Healthy hair starts at the root. And when your hair is dry, brittle, and isn’t falling the way you feel that it should, it usually means your scalp is to blame. We take so much care to make sure our face is glowing with multi-step routines, but we often leave the skin of our scalp by the wayside.
Take a closer look at your scalp. Do you see dry patches, flakiness, or redness? Does it feel tight, itchy, or just straight-up uncomfortable? Although easy to ignore, these are signs pointing to scalp irritation and an unhappy scalp environment.
From climate to stress to certain skin conditions, there can be many layers that affect scalp and overall hair health. But thankfully for us, there are certain practices and products we can incorporate into our routines that help stimulate, detox, and hydrate our scalps in order to start achieving the hair goals of our dreams.
We asked content creator and beauty expert (who just so happens to be a scalp care fanatic with gorgeous hair) Helena De Lang to walk us through what scalp care means to her and how she lives by it in her day to day.
Helena De Lang is a social media and content creator specialist with Pacifica Beauty.
What is your hair type + texture?
I’d say my hair is curly medium to thick. It’s kind of, I don’t want to say dry, but because I have curly hair, if my curls aren’t fully hydrated, they’ll just kind of be their own fluffy mess. My texture is soft and fluffy, but with the right products my curls are curly. My hair becomes drier when I style it more often and especially during the winter.
What are your personal hair goals?
I’ve always wanted to have long and healthy hair, but I feel like my hair has only really ever grown midway down my back. I don’t know if it has to do with hair type, texture, or thickness, but not everyone’s hair grows the same. I think it’s important to accept how your hair is when it’s healthy. Since my most recent haircut, my goals are restoring and reparative care. I haven’t used heat once since the chop and I’ve been doing scalp care and hydrating treatments, which help me accept and just enjoy my hair. Since, my curls have been sitting from root to end.
Do you notice your hair change or grow differently with the seasons?
I think it does, mainly because with less moisture being in the air, I don’t think my hair is really sitting as it should. In winter my hair gets way more dry and I need to apply more products and wash my hair less. My hair is constantly getting tangled, and I have to comb it through or just put it up. I’ve kind of only been slicking it back or doing smaller styles, and of course all things heatless. I definitely experience hair fall the most during the wintertime. I can run my fingers through my hair and out comes a couple strands, which is not normal for me in other seasons. Because of the weather, I’m upping hydration all the time. I’m using more oils and leave-ins, my favorite being the Coco Bond Leave-In Mask and Coco Bond Oil. I’ve also been trying our new 11-in-1 Magical Leave-In Treatment which immediately hydrates. If I’m noticing really obvious dryness, I apply hydrating to the roots where it really stems from, instead of just on the ends. Making sure my scalp is really hydrated is the main thing. I could put as many treatments in my hair as I want, but if it’s not doing anything up here in my scalp, it’s not going to make a big difference.
What does healthy, happy hair look like to you?
100% from the scalp. Scalp care for me was the biggest shift. Growing up, I’d over-heat and over-style and I didn’t have a selfcare routine at all, really. I would damage my hair until it was at its breaking point, then I would have to chop it all off. I didn’t pay attention to what my hair truly needed. I had to start thinking deeper about how to treat the root of my hair, my scalp, instead of smothering and over-styling it with all these secondary products.
I didn’t realize how clogged my scalp was until I started exfoliating and finding the right products that targeted my concerns. My hair didn’t start to grow until I incorporated scalp care, especially with the Clarifying Scalp Massager or just anything Rosemary Purify. You can really feel that tingling sensation. There’s something about the invigorating effect, it just wakes up your scalp. After that, I feel like I’m in a normal flow again and that my scalp can breathe.
At Pacifica we love the phrase scalp care is skincare. Could you tell me a little about how you live by this in your am + pm routines?
I feel like scalp care is an underrated gateway into hair care. Working at Pacifica, I’m always trying different products for content, and I didn’t even know much about scalp care until I discovered Scalp Love. This is coming from someone who loves all things beauty, but with scalp care, I would have never known until I tried it. I first started with the Scalp Love Rosemary Mint Scalp Serum and the Clarifying Scalp Massager before I started using the entire line. Once I saw the massager and the serum go hand in hand, it was so self-explanatory and it’s such an easy step in my hair care routine.
I think finding a routine a hair care routine that works best for you according to your needs is probably the best gift to your hair. Because 1) you’re finding how far your hair is willing to go and 2) you’re just maintaining its health. And hair health is beautiful! Don’t be afraid to try what works for you, even if it’s out of the box.
