I Tried Bumble and Bumble's New Bb.Scalp Detox and It Feels Like Ice-Cold Pop Rocks

I’ve long relied on micellar water and products with salicylic acid to keep my skin clear and clean. I actually prefer micellar water over cleansers and face wipes for a quick-and-dirty (or quick-and-clean, rather) makeup removal at the lazy end of a long day. When my skin isn’t especially broken out, I keep a salicylic-acid spot treatment on hand for sporadic zits. It had never occurred to me that my scalp could benefit from the same ingredients, even though it's essentially just a hairy extension of the skin on my face.

That's why as soon as I heard that Bumble and Bumble’s new Bb.Scalp Detox had micellar water and salicylic acid in it, I was immediately intrigued. To my knowledge, I’ve never used a hair product with either ingredient, and I wasn’t sure why I would. After all, I don’t put makeup on my scalp, and I’ve gotten maybe two zits on it in as many decades. But then I thought about all the dry shampoos I’ve sprayed up there, the hair masks I might not have thoroughly rinsed out, the sweat from being, I’m quite sure, the sweatiest person in America (unconfirmed, but I’m in talks with Guinness). Sure, I wash my hair a couple of times a week, but just as deep conditioner goes a little further than a regular conditioner, this fizzing foam promises to take cleansing and clarifying to the next level.

That’s right — I said “fizzing foam.” I quickly learned, upon shaking the pretty light-blue-and-gray can and spraying a bit onto my wrist, that Bb.Scalp Detox is what can best be described as frothy micellar seltzer, bubbling in a literally and figuratively cool, softly scented, white blob as it slowly dissolved. But as we’ve established, this formula is made for the head and meant to be applied right before a shower, so I enthusiastically disrobed, parted my hair, and aimed the dispenser at my crown. As I sprayed the foam on different sections of my head and started working it into my scalp, the formula felt even colder and more effervescent, and it became audibly noisier. I imagine the entire sensory experience could be similar to pouring a bowl of Rice Krispies and ice-cold milk over your head, except much more effective at the whole scalp-cleansing thing.

I let the foam sink in, allowing the salicylic acid do its job on the debris threatening to clog my follicles and address the dead skin cells that can lead to flaking. And speaking of flaking, salicylic acid can be drying, so Bumble and Bumble wisely included panthenol and vitamins B5 and E to prevent moisture loss. After three awkward minutes of standing naked in my bathroom, I turned on the shower and stepped in and immediately rinsed my scalp. It rinsed clean easily, and as much as I enjoyed the tingling while it was on, I was relieved to find there were no after-tingles, especially after shampooing and conditioning.

Bb.Scalp Detox is meant to be used once a week to undo the accumulation of several days' worth of styling products, but even after my first-ever use, it seems to have made a difference on the accumulation of, what, a lifetime of styling products? OK, so I probably didn't have that much buildup (jeez, I hope not), but I've definitely noticed fewer flakes stuck in my hair in the days following just one foaming session. It's safe to say I'm convinced that micellar water and salicylic acid have whole-head benefits, especially when aerated.

Bumble and Bumble Bb.Scalp Detox is now available for $34 at bumbleandbumble.com.

More ways to save your scalp:

• The Best Treatments to Fix Your Itchy, Flaky Scalp
• Exfoliating Your Scalp Is Way More Important Than You Think
• How to Rehab Your Scalp After a Protective Style Goes Wrong

Watch how to create a painless bun: