It is once again time for another Scalp Scrub Showdown. This is now my 4th time comparing 4 different scalp scrubs under a microscope. Of course, my microscope stopped working and I had to buy a new one for this round.

This round I am going to compare scrubs from Yves Rocher, Marc Anthony, Christophe Robin, and The Body Shop. Now I have already reviewed a scrub from both The Body Shop and Marc Anthony before, but they both seem to no longer exist. With that I will also note that today's Yves Rocher scrub isn't available anymore, it has been replaced with something new and the Marc Anthony scrub is on clearance. I think this just shows how fickle the market is for scrubs, I had a hard time finding four new ones to review and the fact two are already not available is a bit sad.

Above is what all four scrubs look like. You can see The Body Shop one is just goo; the Yves Rocher is a bit like a paste but still creamy. The Marc Anthony is creamy, and the Christophe Robin is thick. They are all very different and hard to compare one-on-one, but that is where the microscope comes in.

The Body Shop Ginger Hair & Scalp Scrub

Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Juglans Regia Shell Powder/Juglans Regia (Walnut) Shell Powder, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocos Nucifera Shell Powder/Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Shell Powder, Polyglyceryl-2 Caprate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Panthenol, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Gluconate, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Dimethicone Propyl PG-Betaine, Sodium Salicylate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Parfum/Fragrance, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Linalool, Citric Acid, Salix Alba Bark Extract/Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Limonene, Citronellol, Citral, Eugenol, Zingiber Officinale Root Oil/Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, Geraniol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate.

I really enjoyed The Body Shops Green Tea scrub from 2020, it was thick and had large chunks of salt in it to really scrub the scalp. I thought when I got this new scrub it would be similar. I was wrong, very very wrong. This is a thin sloppy goop with some little beads in it. It is essentially a shampoo in gloopy form. I have no clue why they put it in a tub, it is truly the worst packaging I could think of for a product of this texture. 

It is basically a clarifying shampoo, it has no real grit to it, but surprisingly did a good job of getting my scalp and hair clean. I am honestly thinking that a really good clarifying shampooing of hair is all most people actually need to get their scalp clean. It lathered a lot and took a bit to rinse, it was as almost using very concentrated shampoo (I am used to this from diluting shampoo at my former work for dogs, it just isn't wise to use straight because it takes forever to rinse). I hardly consider this one a scrub at this point.

My hair seemed ok after, not the best but not the worse. The photos show my scalp isn't very clean at all. The day I used it, I noticed my scalp felt a bit tight and itchy. If I were to give it a grade, it would be a B-.

Pros:

·      was a good clarifying shampoo that removed quite a bit of buildup

Cons:

·      is messy in the tub

·      is did not remove much buildup at all

·      has no exfoliants, physical or chemical 

·      isn't really a scrub

·      took forever to rinse 

Yves Rocher Anti-Pollution Oxygenating Scrub

Sodium Chloride, Aqua/​Water/​Eau, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Cocamide MIPA, Glyceryl Stearate, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Stearic Acid, Lauryl Glucoside, Parfum/​Fragrance, Ethylhexylglycerin, Inulin, Fructooligosaccharides, Gellan Gum, Citric Acid, Limonene, Moringa Pterygosperma (Moringa Oleifera) Seed Extract, Maltodextrin, Tocopherol

I got this in late 2022 and by the start of 2023 it seemed to be removed from their website. I wish I reviewed it sooner but only got it with my advent calendar order. I has a typical salt scrub texture; it has a finer grade of salt to it than the Sephora Collection scrub I previously reviewed. It is a little hard to squeeze out of the tube due to its texture. I found it moderately awkward to apply to my scalp, but nothing too challenging. It lathered a fair amount and rinsed relatively easily considering the suds and salt in my hair.

I don’t see anything in the ingredients or application that would make it anti-pollution, so that was definitely a big gimmick to it.

I very much liked this scrub. My scalp and hair felt nice after using it. It did a very good job getting the buildup off my scalp, but my hair still felt some buildup. I would give this one A-.

Pros:

·      it did a good job

·      left scalp feeling nice

Cons:

·      may be discontinued

Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt

Sodium Chloride, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Water, Butylene Glycol, Cocamide Mea, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Saccharide Isomerate, Hydrated Silica, Bisabolol, Menthyl Lactate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Salicylate, Linalool, Limonene, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Evernia Furfuracea (Tree Moss) Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate.

