16 Best Scalp Treatments to Relieve Dryness, Flaking, and Itching

Key Ingredients: Sunflower oil, baobab oil, basil leaf root | Who It's For: All hair and scalp types, especially oily scalps

Best Spray: Briogeo Scalp Revival Detox Spray

Why It's Worth It: The Briogeo Scalp Revival Detox Spray functions like an exfoliating toner for the skin on your head, clearing pre-wash buildup and allowing the rest of your hair care routine to be more effective (dry shampoo users, we're looking at you). Like most products under the brand's Scalp Revival line, this treatment employs a combination of sebum-absorbing charcoal and antibacterial tea tree oil—in addition to a triple-acid blend of AHA, BHA, and PHA (specifically lactic acid, salicylic acid, and gluconolactone).

Editor Tip: Spray the treatment on and let it do its thing for 15 minutes before you hop in the shower.

Key Ingredients: Charcoal, tea tree oil, salicylic acid, lactic acid, gluconolactone, peppermint oil | Who It's For: All hair and scalp types, especially oily scalps

Best Scalp Tonic: Drybar Crown Tonic Pre-Shampoo Scalp-Balancing Cleanser

Why It's Worth It: Say “so long” to scalp buildup with this 2023 Best of Beauty winner. The Drybar Crown Tonic Pre-Shampoo Scalp-Balancing Cleanser is spiked with alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids to lift dead skin cells and days' worth of dry shampoo without drying your scalp. Mango leaf extract balances excess sebum, and a fragrant blend of ginger, mint, and sandalwood smells fantastic in and out of the shower.

Editor Tip: We love the scrubby applicator, which practically eliminates the need for a scalp massager—particularly helpful if you have thick, curly hair. Squeeze a bit of product onto your scalp and gently massage the applicator to work the product in.

Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, salicylic acid, niacinamide | Who It's For: All hair and scalp types

Best Cooling Scalp Treatment: Aveda Scalp Solutions Exfoliating Treatment

Why It’s Worth It: James Y. Wang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based at Metropolis Dermatology in Los Angeles calls the Aveda Scalp Solutions Exfoliating Treatment one of the best products for flaky scalps. This pre-cleanser mask’s main ingredient is salicylic acid, which exfoliates oily scalps and rids them of dead skin, product buildup, and excess sebum. “This scalp treatment feels luxurious and the cooling gel helps calm inflammation, making the application something to look forward to,” says Dr. Wang.

Editor Tip: If your hair is braided or in a protective style, apply the treatment between the partings, focusing on the scalp.

Key Ingredients: Salicylic acid, Centella asiatica (cica) extract, menthol | Who It’s For: Oily hair and scalps

Best for Mature Hair: Arey To The Root Serum

Why It's Worth It: Got grays? Hair loss here and there? Another age-related hair concern you never saw coming? The Arey To The Root Serum sees you, feels you, and can do something about it. This formula works to deliver fuller hair while re-pigmenting gray strands and patches as they grow. You can thank panthenol for boosting volume, the brand's proprietary peptide for slowing gray growth, and straight-to-the-scalp nourishment from wasabi, ginseng, and soybean extracts.

Editor Tip: If you have over 30% grey hair (Arey can explain what this looks like), the serum might not re-pigment your hair. Still, it can help with other concerns related to maturing hair like dryness and coarseness.

Key Ingredients: Panthenol, ginseng root extract, hops flower extract | Who It's For: Mature, graying hair

Best Scalp Scrub: Ouai Scalp and Body Scrub

Why It's Worth It: The 2021 Best of Beauty Award-winning Ouai Scalp and Body Scrub is working overtime, and frankly? Thank goodness. You can use this sugar-crystal scrub on your scalp and body to buff off dirt and flakiness while imparting a nourishing blend of panthenol, glycerin, and coconut oil. The scrub is fragranced with the brand's signature Melrose Place scent, which consists of rose, bergamot, lychee, cedarwood, and white musk. Yum.

Editor Tip: Once you fall in love with the scrub's scent, pick up an eau de parfum version of Melrose Place to tie your whole vibe together.

Key Ingredients: Sugar, panthenol, glycerin, coconut oil | Who It's For: Product buildup, thick hair, curls, and coils

Best Overnight Treatment: Kérastase Symbiose Anti-Dandruff Night Serum

Why It's Worth It: Dr. Wang gives the Kérastase Symbiose Anti-Dandruff Night Serum his seal of approval for its active ingredients that minimize irritation and cleanse the scalp overnight. He notes that the specialized serum uses a combination of gentle acids, like salicylic acid, as an exfoliating scalp treatment. What else? “Piroctone olamine decreases yeast that can build up on the skin,” he explains. “It helps to decrease inflammation and dandruff while allowing healthy hair to grow.” Talk about maximizing your beauty sleep.

