Gentle Cycle

Your Hair’s Surprising New Secret Weapon.

YOU’D NEVER GO A DAY without washing your face (we hope!). But when it comes to washing our hair that often, we tend to be more hesitant. “A lot of women hold back because they feel that washing too often will damage their hair,” says Dr. Jeni Thomas, Pantene principal scientist. “But for some women, especially women with finer hair, going a few days without shampooing interferes with getting the look and feel of the hair they want.”

The solution? Daily washing with gentle ingredients, like micellar water, that you’ve already seen in your favourite skincare lines. Skin and hair share some of the same genetic building blocks. And experts say that hair is just as susceptible to the effects of the environment (sun, pollution, product buildup, etc.) as skin—maybe even more so. “Skin has some built-in mechanisms to help purify cells, whereas hair doesn’t,” says Thomas. Washing daily can prevent that buildup.

No matter how often you choose to wash your hair, be sure to pay as much attention to the scalp as you do the actual strands. Research shows that a healthier scalp equals healthier hair. “Focus the cleansing action at the scalp first, and then you can massage it down the lengths of hair,” says Thomas. Then get ready to turn heads.