Best Beauty Buys 2024: Top Products For Oily Or Itchy Scalp

Best Beauty Buys is The Singapore Women’s Weekly’s annual awards to discover the most effective and game-changing skincare, haircare and makeup products for busy women and their families. The products were road-tested by a group of mums, and these are their picks.

If there’s one thing we don’t want working so hard, it’s those oil glands in our scalp. They are partly responsible for that greasy, itchy feeling on our head. Other big culprits are the crazy heat and suffocating humidity in Singapore, working together to ramp up sweat and oil production in the scalp to impressive levels. Eek.

Not going to lie, one of the most frustrating things about having an oily scalp is having to deal with dandruff. It doesn’t just look gross, but dandruff can also cause itching and inflammation of the scalp. Plus, it’s notoriously difficult to get rid of.

PSA: Regaining control over your oily scalp is entirely possible. The trick is to attain that sweet balance in sebum production on your scalp, soothe the scalp, and kill the yeast that gives rise to dandruff. Look out for lightweight products that don’t weigh your hair down, with an ingredient list that includes salicylic acid, peppermint and rosemary to keep those follicles clean, clear and calm.

1. Best Rejuvenating Shampoo: Daeng Gi Meo Ri Vitalizing Energy Shampoo

Normalising the secretion of oil on your scalp should be your number one goal if you are dealing with an oily and itchy scalp – and this shampoo will help you get there with every revitalising wash. Nineteen kinds of herbal extracts including red ginger, chrysanthemum, and white mulberry come together to gently cleanse, improve blood circulation, and soothe the scalp, leaving it fresh and nourished with every wash.

$42.90 for 400ml

Shop at Amazon | Robinsons | Lazada

2. Best Shampoo For Oily Scalp: Ryo Hair Loss Expert Care Shampoo For Oily Scalp

An overly oily scalp is a known cause of hair loss. Try this shampoo that contains pine needle and mint to manage sebum production, and whole ginseng extract to improve blood circulation in the scalp.

$20.50 for 400ml

Shop at Watsons | Lazada | Amazon

3. Best Scalp-Cleansing Shampoo For Hair Loss: Phytopecia+ Hair Boosting Shampoo

Using salicylic acid on your scalp to exfoliate and control oil production is something you should totally try. This shampoo is a firm favourite among postpartum mums, who swear by its hair strengthening and hair growth abilities. We daresay that the feeling of washing out a day’s worth of dirt, oil, impurities and dead skin cells is one of the best in the world. It’s removing a literal load off your head.

$126 for 1,000ml

Shop at Ksisters

4. Best Scentless Scalp Treatment: Monnali Black Series Clean Mist Scalp Moisturiser

Easy to spray on with no residual heaviness -- you have no excuses to skip this mist treatment for your oily and itchy scalp. Regular use of this disinfecting and anti-inflammatory treatment with persimmon tannin and silver oxide restores balance and health to your scalp, by regulating sebum production and killing off the yeast that exacerbates dandruff. 

$79 for 150ml

Shop at Lazada | Asian Beauty X

5. Best Hair Loss Treatment For Tropical Weather: Oway Densifying Remedy

Newsflash: Getting the sebum production of your scalp under control is important to help maintain a healthy head of lush hair. Packed full of soothing, revitalising, circulation boosting, and oxygenating ingredients like mint, horse chestnut, teak and mahogany, this spray treatment goes on your freshly washed hair like a refreshing breath of cool air.

$103 for 100ml

Shop at Shopee | Number76

6. Best Treatment For Oily Scalp: TrichoLab Anti-Hair Loss Ampoule

This ampoule by TrichoLab does the delicate job of clarifying your scalp without drying it out. Vitamin B, peppermint, yeast and ginkgo leaf extract come together to control oil production, enhance blood circulation, and strengthen hair follicles in this nourishing ampoule. 

$139 for 30ml x 4 bottles

Shop at TrichoLab

7. Best Travel-Friendly Shampoo: The Powder Shampoo Strengthening & Soothing Powder Shampoo For Normal & Sensitive Scalps

Travelling can really throw your hair out of whack. Between a different climate, changes in diet, and crossing time zones, your already-sensitive scalp can really blow up. Grapefruit and liquorice root in this powder shampoo are your new besties, working hard to gently but thoroughly eliminate impurities, and soothe any itch and inflammation away. Pack this on your next trip!

$39.90 for 100g

Shop at The Powder Shampoo | Lazada

8. Best Anti-Dandruff Shampoo: Sachajuan Scalp Shampoo

Since dandruff loves reappearing like a bad penny, a good shampoo like this one is absolute gold. It contains potent dandruff-busting ingredients like rosemary oil, menthol, salicylic acid and ginger extract to get rid of those flakes and restore balance to your scalp.

$41 for 250ml

Shop at Amazon | Sephora

9. Best Refreshing Scalp Scrub: Aromatica Rosemary Scalp Scrub

Rosemary helps to boost circulation and improve blood supply to the hair follicles, for a strong and healthy scalp. Use this star ingredient as a soothing scalp scrub, with the addition of sea salt to exfoliate and purify the scalp. Your unclogged hair follicles will thank you.

$25 for 165g

Shop at Lazada | Sephora

10. Best Luxury Shampoo For Itchy Scalp: Onsensou Scalp Care Shampoo With Hot Spring Algae Essence

A good lather is unbelievably satisfying on an itchy scalp. This refreshing shampoo relieves irritation with a dose of antioxidants and minerals from hot spring algae extract. And the heavenly scent of bluebell flowers and matcha? Almost as good as how light and fresh your scalp feels after each wash.

$49 for 300ml

Shop at Asian Beauty X | Shopee

11. Best Soothing Serum For Itchy Scalp: TrichoLab Scalp Relief Ampoule

All those dead skin cells on your scalp can really clog it up and irritate it. Spritz on this serum to remove the accumulated gunk and help your scalp regenerate and grow healthier hair. It contains oat protein extract to moisturise, soothe and gently cleanse the scalp; as well as salicylic acid to dissolve excess sebum in the hair follicles.

$139 for 30ml x 4 bottles 

Shop at TrichoLab

Prices are accurate at time of publication.

All the items are independently selected by our editorial team. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. But we only recommend products we love. Promise.