Scalp care for textured, curly and coily hair

Most scalp advice is written with straight hair in mind: wash often, lather twice, treat dandruff with a daily medicated shampoo. If your hair is curly, coily or kinky, that routine can leave your hair dry and brittle, and it doesn’t fit how you actually care for it. The scalp underneath is the same kind of skin as anyone’s, though, so it needs a routine that works for both. Here’s what dermatologists suggest.

Why textured hair needs a different routine

Curly and coily hair is prone to dryness along its length, while the scalp underneath still makes its own oil, called sebum. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) notes that washing curly hair daily, or even weekly, can leave it dry and frizzy.

So dermatologists generally recommend washing textured hair less often. The AAD suggests washing Black hair once a week or every other week, which helps prevent a build-up of styling products that can dry hair out. For curly hair in general, the AAD suggests washing at least every two to three weeks.

Those are starting points, not rules. Your scalp will tell you if the gap is too long: itch, flakes, odour or a tight, irritated feeling mean it wants attention sooner.

Dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis on textured hair

Dandruff and its inflamed form, seborrheic dermatitis, are driven partly by a yeast called Malassezia that feeds on scalp oil. A 2024 review in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology looked specifically at seborrheic dermatitis in people with darker skin and textured hair, and found a few things worth knowing:

• It can look different. On darker skin, patches may be lighter or darker than surrounding skin rather than red, and some have ring-like shapes with little scale, so they’re easy to mistake for something else.
• It may be linked to hair loss, particularly in women.
• Standard advice doesn’t fit real routines. The review cites research finding that Black women with natural styles washed their hair about every 14 days on average, and those with braids or weaves every 18 to 32 days, far less often than the several-times-a-week antifungal shampoo schedules in many guidelines.

The review’s authors suggest doctors adapt treatment to the person, for example with leave-on treatments such as prescription ointments, oils or foams for people who don’t wash often, rather than insisting on frequent shampooing.

Using anti-dandruff shampoo without drying your hair

The AAD’s advice for coarse, curly or coily hair:

• Put the anti-dandruff shampoo on your scalp only, not the lengths, because its active ingredients can dry the hair.
• Leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing. The AAD says dandruff shampoos may need up to five to ten minutes to work.
• Use it about once a week, if your scalp tolerates it, and wash as often as you need to otherwise.
• Follow with a moisturizing shampoo or conditioner on the lengths.

Look for one of the ingredients the AAD lists: zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, ketoconazole, salicylic acid, sulfur or coal tar. You can browse hair care products to compare what’s available.

Oils, greases and the scalp

Oils and pomades are a big part of many textured-hair routines, and on the hair shaft they do real work. The AAD says a hot oil treatment adds moisture and elasticity. It suggests one twice a month for Black hair, and oil or leave-in conditioner after washing curly hair.

The scalp is another story. The 2024 review notes that natural oils can contribute to the growth of Malassezia, especially when combined with infrequent washing and tightly coiled hair. In other words, if your scalp is flaky and itchy, greasing it may be feeding the problem. That doesn’t mean giving up oils. It means aiming them at the lengths and ends and keeping heavy products off a scalp that’s already flaking. If you stop scalp oiling for a few weeks and the flakes settle, you’ve learned something useful.

Build-up is the other issue. Layers of gels, creams, butters and oils collect on the scalp between washes and can itch or flake on their own. Regular washing, even if it’s only every week or two, clears them.

Tight styles and your scalp

Braids, cornrows, locs, weaves, extensions and slicked-back ponytails are practical and protective for hair in many ways. The risk is tension. The AAD explains that styles that pull on the hair over and over can cause traction alopecia, hair loss from repeated pulling, and that it often shows first at the hairline.

Early traction alopecia can be reversed; late traction alopecia can be permanent. The AAD lists warning signs to watch for:

• Pain or stinging from a style that’s pulled tight.
• Small bumps or crusts on the scalp.
• Tenting, where the skin lifts up where the hair is pulled.
• Broken hairs or a thinning hairline.

Its tips to prevent it:

• Keep braids and styles loose, especially around the hairline.
• Switch styles often, so the same areas aren’t always under strain.
• Don’t keep braids or locs in longer than six to eight weeks, and choose thicker braids and shorter lengths.
• Choose sewn-in weaves over glued ones.
• Take a style out if it hurts.

A simple routine that works for many people

Putting the AAD’s advice together:

• Wash every one to two weeks, or more often if your scalp is itchy or flaky.
• Condition every time, focusing on the lengths.
• Use oils and leave-ins on the hair, not piled onto the scalp.
• If you have dandruff, use a medicated shampoo on the scalp only, about once a week if tolerated.
• Wear styles loose and change them up.
• Check your hairline and scalp once a month for thinning, bumps or tenderness.

When to see a doctor

See your doctor or a dermatologist if your scalp stays itchy, flaky or sore despite a medicated shampoo for about a month, if you notice patches that are lighter or darker than the skin around them, if you have bumps or pus-filled spots, or if your hairline or part is thinning. Ask for someone comfortable treating textured hair if you can; the 2024 review stresses that good care starts with a clinician who asks about your real hair routine.

The main idea: textured hair usually wants less washing, but the scalp still needs cleaning, especially if you’re flaky. Put medicated shampoo on the scalp, oils on the hair, keep styles loose, and get any thinning at the hairline looked at early, while it can still be reversed.