weightless hair and a crown that feels like it’s never tangled with a hair mousse or sweated through a gym session. Exfoliation is a key concept in skin care, and just like the skin on our faces, the skin on our scalps benefits from regular resurfacing. Taking a gritty scrub to the roots once a week will remove dead skin cells, stimulate circulation, and help regulate sebum production, resulting in fewer flakes and less greasiness over time. You can also select scrubs based on your individual needs; whether you struggle with chronic dandruff, get excessively oily or are trying to manage frizzy hair while keeping your scalp fresh, there’s a potent potion for you.
And, what better time than winter, the season of parched flaky and dry skin, to introduce a scalp scrub into your routine? With this in mind we’ve rounded up the best scalp scrubs you can shop in Australia. Thank us later.
The Best Scalp Scrubs Australia 2024
01
Christophe Robin, Cleansing Purifying Scrub With Sea Salt
$72.00 at Sephora
Best for: the cult classic
This cult scrub “shampoo in a jar” that gives a deep clean while never stripping. Applied on wet hair, gritty sea salt flakes satisfyingly buff away flaky skin, and then transform into a gentle foaming lather infused with bisabolol to calm the scalp and a natural carbohydrate complex to strengthen and hydrate your hair. Your scalp will be left fresh and squeaky clean, your strands hydrated and soft and smelling like an ocean breeze.
Key Features:
- Exoliating mineral sea salt buffs away dead skin
- Bisabolol and natural carbohydrate complex balance scalp and hydrate hair
- Perfect for oily and sensitive scalps
- Fresh sea salt scent
- Lathers
- Colour treated hair safe
- Available in 250ml and 75ml sizes
Available at:
- $72.00 from Adore Beauty
- $72.00 from David Jones
- $71.00 from The Iconic
02
Kiehl’s Amino Acid Scalp Detox Treatment Scrub
$88.00 at Kiehl’s
Best for: The three-in-one treatment
The best scalp scrubs repair as they resurface, balancing exfoliating and cleansing ingredients with hydrating and strengthening ingredients. This gentle scalp scrub from Kiehl’s is a great example of this fine balance. It uses sea salt to physically buff away flakes and salicylic acid, a detoxifying chemical exfoliant, to purify and regulate oil production. While this pot of magic provides a deep cleanse, it never strips thanks to the inclusion of amino acids that protect scalp health and leave hair shiny and conditioned. Use once weekly in place of shampoo.
Key Features:
- Sea salt buffs away dead skin cells
- Salicylic acid dissolves oil and impurities and regulates sebum
- Amino acids balance the scalp and maintain hydration
- Helps remove sebum and normalize skin cell turnover
- 250ml
03
Sachajuan Scalp Scrub
$88.00 at Adore Beauty
Best for: dandruff
The sweetest scalp scrub on the market this cleansing concoction uses purified sugar, or sucrose, to buff away dead skin and flakes, while hydrating with soybean extract and shea butter oil for silky smooth strands. If you experience chronic dandruff you’ll be happy with the inclusion of climbazol, a science-y sounding ingredient used to treat fungal (yes) scalp conditions like dandruff. Expect short term freshness and long term flake reduction.
Key Features:
- Natural sucrose or sugar manually exfoliates the scalp
- Soybean extract and shea butter hydrate
- Climbazole addresses the root cause of dandruff
- Finer consistency than some scrubs
- Lathers
- 250ml
Available at:
- $88.00 from Sephora
- $88.00 from David Jones
- $70.40 (usually $88.00) from Lookfantastic
04
Body Blendz, Scalp & Hair Scrub Shampoo
$22.51 (usually $29.99) at Amazon
Best for: Frizzy and dry hair
This scalp scrub uses ultra-fine Himalayan salt crystals to give the scalp a gentle cleanse, while protecting the hair with Abyssinia oil, shea butter and jojoba oil. It’s on of the best scalp scrubs for those with frizzy hair thanks to the inclusion of Guar Bean, a smoothing and volumizing extract that neutralises the negative charges on hair strands that create “static” (that’s frizz for the uninitiated). Peppermint oil leaves a fresh, tingling sensation on the scalp.
Key Features:
- Fine crystals for a gentle exfoliation
- Very hydrating, good for dry and coarse hair types
- Guar Bean addresses frizz leaving hair smooth and shiny
- Peppermint oil leaves scalp feeling fresh
- Lathers
- 150ml
05
Kevin Murphy, Scalp Spa Scrub
$47.95 at Adore Beauty
Best for: colour treated hair
Everyone wants a squeaky clean scalp, but for those of us with colour treated hair some of the more aggressive exfoliating ingredients can compromise our three-figure salon sessions. This uber-gentle pre-wash treatment has been formulated with sensitive scalps and colour treated hair in mind. In place of chemical exfoliants, it contains micellar water, a cleansing agent used skincare that acts as a magnet for oil and impurities so they’re rinsed away when you rinse it away. Ultra-fine perlite, a perfectly spherical volcanic rock, gently eases away dry skin and flakes while celery seed extract soothes.
Key Features:
- Ultra-gentle cleansing agents make this appropriate for colour treated hair
- Perfectly spherical physical exfoliants provide gentle manual exfoliation without irritation
- Soothing celery extract regulates sebum production
- Can double as a body scrub
- 180ml
Available at:
- $47.95 from Oz Hair and Beauty
06
Virtue Labs Refresh Exfoliating Scalp Treatment
$75.00 at Adore Beauty
Best for: dry scalp
This whipped scalp treatment feels a little more like a creamy treatment masque than a traditional scrub and is actually designed to replace your conditioner. This makes it perfect for those with extra dry scalps who can’t tolerate rough and tumble scrubs, but still want that squeaky clean feeling. The creamy paste combines pore cleansing and sebum regulating salicylic acid with fruit enzymes for a dual action gentle exfoliation. These fruit enzymes dissolve, leaving tiny biodegradable beads that gently buff rogue flakes away as you cleanse. Finally, coconut, jojoba and Kalahari melon oils hydrate scalp and hair. This is a product that will leave your scalp hydrated and deeply cleansed and your hair shiny and weightless.
Key Features:
- Salicylic acid for a deep pore cleanse
- Fruit enzymes provide additional chemical and manual exfoliation
- Nourishing oils protect scalp and hydrate hair
- Lavender, chamomile, white tea, bergamot and magnolia scent
- Conditioner replacement
- 150ml
Available at:
- $75.00 from Sephora
- $75.00 from Oz Hair & Beauty
- $75.00 from Lookfantastic
07
Hask Tea Tree Oil and Rosemary Pre-Shampoo Scalp Scrub
$10.20 (usually $17.00) at Priceline
Best for: bargain
This gentle sugar-based scrub cleanses the scalp of impurities with antibacterial tea tree oil and soothing rosemary oil, calming as it clarifies. It’s sensitive scalp and colour treated hair friendly and free of sulphates, parabens, phthalates and alcohol and is one of the most affordable deep cleanses you can find on the market. One of the best affordable scalp scrubs on the market.
Key Features:
- Colour safe and sensitive scalp friendly
- Uses gentle natural oils to calm and decongest
- Sugar granules make for a super fine scrub
- Coconut oil and aloevera juice hydrate and condition
- Bergamot, sandalwood and rosemary scent
- 178ml
Available at:
08
Ouai Scalp & Body Scrub St Barts
$73.00 at Sephora
Best for: multi-tasker
This top-to-toe scrub is perfect for those of us stuck in Australia’s freezing winter while our friends skip out on their European summer holidays. Ouai have taken the classic much loved Scalp & Body formula and added an intoxicating sprinkle of dragon fruit, orange blossom, tuberose and baltic amber for a summer inspired sensory experience. This scrub that can be used on scalp and body has a soft paste texture that exfoliates and hydrates as you work it in. With sugar crystals and fatty acid rich coconut oil it resurfaces and softens at the same time.
Key Features:
- Summer inspired scent
- Conditioning coconut oil, panthenol and glycerin
- Gentle sugar crystals
- Can be used on scalp and body
- Hydrates and exfoliates
- Colour safe
- Paraben, phalate, SLS and SLES free
- 250g
Available at:
- $71.28 from Lookfantastic
09
Oribe Serene Scalp
$80.00 at Oz Hair and Beauty
Best for: luxury
Scaly scalps have met there match with this luxury heavy hitter from Oribe. The treatment packs a serious punch thanks to an intensive alpha-hydroxy acid blend that penetrates the skin’s surface, sloughing away dead skin cells. Once the acids have loosened up pesky dead skin cells, microplastic free polymer beads buff them away. It’s some major skin resurfacing but hydrating flower extracts are included to prevent irritation or over stripping.
Key Features:
- Powerful alpha hydroxy acid based chemical exfoliation
- Microplastic free exfoliating beads
- Balancing and hydrating flower extracts
- Light citrus scent
- Creamy formula
- 125ml
10
Drunk Elephant TLC Happi Scalp Scrub
$60.00 at Mecca
Best for: natural
If you like to prioritise natural ingredients in your personal care routine or simply want a powerful scalp polish this scrub from Drunk Elephant is a must-try. The formula contains a 10% blend of alpha hydroxy acids including glycolic, lactic, tartaric and citrus to rapidly breakdown dead skin cells and biodegradable exfoliating beads to buff them away. The brand suggests using like a hair mask and letting it sit for between 5-15 minutes (depending on your individual tolerance) on the scalp to let the acids get to work. Then rinse free and wave goodbye to flakes and debris.
Key Features:
- 10% blend of acids including glycolic, tartaric, lactic and citrus
- Biodegradable exfoliating beads
- marula, boabab seed and mongongo oils hydrate hair and scalp
- Unscented
- 177ml
How Do You Use A Scalp Scrub?
Because formulas differ, application suggestions vary brand to brand, it’s best to check the packaging to ensure you’re applying your scalp scrub correctly. As a general rule however, sectioning the hair while it’s wet and applying your scrub to the scalp directly will ensure your skin is receiving maximum benefits and the formula isn’t just getting tangled up in your hair. Once you have applied to the product evenly and directly to the scalp, use gentle massaging motions. However tempting and satisfying it might be, let the specialist formulas do the heavy lifting and avoid vigorous scrubbing as this can damage your delicate strands and irritate your scalp.
Do You Use A Scalp Scrub Before Or After Shampoo?
Most brands suggest using scalp scrubs pre-shampoo as they break down tougher debris, from hair product build up to dead skin and excess oil, quickly. Once loosened this can be shampooed out. Some scalp scrubs, particularly those that lather can be used in place of shampoo so check the instructions, and adjust to your preference.
What To Consider When Buying A Scalp Scrub
As we’ve covered, there are many many scalp scrubs on the market each with unique benefits. When shopping for the right scrub it’s important to keep your hair texture and type in mind. If you’re hair is dry and coarse, no matter how oily your scalp is you’ll want to ensure the scrub you’ve selected has hydrating ingredients and is free of fragrances or harsh stripping agents. You may also want to look for scrubs with ingredients that target your specific hair concerns whether that’s a scrub appropriate for colour treated hair, or one with anti-frizz properties. Finally, if you experience skin conditions like dermatitis or eczema, check with your specialist before introducing a new over the counter treatment into your routine.
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