Your scalp is literally the foundation of your hair. If that foundation gets out of balance, you'll often feel it sooner than you think. One day everything seems fine, and then suddenly there's an itch that pulls your focus away. Or your hair gets greasy so quickly that you'd rather step back into the shower. Maybe you see flakes on a dark sweater, or your scalp feels tight and sensitive after washing.
This blog will help you not only recognize your scalp type, but more importantly, understand why it happens and what you can do today to soothe your scalp again.
As a curly hair specialist, I see all kinds of scalps up close in my basin every day. I've translated that experience, along with my knowledge and further training, into tips you can apply immediately in this article.
March 21, 2026 - 5 min read - Quirina Heylen
The 6 most common scalp types
1) Normal scalp
A normal scalp is very simple: you don't think about it, because there's no itching, no redness, and hardly any flakes. Your hair gradually gets greasy, often only after 4–5 days.
However, even a normal scalp can temporarily change. Think of a period of stress, a change of season, showering too hot, an aggressive shampoo, or a buildup of styling products or the luteal phase (when your hair gets greasier faster).
How to maintain a healthy scalp? Keep it simple and gentle. Wash with a shampoo that cleanses without stripping, massage gently (don't scratch), and rinse extra thoroughly, especially along your hairline and behind your ears.
Suggestion for this type: The Nourishing Shampoo, also known as the Essence Buddy.
2) Oily scalp
An oily scalp is the result of overactive sebaceous glands. This is actually quite logical, but what can you do about it? Well, you can simply re-train your sebaceous glands to slow down a bit. And you do that by... fighting fire with fire. 😉
Let me explain: sebaceous glands are responsible for keeping your scalp in balance. They produce sebum when they notice the scalp is too dry, but ideally, they also slow down when it's too oily. And in your case, they've forgotten how to do that last part. So, we're going to re-teach them, and we do that by applying an oil treatment before each wash. This oil is recognized as the skin's own sebum and signals your sebaceous glands to slow down.
Doing this for several weeks in a row, combined with a mild but thorough cleansing, will bring your sebaceous glands back into balance.
And now that you know this, it's very logical that aggressive cleansers exacerbate an oily scalp. Because every time your scalp is stripped with harsh cleansing, it triggers your sebaceous glands to produce extra sebum. This creates a vicious cycle.
That's why avoiding sulfates is so important for oilier types. Oil and mild cleansing are what your scalp needs to find its balance again.
My suggestions for oily skin in a nutshell:
- Oil treatments before washing. Greasy Scalp Synergie + Unscented Oil
- Wash twice with a natural mild shampoo. Purifying Shampoo
- Conditioner stays in the lengths and ends. The scalp usually has enough of its own moisture and doesn't need conditioner, which makes your hair greasy quickly. Therefore, apply it only to the lengths and ends.
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Apply clay once a month. Our clay is a must if you want to balance your sebaceous glands.
3) Dry scalp
A drier scalp usually only becomes slightly greasy after about a week or longer. If it's very dry, you may experience that tight, pulling sensation after washing. Any flakes are usually fine, white, and dry, and fall easily from the scalp.
The cause is often hot showers, aggressive cleansing, cold winter air, or washing too often. Sometimes diet, hormones, smoking, and general hydration also play a role.
Tips: choose a mild, hydrating shampoo, shower less hot, and apply oil treatments before washing to thoroughly pamper your scalp.
Suggestion for this type: Try the Dry Scalp Synergie, Unscented Oil and Nourishing Shampoo.
4) Sensitive or reactive scalp
A sensitive scalp primarily wants one thing: peace. Whether you have psoriasis, atopic skin, eczema, or just hypersensitive skin.
Triggers often include fragrance, certain preservatives, alcohol-rich lotions, hard water, and also stress or lack of sleep.
What helps: keep your routine minimalistic. Choose low-fragrance and mild products, avoid scrubs with coarse particles, pat dry instead of rubbing hard, and give your scalp consistency.
When to be extra vigilant: if you have wounds, scabs, swelling, or pain, it's wise to have it assessed by an expert.
Suggestion for this type: Our Unscented Oil treatment before washing to pamper your scalp with the most soothing oils. Then wash with our Unscented Shampoo to gently cleanse and care for your scalp. We chose to add skin-repairing ingredients to give any damaged skin a boost.
5) Dandruff, tendency to dandruff or seborrheic eczema
Dandruff is actually an inflammatory reaction of your skin to your own sebum. That's why the itching decreases immediately after washing and then starts again as your next wash approaches and sebum increases again.
Let me explain: There are yeasts in your microbiome, and as sebum increases, those yeasts grow. And it's these yeasts in the sebum that irritate your scalp. So, in addition to controlling your sebum, it's also important to keep those yeasts in check. Are you still with me? 😃
Many people suffer from this, which is why we at Mellon wanted to provide a natural solution. And it's possible! We developed our Purifying shampoo specifically for this scalp type. In addition to the soothing and disinfecting essential oils, we also added Piroctone Olamine. And that ingredient is a yeast inhibitor, which is the key to conquering your dandruff!