Do you have a simplified routine for when time is tight?
I can vouch for Scalp Love Rosemary Mint Serum being great to use on a daily routine for healthy hair and I incorporate it in both treatment routines and my dry styles. It’s really a 2-1 that both hydrates and styles. I love that it’s clear, and my scalp just absorbs it like a leave-in. The Clarifying Scalp Massager will really lift my hair and give it volume, and then the serum sleeks it back like a gel. It’s so nice for hair types like mine because I feel like my hair absorb a lot of it without feeling heavy, oily, and uneven. When I’m doing a slicked back style, it’s the only product that I want to use.
Other than styling, my more regular treatment routine starts with a gentle brush through. Then in the shower I use my Coco Peptide Shampoo and Conditioner which really bring my hair back to life. Then, I always use the Clarifying Scalp Massager, taking my time and applying gentle pressure. Once I know everything is exfoliated, I rinse. After the shower, I’ll put on some of the Coco Bond Damage Care Leave-in Mask throughout the bottom of my hair and then massage in the scalp serum Scalp Love Rosemary Mint Serum with my fingertips, and style for the day or air dry before bed. This routine is definitely more incorporated into my week and I’ll do this pretty regularly.
Do you have a more deluxe routine for when your scalp + hair need a little extra love?
Realistically, I’ll do this once a week and it’s always on the weekend when I have the time.
- I’ll do the massager + serum combo before I shower
- Then, sometimes I swap my shampoo and condition for the Hydrating Scalp Smoothing. I keep it in my shower and I use it when my scalp is really dry. I almost use it as a shampoo conditioner hybrid because it feels like I’m treating and nourishing it at the same time. I’ll use a generous amount, and apply it all throughout my scalp, taking my time while massaging with my massage tool. This treatments sits the longest in the shower, about 7 minutes. I can run my fingers through and it gives me that hydrated silky slip.
- While my hair is still wet after the shower, I’ll use Coco Bond Oil all throughout my scalp and Coco Bond Leave-in Mask on my tips to seal in hydration pre-drying so that the products penetrate deeper.
Your hair is thick and full. Do you have a special hack for thicker hair?
I think product absorption is really important. Having thicker hair, I like to know that my products are really working deep enough. Just by stimulating my scalp with the massager tool can really help the hair product sit properly and seal-in hydration. For treatments, I try to always apply products on damp hair because my strands act like sponges while airdrying. It helps to really add that extra push in hydration absorption.
How do you make your hair + scalp-care routines an enjoyable, self-love experience?
Well I love selfcare, especially in the comfort of my home because it’s easy and I’m a cancer! Even if I’m just combing through my hair, any moment where I can take my time is relaxing to me. This is usually at night when I’m unwinding. I like to let my skincare sit as I work on my hair, knowing I’m taking intentional care of myself. A quick leave-in and scalp massage, even that is a part of selfcare. They’re so easy and simple and I feel so good afterwards. When I have a full day for selfcare, usually on a weekend, there really isn’t a time limit. The longer the better. It’s kind of the one time I get to check in with myself. I love being surrounded by scent, so I’ll light a candle and just get in my zone. I’ll spritz one of our Moon Moods to get the juices flowing and set the ambience, Silver Moon is the one I’ve been spraying the most.
Why do you chose Pacifica for your scalp and hair products?
I count on these products because I know they’re trustworthy, easy to use, and interchangeable in my routine. I’ve tried other brands and some that are more expensive or trending, but Pacifica does something for me that no other brand does. I can rely on them to restore my hair and make it look alive, and for the cost, it’s insane. Every hair type is different. Sometimes our hair has way better days than others. Sometimes I use less, more, or a different hair product depending, but always using Pacifica is the most important part for me. I love the brand, and how I feel while I wear them drives me to use them everyday.
Finally, what do Rosemary Purify + Scalp Love smell like to you? How does their scent make you feel?
They make me feel refreshed, clean, like I found purpose in my hair again, knowing the journey it’s been through, that I know what works for it, and that I now know how to take care of it. Now that I’ve built this healthy routine for my hair, I want to stick with it. It makes me feel this momentus uplilfting feeling. Just refreshed and brought back to life! I mean it really does. Anything with herbal smells, rosemary, just feels so reviving. To me, it’s a product that everyone should have, like everyone. There’s really nothing to lose, only good things to gain.