Editor Tip: Seal the deal (and the serum) by putting your hair in a top knot or braid before you nod off.

Key Ingredients: Salicylic acid, piroctone olamine, castor oil | Who It's For: Dry, irritated scalps with dandruff

Best for Dandruff: Living Proof Scalp Care Dry Scalp Treatment

Why It's Worth It: Living Proof's soothing, anti-itch formula employs a vitamin B3-based microbiome balancing complex and hyaluronic acid-based molecular patch (a.k.a. a localized treatment system) to hydrate and relieve irritation. Complete with a slim nozzle that allows you to concentrate on dry areas, Restore Dry Scalp Treatment is a non-rinse treatment, so thoroughly massage it into your scalp after you wash and towel dry your hair up to three times a week.

Editor Tip: The Scalp Care Dry Scalp Treatment takes four weeks to produce noticeable results, so don't quit if you don't notice a difference on day two.

Key Ingredients: Yeast proteins, zinc salts, peptides, jojoba esters, hyaluronic acid | Who It's For: Dry scalps and hair

Best Splurge: Sisley Hair Rituel Revitalizing Fortifying Serum

Why It's Worth It: Powered by a fortifying vitalizing complex (zinc, copper, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin E acetate, pro-vitamin B5), the Sisley Hair Rituel Revitalizing Fortifying Serum is nongreasy, super lightweight, and targets the lower part of the hair follicle to keep hair anchored and healthy. Start your treatment by using the serum every two days for a month before upgrading to twice a week indefinitely (or whenever you want to pause).

Editor Tip: For a creamier option, try the Sisley Hair Rituel Pre-Shampoo Purifying Mask, which uses white clay to purify the scalp to keep your hair cleaner longer.

Key Ingredients: Fortifiyiing Vitalizing Complex, rice protein, vitamin peptide, elkhorn wheat extract | Who It's For: People with scalp discomfort

Best Affordable: The Inkey List Glycolic Acid Scalp Scrub

Why It's Worth It: The Inkey List's range of affordable skin-care products doesn't stop at your forehead. Meet the Glycolic Acid Scalp Scrub, a TikTok-approved, fragrance-free, lightweight serum that gently exfoliates dry flakes, minimizes itchiness, and balances oil production. Use it once or twice a week pre-shower, allowing it to rest for 10 minutes before you wash it out. If you're pairing this scrub with a salicylic scalp product (say, The Inkey List's Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment), alternate between the two to avoid over-exfoliation.

Editor Tip: New to scalp care? The Inkey List offers a quiz to help you build your ideal hair and scalp routine by answering key questions.

Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, Symcontrol Scalp, glycerin, castor beads, lactic acid | Who It's For: Anyone who wants to target scalp buildup

Best Scalp Oil: Moroccanoil Dry Scalp Treatment

Why It's Worth It: Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, says that her favorite ingredients for scalp treatments include argan oil, antioxidants like vitamin E, and fatty acids. "They repair the scalp barrier while hydrating simultaneously," she explains. Moroccanoil Dry Scalp Treatment checks all her boxes and contains salicylic acid to slough away any irritation-causing buildup.

Editor Tip: Beyond exfoliating your scalp, argan oil will also smooth frizz and leave your hair feeling sleek—especially if you have curls and coils.

Key Ingredients: Salicylic acid, argan oil, geranium oil | Who It's For: Dry hair and scalp

Best pH-Balancing Scalp Serum: dpHue ACV Daily Scalp Serum

Why It's Worth It: Apple cider vinegar does the heavy lifting in DpHue's ACV Daily Scalp Serum, but it's not the only powerful ingredient in this little bottle. If you need a refresher, apple cider vinegar is rich in antibacterial properties that help “promote a healthy scalp by [targeting] dead skin cells that contribute to dandruff,” Brendan Camp, MD, a double board-certified dermatologist based in New York City, previously explained. What's more: Apple cider vinegar “helps seal the hair cuticles, maintains hair color, increases shine, reduces frizz, [and] can soften and strengthen the hair shaft,” Jaimie DeRosa, a double board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of DeRosa Center adds.

