Following your visit to Velvet Pigmentation Clinic, our master technician Eve Pleavin will provide you with aftercare information to help you look after your new style and improve its longevity. One of the most common questions we are asked is about preventing scalp shine, so we’d like to answer this now.
A shiny scalp is caused by three primary factors – bright lights, smoothness and moisture. We can’t do anything about exposure to bright lights, as we encounter them every day at work, at home and when we’re out with our friends. Instead let’s focus on the two variables we can control – smoothness and moisture.
How does smoothness affect shine?
Shine is the result when light bounces from a surface. For bald men, or those who shave their head after scalp micropigmentation or tricopigmentation, this causes a problem because their head becomes smooth and there is nothing to disrupt the light from bouncing back. You’ve probably noticed how a lot of bald men have shiny heads, in fact some encourage shine. Believe it or not, entire communities have been set up around the theme of bald head care.
After scalp micropigmentation, you’ll notice that your head shines most immediately after a wet shave, and shines gradually less as your hair grows through.
What about moisture?
Sweating is a basic function of our skin. Whilst leakage can be reduced to a certain extent, your scalp will always sweat. As well as the sweat itself, your skin also secretes sebum which can make the scalp appear quite shiny after a few hours.
Whilst sweating cannot be prevented, there are ways to control the impact this has on your appearance.
The prevention of scalp shine
There are two ways to prevent or reduce a shiny scalp. Let’s talk about the way you shave, and how you maintain your appearance throughout the day.
For most people, a clean wet shave is the best compliment to their scalp micropigmentation treatment. This shaving method produces the least variance between their follicle replications and their real hair, and therefore enables the most realistic appearance. Unfortunately this is counter to our anti-shine efforts.
You basically have two options:
- Wet shave every 2-3 days, and rely on a quality anti-shine product.
- Use clippers or a foil shaver instead, and rely a little less on your anti-shine product.
Many people use clippers without the guard, or use a foil-based face shaver (they’re better for the scalp than rotary shavers). Whether you shave using one of these, or wet shave, is a personal thing. Shaving using clippers or a shaver will result in a reduction in shine, but it’s up to you to find the morning routine that best suits your lifestyle.
Finally, consider anti-shine products to counteract the effects of sweating and sebum build-up, and to help immediately after a wet shave.
The products most commonly used are: