Your Scalp Changes With the Seasons: Your Haircare Should Too

Courtesy of Nutrire

Who said you can't change your haircare routine like you do your skincare? If you think about it, the scalp is only an extension of the skin on our face. If we're sweaty or stressed, we might get a pimple—and we also might get an oilier scalp. As soon as the weather gets colder, our skin gets drier and so does our scalp. 

To rethink its care, I sat down with board-certified trichologist and Nutrire's Director of Sales & Education, Aga Tompkins, at the Rob Peetom salon in Brooklyn.

Under a microscope, I saw just how shiny my practically freshly washed scalp was and learned all about how to care for it (and other scalp types). So, keep scrolling so you can too. 

• Start with a chemical exfoliator and a nutrient-rich serum: Nutrire Day & Night Duo Nourishing & Exfoliating Scalp Serums
• Treat your haircare like skincare: it can change depending on the weather, the season, your hormones, and stress levels. 
• Figure out your scalp type and get a shampoo that works: Nutrire S.3 BALANCE Shampoo for Oily Scalp, Nutrire S.1 CALM Shampoo for Dry Scalp, or Nutrire S.2 RENEW Shampoo for Normal Scalp

Treat Your Scalp Like Skin Care

The number one advice this trichologist gave us is to treat our haircare routine (specifically our scalp) like we do our skincare.

"Oftentimes we'll stick with one shampoo, one conditioner, and we use that all the way through. But when you think about skincare, you might exfoliate once a week. And sometimes you'll use these products for a few days and then switch to these and go back. You're balancing everything," Tompkins told E!. 

Use the same philosophy for your scalp. It goes through ebbs and flows, just like our skin. The goal is to get it balanced. Maybe during the summer, your scalp is more oily, and during the winter, it's drier. Change your shampoos and conditioners according to what your scalp needs, not what your lifelong diagnosed type is. 

Still, there are certain ingredients that your scalp might always need that should be part of your haircare routine. According to Tompkins, these serums are exactly that. 

Editor's Pick

Nutrire T.1 Day Nourishing Scalp Serum

Described as a daily multivitamin for your hair, this lightweight and fast-absorbing serum is formulated with tetrapeptide, red clover extract, pea sprout extract, and the brand's signature Complex8 for stronger locks, visible volume, and fewer flakes. 

Nutrire T.2 Night Exfoliating Scalp Serum

"[It] uses lactic acid and so just like your skin you don't want anything abrasive also with scalp care," Tompkins told E!. "It's great because it's just this easy liquid formulation that essentially penetrates deep into the follicles and just gently removes the buildup." 

Nutrire Day & Night Duo Nourishing & Exfoliating Scalp Serums

You can't have one without the other. This bundle includes both the day and night hair serums, the perfect starting point for a healthier and more balanced scalp. 

Hair Products to Use If You Have an Oily Scalp:

For people with an oily scalp, it's important that your shampoo truly cleanses your hair. Not just from the dirt and product buildup, but from the overproduction of oil as well. Just don't completely strip your scalp, either. That's why your shampoo should have at least some nourishing and hydrating ingredients. 

"Oily people still need to hydrate their scalp. If your scalp has no hydration in there, it's going to produce more sebum, more oil," Tompkins told E!. "That's why it's called balance, because it is giving it the hydration it needs, so that those follicles aren't so thirsty and dried out that they're like, 'Oh, we need to produce more.' Because your body tends to produce what it needs."

Nutrire S.3 BALANCE Shampoo for Oily Scalp

"The ingredients in this [shampoo] are gently taking away from the oils without completely drying them out," Tompkins told E!. It's formulated with niacinamide, lactic acid, arginine, and the brand's Complex8 blend to regulate oil production, gently exfoliate, and prevent hair breakage.

Aveda Rosemary Mint Purifying Shampoo

Best for oily hair and especially effective for fine to medium hair types, this purifying shampoo deeply cleanses and clarifies your locks with naturally derived ingredients and a rosemary mint scent. 