This scrub seems to have a bit of a cult following when I looked up reviews. It seems to be pulled from Sephora but is still sold at The Bay and Nordstrom. It has a very thick texture with large and extra-large salt granules in it. For this round it has the largest chunks of salt but is most comparable to Nexxus or Ouai from past showdowns.

I found the formula just too thick to really get into my scalp area, obviously, if you suffer from hair loss it should be an easier task. The larger chunks of salt seemed almost too big in this formula, there were few smaller bits, so it was just large chunks scraping my scalp and slowly dissolving in the water. You can see below it is far larger than Nexxus scrub, which I thought already had big chunks.

It did a terrible job with my hair. It was hard to work with and the results weren't great. My scalp was red and itchy afterwards. My hair didn't look that clean and my scalp had more buildup than I would like. I am giving this a C+, there are better products that cost way less.

Pros:

·      has visible and large physical exfoliants

Cons:

·      messy

·      left my scalp red

·      left buildup

Marc Anthony Strictly Curls 3x Moisture 2-In-1 Scalp Scrub + Shampoo 

Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Chloride, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Propanediol, Glycerin, Bentonite, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Kaolin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl Alcohol, Caprylic /Capric Triglyceride, Fragrance/Perfume, Cetearyl Olivate, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Sorbitan Olivate, Polyquaternium-7, QUARTZ, Coconut Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Sodium Benzoate, Butylene Glycol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Caffeine, Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Seed Oil

I picked this scrub up at Dollarama of all places, so I would assume it is discontinued or being reformulated. It has an interesting finer texture that has a grit to it. It has quartz in its ingredients as well as citric acid and kaolin, I believe these are the exfoliants in it. 

It claims to remove buildup on the scalp and hair as well as pollutants. It is supposed to help with dry scalp and keep curly hair from drying out. It has some citric acid in it for chemical exfoliation and kaolin and bentonite clay to help physically remove build-up and help control oil.

I found it did easy to apply to the scalp since it wasn't too thick. It spread around and lathered easily. Rinsing took a bit of time but wasn't excessive. The instructions say to leave on for two minutes, which I did. After using my hair had tons of body.

This one actually did a fantastic job of getting my scalp and hair clean. I was very impressed because so many have not done this good of a job this time around. I am giving this one an A.  If you see it, I would pick it up.

Pros:

·      It was easy to apply

·      worked pretty darn well

·      is meant for curly hair (which is rare)

Cons:

·      May be discontinued

The winner is... 

Water (Aqua /Eau), Propanediol, Salicylic Acid, Betaine, Panthenol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Polyquaternium-37, Hexylene Glycol, Capryloyl Glycine, Citronellyl Methylcrotonate, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xylitylglucoside, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate.

This one doesn't use the word Scrub in its name, instead Scalp Treatment, regardless it is exfoliating and it promises a lot of the same things. It has 2% salicylic acid in it to help with flakes on the scalp. It also is supposed to help with redness on the scalp and itchiness. You apply it exactly the same way, to wet or dry scalp for 10 minutes then rinse and wash and condition as normal.

The results of using it were almost exactly the same. It ran into my eyes, I had no irritation while using or after. My hair and scalp felt clean but not fantastic.

The results under the microscope was only mildly better then with the Glycolic Scrub. My hair looked like it still was full of buildup, but the scalp at least had some clean areas. 

Overall, it is a better product then the Glycolic but not fantastic.

Pros:

• Under $20
• Easy to buy at The Inkey List site or Sephora.ca
• Isn't irritating to the scalp
• Easy to apply

Cons:

• Ran into eyes
• Black plastic that can't be recycled
• Did not much at all

OUAI Cleansing Scalp & Body Sugar Scrub

Sucrose, Water / Aqua / Eau, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Cocamide Mea, Propanediol, Peg-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Silica, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Menthyl Lactate, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Hydrolyzed Hibiscus Esculentus Extract, Apium Graveolens (Celery) Seed Extract, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Peg-150 Distearate, Cocamide Mipa, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate,Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Bht, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate,Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Fragrance (Parfum), Linalool, Citronellol.