While the vinegar balances your scalp's pH and gently exfoliates, hyaluronic acid moisturizes dry areas and mitigates irritation. Maca root and apple stem cells swoop in to promote healthy hair growth and retention.

Editor Tip: This 2022 Best of Beauty winner also works to curb excess shedding—a bonus if you're always fishing hair out of your drain.

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, maca root, apple cider vinegar, apple stem cells | Who It's For: All hair and scalp types

Editor-Favorite Scalp Treatment: Squigs Gooseberry Delight Hair Oil

Why It's Worth It: Squigs' Gooseberry Delight Hair Oil won a 2023 Best of Beauty award and earned a rave review from former beauty and wellness editor, Taylor Glynn. "My hair looked strong and reflective, and there was no heaviness or greasiness leftover whatsoever," Glynn said of using the oil. The formula is a nod to founder Nikita Charuza's family tradition of hair oiling, a South Asian practice of treating the scalp and hair with a nourishing oil blend. Here, vitamin-rich Amla oil—derived from the gooseberry plant—imparts vitamins C and E, and hydrating antioxidants. Always lightweight, and always soothing, this oil has our hearts.

Editor Tip: Charuza says that if you want to use the oil for styling rather than a full-out treatment, just apply from your mid-length and work down to the ends.

Key Ingredients: Amla extract, coconut oil, apricot oil, kalonji oil | Who It's For: Everyone

Best for Sensitive Scalps: Fable & Mane SahaScalp Amla Soothing Serum

Why It's Worth It: Fable & Mane is shaking up the hair-care industry with Ayurvedic-inspired products that soften and nourish hair. SahaScalp Amla Soothing Serum is a weightless oil-serum that can be applied and massaged onto a dry scalp every two weeks right before bed. (One full dropper is perfect for thick hair, while fine hair can benefit from just a few drops.) While vitamin C is well-known to be a skin-brightening ingredient, it has a multitude of benefits for your hair—namely, “It's rich in vitamins C and E, as well as antioxidants making it both nourishing and hydrating for the scalp,” Audrey Kunin, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Kansas City, Missouri, previously told Allure. “These vitamins help fight free radical damage, support healthy scalp skin…[and has] both calming and antiseptic benefits,” Dr. Kunin adds.

Editor Tip: If you're short on time, or prefer not to leave oils in your hair overnight, all you need is at least five minutes before you rinse out the treatment. However, the brand recommends leaving SahaScalp in overnight for best results—just make sure you focus on dry areas, properly massage in the formula, and then rinse thoroughly before shampooing.

Key Ingredients: Amla, bakuchi, aloe, jojoba oil, rosemary leaf extract | Who It's For: All scalp and hair types

Best-Smelling Scalp Treatment: René Furterer Paris Complexe 5 Stimulating Plant Concentrate

Why It’s Worth It: Los Angeles-based stylist Carla Zuniga enjoys the René Furterer Paris Complexe 5 Stimulating Plant Concentrate, a pre-shampoo treatment to heal dry, itchy, and flaky scalps. “It’s applied after the scalp has been exfoliated, and then the treatment [helps] cleanse and purify the scalp,” Zuniga says. “My clients who have tried it say it does help soothe any irritation they had.” The applicator is also super easy to use, gliding right along your part.

Editor Tip: If you love filling your beauty shelf with divinely scented products, this treatment, which is lightly fragranced with orange and lavender essential oils, makes your hair smell heavenly.

Key Ingredients: Castor seed oil, lavender oil, orange peel oil | Who It’s For: Product build-up, itchy scalps

Best 2-In-1: Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub

Why It's Worth It: Somewhere between a spa-level scalp treatment and a shampoo is the Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub, which uses sea salt crystals to exfoliate and a natural carbohydrate complex to hydrate. You can use it weekly, massaging into the scalp and the nape of the neck, followed by a thorough rinse and conditioning. It's best for people with sensitive and oily scalps, but everyone can benefit from an occasional scrub.

Editor Tip: The brand suggests applying a tablespoon of the scrub right after rinsing out a chemical colorant to relieve itchiness and remove any chemical residue.

Key Ingredients: Salt, almond oil, bisabolol, citric acid | Who It's For: Sensitive, oily scalps

Frequently Asked Questions

“Many people don’t realize that the scalp is an extension of your skin,” Margarita Lolis, MD, board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in Hackensack, New Jersey, previously told Allure. “Just like we use serums to help keep our face glowing, they can also be used on the scalp.” Like skin care, cleansing your scalp of dirt and debris and keeping it hydrated prevents painful inflammation and helps create a better environment for healthy hair growth, explained Joshua Zeichner, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist.

