In line with our goal of helping you, we’ve come up with the best scalp moisturizer products. We’ve carefully tested and selected these moisturizers based on their effectiveness in conditioning and nourishing your scalp, as well as reducing dandruff and flaking. We believe these are the best products on the market that can help you support your beauty.
Let’s admit it – when we’re working to moisturize our bodies, we only focus on our skins, rarely on our scalps.
Unlike applying moisturizers on the skin where you can see the progress of improvement, the scalp is quite hard to see because it’s all covered by hair so it can be easy to forget that it needs moisturization and care too.
Similar to skin drying, the scalp is also prone to dehydration. Dry scalp is termed as “scalp psoriasis.
”Everyone is vulnerable to scalp drying and scalp psoriasis, not just women.
Scalp psoriasis appears as tiny scales that look like dandruff.
Itching, dandruff, and waxy patches on the scalp are all signs of a dry scalp. They get pretty uncomfortable over time.
While it’s not a good idea to slather creams or lotions into your scalp like what you do with your skin, the best option to relieve scalp dryness is to use the best scalp moisturizer.
Show your scalp some love with by moisturizing it daily, making it part of your beauty routine.
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Quick Overview: Our Top Picks for the Best Scalp Moisturizers
OUR TOP #1 PICK - Recommended by top hair stylists, the Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Hair and Body Moisturizer hydrates from head to toe, ranking it the best scalp moisturizer on our list. It moisturizes and nourishes the hair to give it gloss and shine while fighting off flaking and dandruff.
OUR TOP #2 PICK - Are you looking for a product that will protect your hair against the harsh and damaging chemicals from relaxing and coloring hair treatments? The Pantene Pro-V Truly Relaxed Hair Moisturizer might be helpful. It contains humectants to lock in moisture in the follicles and herbal oils to make hair strands healthy and vigorous.
OUR TOP #3 PICK - Possessing a powerful ingredient to eliminate dandruff in the long-term, the Head and Shoulders Dry Scalp Treatment Hair Moisturizer is one of the best there is for dandruff treatments. Aside from removing dandruff, it also unclogs, cleanses pores, and conditions hair.
OUR TOP #4 PICK - You’ll commonly encounter ingrown hairs and razor bumps in the scalp when you get your head shaved. These can be painful and itchy. The High Time Dare To Be Bald Scalp Moisturizer protects the scalp against any irritations while leaving a shiny gloss behind.
OUR TOP #5 PICK - Hair loss and thinning are common among aging men and women. The Nioxin Scalp Recovery Soothing Scalp Moisturizer is formulated with herbal oils that fight hair loss, hair thinning, dandruff, and flaking. It also moisturizes and improves scalp health.
What Causes Scalp Problems?
There are many factors that can cause a variety of scalp problems especially dandruff and scalp psoriasis.
Knowing the various reasons behind scalp irritations can give you an idea of what you’re doing wrong and how to prevent them before they even happen.
Dandruff and other scalp irritations should be treated with the best scalp moisturizers to avoid aggravating the damage and prolonging the irritation that can become very uncomfortable and painful.
1. Eczema
Scalp eczema causes inflamed, itchy skin to form on the scalp.
Dandruff or Seborrheic dermatitis is the most common type of scalp eczema.
The inflamed skin can get flaky, very itchy, greasy or waxy, prone to blisters and can produce lesions and scars after healing.
2. Not Consuming Enough Water
Body dehydration can affect the scalp too.
The body allocates the water you consume to the vital organs first, leaving nothing to hydrate the scalp.
Hydrate your skin from the inside too!
Drinking the prescribed eight glasses of water or more per day will provide sufficient hydration that reaches the scalp.
3. Nutritional Deficiencies
A lack of Vitamins B1 and B6 in your diet can cause dry scalp.
To compensate for this deficiency, boost your intake of whole grain bread, cereals, fruits, and vegetables that are rich in these vitamins.
Conversely, too much sugary and spicy foods can trigger scalp dryness, itching, and dandruff. Alcohol and salts can also cause irritations.
To see if your condition is caused by one or a combination of the abovementioned foods, try cutting your consumption and drink lots of fluids to hydrate your body.
4. Frequent Shampooing
Harsh ingredients in shampoos can strip the scalp of its natural oils and leave it feeling dry.
It’s best to shampoo your hair every other day with warm water and use shampoos that are gently formulated for dry hair.
Additionally, limit the use of heat-producing styling tools such as hair dryers and curling or straightening irons so the hair can make a full recovery.
Ingredients To Look For In The Best Scalp Moisturizers
Scalp moisturizers containing tar are useful in treating dry scalps.