Amika Reset Charcoal Detoxifying Scalp Cleansing Oil & Reset Exfoliating Jelly Scalp Scrub Shampoo

Re-set your scalp with French pink clay, charcoal, and oxygen. Reset Pink Charcoal Scalp Cleansing Oil is a gentle cleansing, pre-shampoo scalp treatment that detoxifies and invigorates to encourage a balanced, healthy scalp. Attract dirt like a magnet to draw out impurities and remove product build-up, without stripping away skin’s essential oils. Water transforms this into a milky texture and creates a light foam that washes away clean.  

Hit reset and detoxify your scalp with this weekly treatment. An innovative cleanser for your hair and scalp, the gentle shampoo in jelly consistency uses charcoal, pink clay, and sea salt to deep clean, purify, rebalance, and soothe sensitive, itchy, or oily scalps. Hair is left feeling ready for another week of to-dos. -sephora.ca

I am using some deluxe samples that I got for trading in some Sephora points. A full-sized of each will run you $33 (so $66 Cad for the two of them).

First off before I even opened it I liked the idea of a double cleanse for my scalp. The oil gets rubbed into a dry scalp and wait a few minutes before rinsing and applying the shampoo. I also liked the bottle for the oil having a tip to it.

Once I tried it I found out I was way less impressed. I snipped the cap and started to question if I should use it all in one go or if it was for more than one use. Being a deluxe sample it was hard to figure out. The hole for the tip was also a way to thin for the thickness of the oil. The bottle is also very stiff. I don't know if that was just because it was a deluxe sample or if the full size is better, but either way, this was not easy to get onto my scalp when it should have been

The oil was easy to rub into my dry scalp and rinsed easily. The shampoo felt nice on my scalp as well, but left my hair stripped and matted. My hair never mattes in the shower so I was mildly horrified. My hair felt awful. I decided quickly that I would use Aussie 4 Minute miracle on my hair.

The end result was my hair felt incredibly light and fluffy, similar to if you used a clarifying shampoo. My scalp felt pretty great until the end of the day. At the end of the day, I had noticed my scalp was feeling a bit dry and a little flaky in a few places (very minor compared to before).

Pros:

• Has a spout
• Double cleanse concept
• Smells nice
• Vegan

Cons: 

Introducing a nature-inspired approach to hair care, our invigorating scrub shampoo blends Japanese green tea, mint menthol, salt crystals and Community Fair Trade honey from Ethiopia. Massage onto the scalp to help stimulate blood flow and whisk away impurities like dust, smoke, sweat and styling residue. This purifying scrub will make your scalp feel instantly refreshed, help reduce build-up on hair and leave you feeling revitalized with a healthy-looking shine. -Thebodyshop.ca 

This is a scrub and shampoo in one....one thick gel-paste. It feels like a thick jelly when you scoop it out with large chunks of salt incorporated throughout.

I applied to my wet hair, but it wasn't easy. I ended up using way more than I thought and as I slathered it on I felt I wasn't really getting it down to the scalp until I got really on my hair and added some more water.

The salt is quite coarse and feels nice when rubbing it around. I feel my hands wouldn't be good enough on their own so I am glad that I am using a massage tool for each of these products. I really felt like I did a better job cleaning my scalp with it.

I made a point of not washing the rest of my hair with the scrub-shampoo, instead, I washed it out and rewashed it followed by conditioner.

The scrub rinsed out pretty easy as the salt dissolved pretty quickly with hot water. My hair didn't feel stripped or matted. After conditioning my hair it felt great.

My hair felt light on the scalp when it dried. Lots of body manageable, overall fluffy and soft.
A lot of people talk about how this tingles the scalp, I didn't find that until after I was done with washing altogether. I noticed a light minty – cooling type feeling. My scalp only felt mildly dry and only at the end of the day.

Pros:

• Large tub
• Is also a shampoo
• Rinses well
• Affordable for size ($22 Cad)
• Fairtrade
• Vegetarian

Cons:

• Awkward to apply / thick constancy
• Large chunks of salt could be smaller

Head And Shoulders Supreme Exfoliating Scalp Scrub Treatment 

Beautiful hair starts with a healthy scalp. Exfoliate yours with Supreme Exfoliating Scalp Scrub, brought to you by Head & Shoulders, Canada’s #1 choice of dermatologists brand. Infused with vitamin E and argan oil, this scrub detox helps to remove product build up and dead skin cells for healthier hair. It’s like a gentle buildup remover and scalp treatment all in one. To use it, massage the scrub into your scalp before shampooing to renew your skin’s surface. Follow it up with Head & Shoulders Shampoo. -headandshoulders.ca

This is the only scrub that comes in a tube. It comes out super smooth and looks just like a conditioner.