“It is important to not over-treat the scalp, which in turn causes inflammation and more flaking.” For dehydrated scalp skin, Dr. Wang suggests a mild, fragrance-free oil-based serum. “With that being said, overusing oil-based serums can cause yeast to overgrow, so everything should be used in moderation,” he says. “It is important to not over-treat the scalp, which in turn causes inflammation and more flaking.”

Different scalp treatments target different concerns, Dr. Wang previously explained. “A sebaceous and oily scalp can benefit from mild exfoliants, such as glycolic acid or ketoconazole,” said Dr. Wang. If you’re looking to treat or stave off hair loss, Dr. Lolis recommended ingredients like ginkgo biloba, emu oil, and green tree extracts. “They inhibit 5-alpha reductase, a key enzyme which binds to receptors on hair follicles that ultimately increase testosterone,” Dr. Wang explained. “Individuals with male and female pattern hair loss have increased 5-alpha reductase receptors leading to an increase in testosterone, which causes hair loss and hair thinning,” Dr. Wang added. On top of that, Dr. Lolis also suggested looking for products like hyaluronic acid and coconut extract that support hydration.

Of course, there are ingredients you should avoid, too. Dr. Lolis urged Allure readers to avoid parabens, sulfates, formaldehyde, and synthetic dyes, which can be rough on the scalp. “You should also look for serums that are silicone-free,” Dr. Lolis explained. “While silicones such as dimethicone are great for creating lustrous locks, the residue left by silicone-based serums on the scalp clog pores, which blocks hair follicles and increases sebum production, hair shedding, and flakiness.”

Every product has its own recommended use but there are some general rules. When it comes to scrubs, in particular, you should be conservative. Don't use a scalp scrub more than two times a week—especially if you have very oily hair. Scrubs "can strip the skin on the scalp of its natural oils and can aggravate an itchy scalp if used improperly," Jeanine Downie, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Montclair, New Jersey, previously told Allure. To maintain an already healthy scalp, Dr. Gohara recommends using sulfate-free products and reaching for moisturizing scalp oils or hair masks to soothe your scalp regularly.

There are various reasons one might need a scalp treatment, and odds are, if you're experiencing any discomfort, your head needs some help. “Some causes of dry scalp include [dead cell] buildup from products, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, and truly dry scalp skin,” Dr. Gohara tells Allure. "Some [cases] have nothing to do with what you do or put in your hair, and the others do," she adds, pointing out that irritation can stem from using hair dye, styling products (yup, even a new dry shampoo), or overwashing your hair with sulfate-based products.

Dr. Gohara says people with a history of scalp conditions like eczema or psoriasis are also more likely to experience flakes. She recommends making an appointment with your board-certified dermatologist to determine whether your dry scalp is caused by a skin condition. Your dermatologist can provide you with a customized treatment plan and personalized advice.

• James Y. Wang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based at Metropolis Dermatology in Los Angeles, CA
• Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine
• Margarita Lolis, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in Hackensack, New Jersey
• Helen Reavey, a hairstylist based in New York City and founder of Act+Acre
• Carla Zuniga, a hairstylist based in Los Angeles
• Jeanine Downie, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Montclair, New Jersey
• Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City
• Nikki Ferrara, a colorist based in New York City

We always enlist a range of testers for our makeup vertical, but hair-care products and tools are another story. While there are certainly products that can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and needs, hair products are often created with specific consumers in mind. Many are created in order to address a concern (dandruff, breakage, brittleness) or to work most effectively for a specific hair type (4C curls, wavy hair, gray hair). You wouldn’t want to pick up a purple shampoo that’s only been reviewed by someone with, say, auburn hair, or a diffuser that’s never been tested by anyone with curls—right?

For our review of the best scalp treatments, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, hairstylists, and board-certified dermatologists—who have experience with a variety of hair types and textures. Testers considered performance across four primary categories: efficacy, texture and experience, fragrance, and packaging. For more on what's involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.

After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.

Find more Allure editor-approved picks for your hair-care routine:

• These Creams Are the Way to Pillowy-Soft, Defined Curls
• 17 Best Detangler Sprays for Knot-Free Hair
• 15 Best Air-Dry Creams to Perfect Your Heatless Styles
• Every Allure Editor Has A Boar-Bristle Brush — Here's Why You Need One, Too

Done reading? Now, watch beauty mogul Huda Kattan nail her everyday glam routine.

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