Tar has garnered a reputation for being the best home remedy for dandruff for as far as we can remember.
However, tar can cause follicle inflammations in people with sensitive scalps.
On the other hand, chemical ingredients such as zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, salicylic acid, and ketoconazole can effectively reduce and eliminate dandruff.
These compounds fight off fungus-causing dandruff and remove dead skin cells that build up and flake over time.
Herbal oils are also excellent scalp moisturizers. Tea tree oil, jojoba oil, and coconut oil are the frequently used ingredients in the best scalp moisturizers.
Jojoba oil is capable of cleansing and moisturizing the hair without leaving any residues that can clog the follicles. It also promotes hair growth and protects hair strands from breaking and drying up.
Tea tree oil has antifungal properties that kill bacteria and dandruff-causing fungi without drying the scalp. It also has soothing benefits to the scalp.
Coconut oil is another excellent component of scalp moisturizers that imparts a ton of benefits to the hair.
The vitamins and fatty acids present in coconut oil remove sebum buildup that clogs hair follicles. It also nourishes the scalp.
Most importantly, coconut oil is comprised of smaller fatty acid chains that penetrate the scalp deeper and faster compared to other hair conditioners.
The oil has also been proven to treat split ends, defeat dandruff, stimulate hair growth, and it also helps hair color appear more vibrant.
You can massage these oils directly into your scalp, but be warned that too much application can clog your hair follicles.
It’s best to apply scalp moisturizers that contain a mixed concentration of oils and other conditioning ingredients to maximize their combined benefits.
Product Reviews: Our Top 5 Best Scalp Moisturizers
Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Hair and Body Moisturizer
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The Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Hair and Body Moisturizer is the ultimate skin and hair thirst quencher that is the talk of hair stylists at top salons, making it our top pick for the best scalp moisturizer.
This fantastic product hydrates and moisturizes from head to toe. It’s suitable for all hair and scalp types, but it targets dry scalps.
Wheat-derived conditioners and jojoba oil are the primary moisturizing ingredients of this leave-in conditioner that brilliantly moisturizes and protects the hair.
Wheat proteins derived from hydrolysed wheat are great hair and scalp moisturizers.
These proteins easily penetrate the hair shaft where it attracts and retains moisture, resulting in a shiny and glossy hair.
It also softens the hair to make it more manageable – the key to a great hair day every single day.
While wheat proteins beautify the hair, jojoba oil nourishes the hair with Vitamin E and fatty acids.
Jojoba oil takes on the natural hair sebum’s job of keeping our scalps moisturized thus improving the health of hair follicles which anchor the hair to the scalp.
This wonder oil also cleanses the scalp by dislodging clogs from the follicles. It also has anti-microbial properties to curb any irritation and fight off flaking and dandruff.
A great thing about this product is it smells amazing - the unique combination of lavender, tea tree oil, and peppermint creates a refreshing fragrance experience.
Tea tree oil doesn’t only give off a pleasing scent, but it also encourages hair growth by unclogging follicles and nourishing the roots.
Some people mix several drops of tea tree oil to their hair care products to achieve a thicker and volumized hair.
Furthermore, this oil fights fungus-causing dandruff and conditions the hair to prevent flaking.
To use this conditioner, simply apply a small amount to damp hair. We have to admit that we loved this moisturizer from the start.
After three days of applying this on our hairs, it did impart a shiny appearance to our once dull locks, and it did a great job in taming straying gray hairs. People also kept telling us how great our hair smells!
This product may also work for men who want a chemical-free alternative to hair gels that can hold the hair in shape.
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Pantene Pro-V Truly Relaxed Hair Moisturizer
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The Pantene Pro-V Truly Relaxed Hair Moisturizer addresses relaxed hair and scalp irritations, making it one of the best scalp moisturizers.
The hair is a woman’s crowning glory. We even spend half an hour every morning on ironing and curling our hair to finish our look for the day.
Spending time on ironing (and burning your finger on the hot plate) takes a lot of patience and effort that’s why some women opt to have their hair relaxed for straight tresses that stay intact.
However, if hair is not properly moisturized after a relaxing process, it can turn brittle, thin out, break, and may cause scalp sores.
This moisturizer is gentle enough for relaxed and color-treated hair. It also locks in moisture in the hair for as long as 72 hours.
Among its hair-comforting ingredients are glycerin, petrolatum, jojoba oil, and coconut oil.
Glycerin and petrolatum are known humectants in skin moisturizers. Humectants work to retain water in skins and scalps to make them hydrated longer.
On the other hand, jojoba and coconut oils cleanse, moisturize, nourish, and keep scalp and hair strands healthy and strong.
One of our colleagues who chopped her hair and had it relaxed a year ago tried this product.
She claims that it’s a decent moisturizer because it made her hair felt moisturized even after she missed application for two days. Also, it tamed the frizziness of her hair.
However, too much of this product may weigh the hair down, so it’s best to use just small amounts.
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Head and Shoulders Dry Scalp Treatment Hair Moisturizer
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Put an end to dandruff-infested scalp with the Head and Shoulders Dry Scalp Treatment Moisturizer.
Head and Shoulders have been dominating the hair care industry with their dandruff-defying products.
But will this one make the cut?
This moisturizer is meant to eliminate dandruff in less than two weeks by gently massaging it into the hair and rinsing it after two minutes.
Pyrithione zinc (ZPT) is the most active ingredient of this product. It addresses the visible signs of scalp inflammation and dandruff.
While salicylic acid and coal tar are effective in controlling dandruff and irritations, they can’t completely eradicate the cause of dandruff, unlike ZPT.
ZPT is a better long-term solution in reducing dandruff by preventing the formation of scalp irritants and unclogging follicles.
This moisturizer also uses Sodium Laureth Sulfate to cleanse the scalp and Glycol Distearate to condition the scalp gently.
We tried this product and experienced no adverse effects. It has a creamy consistency and quickly spreads into the head.
Like other scalp moisturizers, you can feel how soft your hair turned out after rinsing. Also, it did a great job in reducing the flaking and itchiness on our scalps.
One of us who has long curly hair loved this moisturizer because it didn’t weigh her curls down or made it look limp, just like what most moisturizers do.
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High Time Dare To Be Bald Scalp Moisturizer
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Apply liberally if you want an intense shine.
Ingrown hairs and razor bumps are usually encountered when the razor shaves too close to the head. They can sometimes form boil-like sores and are very itchy.
This moisturizer protects the scalp against flaking and ingrown hairs by combining sunscreen with conditioning agents.
Capric triglycerides, mineral oil, and tea tree oil make up a significant fraction of the conditioning agents of this product.
Capric triglycerides are derived from coconut oil and glycerin.
We’re quite familiar with how moisturizing coconut oil and glycerine are. But with both compounds combined into one, the result is a potent moisturizing agent in the form of capric triglyceride.The second moisturizing ingredient is mineral oil. It is derived from liquid petroleum and is often used in hair care products.
Mineral oil’s job is to secure moisture by preventing moisture from evaporating. It also adds shine and eliminates frizz.
On the contrary, tea tree oil cleanses and unclogs follicles, nourishes dry scalp, and fights dandruff.
To see if this product works, we tried it on men with shaved heads. It turns out that they also use scalp moisturizers to maintain their hairs, so we suggested they switch to this one.
They seemed satisfied enough with this product after a week-long use because it made their shaved heads shiny, smooth, and soft.
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Nioxin Scalp Recovery Soothing Scalp Moisturizer
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Among its ingredients are green tea extract and castor oil which can boost hair growth and create lustrous hair.
Medical research also revealed that green tea extract is a potent solution for hair loss among men and women.
The extract contains catechins that may drastically reduce the enzyme responsible for hair loss.
If green tea extract can reduce hair loss, castor oil can moisturize dry scalp and treat hair thinning and split ends.
This scalp moisturizer not only improves scalp and hair health but also eliminates dandruff through the action of pyrithione zinc.This moisturizer is also designed with sulfate free blends and is safe for hair that has been colored and or permed.
Our friend who was suffering from seborrheic dermatitis tried this product.
Her scalp turns itchy and dry especially with the constant changing of the weather. When she runs her fingers through her hair, she gets a shower of flakes.
Upon trying this moisturizer, she felt an instant soothing relief from the itchiness and reduced flare ups.
A great thing about this product is you can even put a small amount on your hair without ruining your hairstyle.
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The Bottom Line
The best scalp moisturizers are meant to moisturize, condition, nourish, and eliminate dandruff, flaking, and seborrheic psoriasis.
The best products should be capable of doing all the things mentioned by combining the most potent ingredients for treating and conditioning the scalp.
One such scalp moisturizer that can get the job done is the Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Hair and Body Moisturizer.
It’s our top pick for the best scalp moisturizer because it moisturizes and protects the scalp as well as the skin.
It’s suitable for all hair and scalp types, but it’s made to target dry scalps. It comes in the form of a creamy leave-in conditioner that doesn’t need any rinsing. Another great thing about this product is it smells amazing!
This scalp moisturizer, along with the other products on this list, may help you get a clean and healthy scalp, which may result in strong, thick, shiny, and hair.