I applied it to wet hair and used my hands and scalp massager to work it in before washing it out and doing my usual shampoo and conditioner routine.

This one doesn't feel as scrubby as the first two, it is much more smooth and polished feeling. It also hasn't left my scalp feeling dry as the day goes on. My scalp feels nice and hydrated. 

Sadly the photos on this one are not that great for the after. You can see quite a bit of buildup still there on my scalp and hair. This is a bit disappointing since I really felt it did a great job during the lockdown of getting bumpy buildup off my scalp.

Pros:

• Easy to find at drug stores and grocery stores
• Inexpensive at about $9 Cad
• Doesn't irritate or dry my scalp out
• Mess-free tube

Cons:

• Not as effective as the others
• Contains silicone

Briogeo Detox + Restore Kit ft. Scalp Revival Scalp Scrub Shampoo + Don’t Despair Repair Hair Mask 

Because healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp, begin your wash day with the detoxifying, exfoliating, and bestselling Scalp Revival™ shampoo. Winner of the 2018 Allure Best of Beauty award, this scalp scrub is clinically shown to hydrate, reduce flakiness, and calm irritation. Follow up with the four-time Allure Best of Beauty Award winner and cult-favorite Don‘t Despair, Repair!™ Deep Conditioning Mask to repair, strengthen, and prevent future damage to your hair.  -sephora.ca

I picked a mini version of this duo up as my birthday gift from Sephora this year. I had heard quite a bit of hype about it so it got me pretty excited. You get a tub of scrub and a tub of hair mask. A full-size set will set you back $67 Cad.

You apply the scrub to wet hair and massage in before rinsing. I found it exceptionally hard to get this one into my hair effectively, but easier than The Body Shop scrub. It isn't too thick, but it isn't very grainy. It smells like white chocolate to me, and I have no clue why (it does have coconut oil high up on the list of ingredients). 

After massaging it in with my hands and then with my scalp massager I rinsed it out (I will note I did not wash my whole length of my hair with it, just my scalp and surrounding area). I found it rinsed out pretty easily and my hair felt OK afterwards. After a quick shampoo I went on to use the mask.

I found the mask a little runny to be in a tub but very nice to use. My hair feels super soft and pretty darn hydrated.

I am a little disappointed with my after photos with this one. This was so hyped up that I assumed it was the best one out there, but instead just see it is a pricey option that works pretty well. My scalp looks good but not great.

My hair felt great after using it, super soft and manageable, far more than the other scrubs, I am equating that to the mask though. My scalp to the touch feels great and not dry at the end of the day. r

Pros:

• Rinsed out well
• Scalp feels nice after
• Scalp doesn't feel dried out
• Conditioner feels amazing
• Vegan

Cons:

• Pricey!!! $54 for just the scrub, $46 for the mask or $67 for the holiday set (limited edition).
• Didn't do the best job for the money, but did a good enough job.

Overall observations:

Having a dry skin type and therefore scalp type and dry damaged hair, these scrubs leave my scalp feeling dry and tight as the day goes on. I wish this wasn't the case. Applying a scalp serum helps a lot with restoring hydration to my scalp.

More expensive isn't always better. The cheapest and only drug store/grocery store option left my scalp feeling the best after using it, never once in the months, I used the Head and Shoulders did my scalp once feel dry or tight. That being said it didn't do the best job cleaning the build-up off my scalp.

Awards:

Left my scalp feeling the best: Head and Shoulders - My scalp feels actually better after using it, never dry or itchy.

Left my scalp feeling the worst: Amika – My scalp was very dry and irritated after using it.

Best at removing buildup off scalp and hair: The Body Shop – The large chunks of salt really did a great job of scuffing my scalp clean.

Left my hair feeling the best: Briogeo – The scrub and mask together left my hair feeling so soft.

Left my hair feeling the worst: Amika - It took a lot of conditioner to try to reverse the matting it caused.

Ok, so there you go. Scrubs! That took 4 weeks to do so I hope it helped some of you. I going forward am going to continue to use up all these scrubs and most likely repurchase the Head and Shoulders as well as The Body Shop's scrub.

*This post features products purchased by me. This post includes affiliate links.