We also recommend using our clay weekly during periods when your dandruff worsens again. The clay works antibacterially and regulates your sebum production. Once the dandruff is under control again, you can apply the clay monthly as usual.
And yes, there's another tip: the Greasy Scalp Synergie with oil treatment is super soothing for itching and also antibacterial. Applying this before each wash will only benefit your process.
My suggestions for oily skin in a nutshell:
- Apply clay once a month. During severe periods of dandruff, apply green clay weekly for 2 to 3 consecutive weeks.
- Oil treatments before washing to combat itching: Greasy Scalp Synergie + Unscented oil.
- Wash twice with a natural mild shampoo: Purifying shampoo
6) Hair Loss
Hair loss can have so many different causes. And many causes come from within and/or from factors you can't always change much, such as seasons, hormones, medication, etc. But you can do something: you can support your scalp as best as possible from the outside with your hair care routine.
Suggestion for hair loss: An oil treatment before washing with our Hair Loss Synergy and Unscented Oil, specially formulated to support your hair follicles. In combination with a detox clay mask once a month to keep your scalp pure, which is important for hair growth.
We also have an Unscented Shampoo that you can enrich with our Hair Loss Synergy, allowing you to pimp our most gentle and restorative shampoo into a hair loss shampoo. 😉
Quick test: what is your scalp type?
If you remember one thing, let it be this: most scalps are not a "pure" type. Often, it's a mix that changes with seasons, stress, hormones, water quality, and product use.
We've put together a quiz for this!
Routine per scalp type (short and practical)
If you're using this as a checklist, keep it small. You don't need to buy ten products. A routine only works if you consistently stick to it.
Oily scalp
- Greasy scalp oil treatment
- Purifying Shampoo
- 1x per week: mild exfoliant like our Clay Mask
- Conditioner: lengths only
- Styling: for your waves or curls (avoid the scalp)
Dry scalp
- Dry scalp oil treatment
- Nourishing Shampoo
- Avoid: hot water and aggressive cleansing during washing
- Conditioner: lengths only
- Styling: for your waves or curls (avoid the scalp)
Sensitive scalp
- Unscented oil treatment
- Unscented Shampoo
- Go for: fragrance-free & make your wash routine minimalistic
- Avoid: hot water and aggressive cleansing during washing
- Conditioner: lengths only
- Styling: for your waves or curls (avoid the scalp)
Dandruff/seborrheic
- Greasy scalp oil treatment
- Purifying Shampoo: This contains anti-dandruff properties
- 1x per week: mild exfoliant like our Clay Mask
- Conditioner: lengths only
- Styling: for your waves or curls (avoid the scalp)
Common mistakes (that make scalp problems worse)
Many complaints persist due to the same few habits. If you only change one thing, choose the one you recognize.
- Washing too hot or staying in the shower too long
- Using shampoo with sulfates
- Scratching hard when itchy or flaky
- Applying shampoo to the lengths (which dries out the lengths)
- Applying conditioner or mask to the scalp
- Switching products too often, so you never know what works
- Drawing conclusions too quickly: give a routine at least 2–4 weeks
FAQ: frequently asked questions about scalp types
What scalp types are there?
The most common scalp types are: normal scalp, oily scalp, dry scalp, sensitive scalp, dandruff/seborrheic scalp, and a scalp with hair loss.
How do I know if I have dandruff or a dry scalp?
With a dry scalp, flakes are often small, dry, and white. With dandruff, flakes are more often yellowish and somewhat greasy, and the scalp gets greasier or irritated faster. Also, someone with dandruff often cannot wait longer than 3 to 4 days to wash their hair.
What is the best shampoo for an oily scalp?
Choose a mild shampoo that effectively removes sebum and product buildup without stripping the scalp. Overly aggressive cleansing can stimulate irritation and even more sebum. Our suggestion is the Purifying Shampoo.
What can I do for an itchy scalp?
Start with a mild routine and limit triggers such as hot water, fragranced products, and scratching. Use our Unscented green clay and Unscented Shampoo to treat your scalp.
Quick selection guide (if you're looking for products)
If you want to choose effectively, it helps not to think in terms of "one magic product," but rather the right category for your scalp.
- Normal scalp: Nourishing Shampoo + My Smooth Companion
- Oily scalp: Purifying Shampoo + Greasy Scalp bundle
- Dry scalp: Nourishing Shampoo + Dry scalp Synergy + Unscented Oil
- Sensitive scalp: Unscented Shampoo + Unscented bundle
- Dandruff: Purifying Shampoo + Greasy Scalp bundle
- Hair loss: Hair loss bundle and Unscented Shampoo
Conclusion
Your scalp type determines which approach works. Once you know whether your scalp is primarily oily, dry, sensitive, flaky, or inflamed, you can make more targeted choices, create calm, and see faster results.