Neutrogena Healthy Scalp Pink Grapefruit Shampoo

This drugstore clarifying, pH-balanced shampoo promises to help remove product residue, buildup, and excess oils while preserving color and leaving your hair soft.

Hair Products to Use If You Have a Dry Scalp:

For a dry scalp, use a rich shampoo that still cleanses but gives some hydration back to your scalp. Note that just because your strands are dry or damaged, that doesn't mean your scalp is necessarily dry. Notice how your scalp acts: does it feel tight after washing it, do you get big flakes, or do you suffer from psoriasis or eczema? 

"If their scalp is dry, but then they need hydration on their strands. They're going for what their strands need instead of their scalp. And so, they're really messing it up," Tompkins told E!. 

Nutrire S.1 CALM Shampoo for Dry Scalp

The brand's Calm Shampoo is infused with PeachCalm, watermelon seed oil, and gluconolactone to reduce scalp sensitivity, soothe, improve flaky scalps, promote blood circulation, and (of course) hydrate. 

Aveeno Farm-Fresh Oat Milk Sulfate-Free Shampoo

Formulated with colloidal oatmeal and almond milk, this hydrating shampoo delivers a balanced cleanse that nourishes and soothes the scalp while leaving your locks moisturized. 

MATRIX Food For Soft Shampoo

Formulated with avocado oil and hyaluronic acid, this shampoo moisturizes and cleanses your hair while leaving it with a soft finish and extra shine. 

Hair Products to Use If You Have a Combination Scalp:

Arguably the hardest shampoo to get just right. A "normal" or combination scalp can be oily in hotter months and drier in the winter. It could also be normal during the spring and fall. This balanced scalp is the end goal of a good haircare routine. 

But the trick is that, in my experience trying (way) too many shampoos, it's the hardest formula to get right. It has to cleanse, so it can't be too hydrating. But it also has to moisturize, so it can't be too drying. In general, stick to shampoos that are marketed as "signature" shampoos for the brand. 

Editor's Pick

Nutrire S.2 RENEW Shampoo for Normal Scalp

The shampoo from Nutrire I've been using (and loving) lately. My scalp can be oily, but as a whole, it's pretty normal. This shampoo does exactly what I want it to do, washing my scalp of everything without drying it out. 

Dae Signature Shampoo

Infused with dae’s signature scent, this shampoo brings a rich lather for a gentle cleanse that tames frizz, adding strength and shine.

Amika Mirrorball High Shine + Protect Antioxidant Shampoo

Rich with antioxidants like grape leaf extract, this shampoo boosts brilliance without damaging colored locks. Plus, the notes of warm vanilla and fresh citrus is truly intoxicating.

Base Your Conditioner on Your Hair Type: 

Once you have your scalp figured out, find out what your hair type is and find a conditioner that works for your strands. After all, that's where conditioner should go to begin with. You might already know your hair type, but if you don't, we recommend asking your stylist next time you're at the salon. 

Luckily, Nutrire has a conditioner for every hair type—from fine to damaged. 

C.1 DENSIFY Conditioner for Fine Hair

The days of drying out your fine hair for the sake of volume are long gone. This conditioner is formulated with Tilia Tomentosa bud extract, avocado oil, and glycine soybean extract to increase the density of each strand, soothe frizz, and detangle hair. 

Editor's Pick

C.2 HYDRATE Conditioner For Medium Hair

If you're somewhere between fine and thick hair, this conditioner is perfect for you, with its formula of prickly pear extract, sunflower seed oil, and shea butter to hydrate and prevent breakage for glossy locks. 

C.3 QUENCH Conditioner For Thick Hair

For thick and coarse strands, this conditioner promises to deeply nourish, hydrate, and maintain shine with its formula of mango seed butter, castor seed oil, and rice bran extract. 

C.4 REPAIR Conditioner For Damaged Hair

For bleached and damaged locks, this conditioner is formulated with rice bran extract, argan oil, and watermelon seed oil to increase elasticity, deeply moisturize, add shine, and repair damage right in the follicle. 

How We Choose

The E! Insider Shop editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources, comb through customer reviews, and use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers.

As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think our readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not E!. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.