What's Your Scalp Type? Personalized Tips and Products

What's your scalp type? Pick which description best fits you, then use these tips and products to get to the root of your problems. 

Oily

• The center of your face (T-zone) gets greasy by midday. 
• Even with volumizing products, your roots limp out before the day is over. 
• You notice large, waxy flakes. 

The Strategy 
1. Shampoo and massage your scalp daily, says Marc Zollicoffer, a global educator for Aveda. 

2. An oily scalp can become prone to folliculitis (breakouts) near your period. Lather up twice in the shower during that week. 

3. If you have dandruff, use an anti-dandruff shampoo. 

The Tools 
Nature's Gate Tea Tree Calming Shampoo, $9. Phyto Phytocedrat Sebo-Regulating Shampoo, $24; beauty.com. Rene Furterer Curbicia Purifying Clay shampoo, $23; spalook.com.

Normal

• Seasonal changes make your facial skin more oily or dry, but generally it's somewhere in between. 
• Your hair doesn't look greasy or dry if you skip shampoo for a day.
• Styling products or hair treatments don't tend to irritate your scalp. 

The Strategy
1. When seasons change, adjust your shampoo. 

2. Try a monthly massage with pure jojoba oil to balance skin: Leave on 10 minutes, then wash. 

3. If you see powdery-fine flakes but don't itch, get rid of the product buildup with a weekly clarifier.

The Tools
Garnier Fructis Fortifying Daily Care Shampoo, $4; drugstore.com. John Masters Organics Herbal Cider Hair Clarifier & Color Sealer, $17. Jason Rosewater & Chamomile Normalizing Shampoo, $9.

Dry

• Your face is dry and so is your hair, from roots to ends.
• Your scalp's itchy and might have powdery-fine white flakes.
• It tingles uncomfortably when you apply certain products and hair color.

The Strategy
1. The detergents in shampoo can be drying, so shampoo every two or three days only. 

2. Massage a few drops of jojoba oil onto your scalp before bed. 

3. Use a humidifier in cooler months or a dry climate.

The Tools
Aveeno Nourish+Soothe Shampoo, $7; drugstore.com. Aubrey Organics Primrose & Lavender Scalp-Soothing Shampoo, $10; aubrey-organics.com. Bain de Terre Sugar & Fig Scalp Massage Scrub, $18.

Get more ways to care for any type of scalp.