Nut's linen dress floated with every movement of the girl, who moved quickly and precisely from one side of the large room to the other. That day the heat was almost unbearable and humans and animals sought refreshment under the shade of palm trees to escape the inexorable Egyptian sun. But Nut couldn't rest, she had to hurry. Soon her queen, the great Cleopatra, would request her presence. Nut took the last few ingredients, snake oil and safflower powder, to mix with the henna powder she had already prepared. Here, she thought, it's all ready, and she hurried to the great room where, among impalpable curtains floating in the light breeze, Cleopatra was waiting for her beauty treatment. Like every week, the mixture that Nut had expertly prepared was spread on Cleopatra's scalp, where a deep massage was performed to purify the skin, counteract irritation and stimulate hair growth. In short, probably the first scalp scrub in history! It's been centuries since we accompanied Nut to apply the scalp scrub to her queen, but the beauty treatments don't change! Of course, we no longer use snake oil, but the skin scrub is a very well known and appreciated product. For some years now, even the scrub for the scalp has been growing in fame and use. So let's try to understand the benefits of a scrub for the scalp and then, closing our eyes and letting ourselves be inspired by the mastery of Nut, let's also feel like the great kings and queens of the past and let's see how to make these precious treatments at home for the beauty of the hair.
Scalp scrub, properties
For the same reason that once a week we do a scrub to regenerate the skin and eliminate accumulations of sebum, pollution and dirt from the face and body, we should also perform a scrub on scalp, where the residues of styling, shampoo and conditioner also accumulate, which we often cannot wash away. A scrub, in fact, allows you to remove dead cells and purify the skin, counteracting irritation and inflammation (Draelos et al, Int J Trichology, 2010). Therefore, the scrub can help keep the scalp healthy. Studies have observed that the health of the hair, its shine and its strength depend on the health of the scalp. Not only that, if the scalp is healthy this also helps reduce the risk of excessive hair loss (Trueb et al, Int J Trichology, 2018). Finally, when the scrub is applied, a massage is also performed which has been shown to improve the thickness of the hair and support its growth. In fact, a circular motion, even if only for a few minutes, makes the skin softer and improves blood circulation (Koyama et al, Eplasty, 2016).
Scalp scrub, DIY recipes
You can buy the scalp scrub or you can make it at home. The important thing, in any case, is not to overdo the applications. If you have normal skin, then you can scrub once or twice a month. If, on the other hand, you have oilier skin or dandruff even once a week, but no more. The risk is to irritate the scalp, which will produce more sebum. But now let's see how to prepare the scalp scrub at home. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of coconut milk, but any milk you have at home is fine, 4 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of a nourishing and sebum-balancing vegetable oil, such as jojoba oil. Apply the scrub to the moistened scalp with slow circular massages for a couple of minutes. Then leave on for ten minutes, then rinse with your shampoo. The advice, regarding this scrub, is to avoid abrasive elements that are too large, such as coarse salt, which would be irritating.
