The Best Scalp Care Routine for Men, According to Grooming Editors

LIKE MOST GUYS, I would treat my scalp like it was just the thing my hair grew out of. Whatever shampoo and conditioner was in the shower went on it (for me that’s curly-hair specific), and that was the routine. But after spending some time on the internet and listening to dermatologists, it became clear that I was missing an obvious point: our scalps are made of skin. It’s the same organ as a face, yet it produces more oil than almost anywhere else on the body, and I was giving it less thought than I gave my elbows.

Not to apologize on behalf of myself and the many men out there who thought the same as I did, but there are a lot of misconceptions that may have led to the dismissal of proper scalp care. The big one is wash frequency, as over-washing is often associated with the idea that it might strip your natural oils.

But when researchers tested this in two studies published in Skin Appendage Disorders, higher wash frequency came out both objectively better and subjectively preferred, and they concluded that worries about “over-cleaning” were unfounded on both counts. Obviously, this is more of a “to each their own” situation, because those of us with curly hair may still wash a little less than those with straight hair. Still, washing more often across the board has been shown to reduce flaking and irritation.

Below, Men’s Health editors and I broke the routine down by product type, and in the order I use each one. For each category, I’ve laid out what the product actually does, the ingredients to look for on the label, and the specific picks that have earned their spot in my shower and skincare routine.

Best Scalp Scrubs and Pre-Wash Treatments

This is the step a lot of guys have never heard of or cared about (including me at one time), and it’s the one that changed things the fastest for me. A pre-wash treatment goes on dry hair before you turn the water on, which is the entire point, as it carries a higher concentration of actives than a shampoo does, and it gets to sit there working instead of sliding down the drain in ninety seconds.

In these, salicylic acid is the ingredient to look for, since it’s oil-soluble and gets into the follicle rather than sitting on top of it. Piroctone olamine and zinc PCA are both worth looking for on a label, too.

Harry’s Scalp Scrub is where I’d start most guys, as it’s fragrance-free, relatively affordable, and gentle enough that you won’t feel uncomfortable using it. The Ordinary’s Salicylic Acid 2% Anhydrous Solution is the pick if you’d rather have the acid than the grit; it’s completely free of abrasives.

Briogeo’s Scalp Revival treatment is the splurge, and it’s the one I reach for when I’ve been wearing a hat all week. Whatever you pick: once a week, full stop. Doing this daily is how you end up irritated and convinced scalp care is nonsense.

Best Dandruff Shampoos

Just so everyone is on the same page, dandruff is not a hygiene problem. Seborrheic dermatitis and its milder relative stem from a tangle of oil gland activity, skin barrier dysfunction, and overgrowth of Malassezia, a yeast that lives on everyone’s skin. Dandruff is the version that stays on the scalp, flaking and itching without visible inflammation, while seborrheic dermatitis adds redness and swelling to the scale. You could shower six times a day and still have it.

What actually does the work is the active ingredient, and each one attacks the problem from a different angle. Ketoconazole is an antifungal; it targets the yeast directly, making it the heavy hitter when things are inflamed and stubborn. Zinc pyrithione also slows the yeast down but does it more gently, and it helps keep oil production in check, so it’s the one you use to stay ahead of a flare rather than to put one out.

Salicylic acid isn’t fighting the yeast at all; it dissolves the glue holding dead skin cells together, so it’s what you want when the issue is thick, crusty scale rather than itch. Selenium sulfide does double duty, slowing yeast while also telling your skin to stop shedding cells so quickly.

Nizoral A-D is the ketoconazole option you can buy without a prescription, and it’s what I use during flare-ups. Worth knowing: the drugstore version is 1%; 2% is prescription-strength in the U.S., so talk to a dermatologist if the OTC one isn’t cutting it.

Head & Shoulders Clinical Strength is the zinc pyrithione pick and the better choice for steady maintenance, since it’s gentler week over week. Neutrogena T/Sal is salicylic acid and belongs in your rotation if your problem is thick, stubborn scale. Selsun Blue rounds it out with selenium sulfide, which suits oilier scalps.

Best Everyday Shampoos

On the days in between, some of you might want to wash anyway. This is where that research from the intro cashes out: your scalp is dense with oil glands, and what they produce doesn’t sit there inertly waiting to nourish your hair. It oxidizes and accumulates, which is what causes the irritation people blame on shampoo.

What you want is mild, and a better-formulated, gentler shampoo used often beats a harsh one used rarely, so look for a shorter list of surfactants and skip anything that promises a squeaky-clean feeling, because that feeling is the problem.

Vanicream Free & Clear is my default, and it’s the one I recommend to anyone with a scalp that gets angry easily. Jack Black True Volume is the better-smelling option if you want your shower to feel less clinical. Baxter of California’s daily shampoo is the one I keep in a gym bag. Work it into the scalp with your fingertips rather than your nails to reach all aspects of the hair.

Best Scalp Sunscreens

This step may seem silly to some, but it’s definitely important, so stick with me. Sunscreen for the scalp is important because the skin on your head is just as vulnerable to ultraviolet (UV) damage, painful sunburns, premature aging, and dangerous skin cancers like melanoma as the rest of your body.

The format matters more than the SPF number, because the only scalp sunscreen that works is the one you’ll actually use. Supergoop’s Poof Part Powder is zinc-based and applies like dry shampoo, which means it takes four seconds and doesn’t wreck your hair.

Sun Bum’s Scalp and Hair Mist covers ground faster and is the better call for a shaved head. EltaMD’s UV AOX Mist is the dermatologist-office pick if you want to spend up. A brimmed hat handles the rest, and it’s worth asking whoever cuts your hair to flag anything up there that looks off.

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