THE DIRECTORS’ CUT Hair serums
Two beauty journalists, two very different approaches. ELLE’s beauty directors George Driver and Jennifer George give us the lowdown
I’m not about to embark on a pity
party for my hair. All it’s really guilty of is refusing to grow past my shoulders. Unlike Jenn, whose mermaid-like lengths could never be found wanting, my hair’s comfort zone is a bob. So,
in a bid to extend it without resorting to extensions, I’ve turned to alternative methods. The question is: can a serum really make your hair grow?
I’ll admit, I’m dubious. But I’m also fortunate that, for me, pure vanity is the name of the game when it comes to wanting longer hair. Whereas, for many, everything from hormone changes and genetics to the after-effects of pregnancy and overdoing it on heat styling can cause
hair loss. It’s also listed as a side-effect of Covid. My first port of call is Champo’s growth serum. Boasting a formula of caffeine, creatine and ayurvedic haritaki extract, a daily dose of this on my wet hair and scalp for six weeks pledges to keep more hair on my head, rather than in my hairbrush. Following the logic that more is more, I double up
with The Ordinary’s hair density serum. This features a Redensyl complex containing peptides – proteins to you and me – that helps stimulate growth. A few weeks in and it’s hard to say if it’s paying off. One thing I do know is that the breakage from the bottom of my hair hasn’t gone anywhere. More breakage means less length, so Shu Uemura’s strengthening tonic gets added to my serum routine. Will my efforts be rewarded with Jenn-esque hair? Maybe in a few years, my now super-treated hair will lead to new growth swishing down my back. Currently, it’s just
hinting at my collar bone. I’ll take it, for now.
The first time I realised I had scalp issues was, weirdly, in a nightclub. Intoxicated and dancing wildly under UV lights, my friend – in a rather unfriendly way – pointed at my shoulders, laughing. They were peppered with glowing flakes from my scalp, fluorescent against the background of my black bodycon dress.
Since then I’ve been on a one-woman mission to soothe my scalp. The dandruff is, luckily, under control, but the surface is consistently irritated and itchy. After weaning myself off that household-favourite, scalp-specific shampoo (you know, the one beloved by footballers and Claudia Winkleman) after the umpteenth hairdresser told me it was doing more harm than good, I now rely on gentler options. But sometimes a little extra TLC is needed.
This is where the new crop of scalp serums come in. They work by targeting niggles with formulas often found in skincare products – a weekly facial for the scalp, if you will. One of my favourite scalp serums is formulated by the Queen of Hollywood skin herself, Dr Barbara Sturm, who packs hyaluronic acid into her pipette to hydrate, and papaya extracts to very gently exfoliate dead skin cells and product build-up. You can use it on dry hair and go about your day, but I like to massage mine in before bed.
An added bonus is that taking care of your scalp will, in turn, take care of the hair that’s growing out of it. I don’t suffer with sluggish growth like George, but do find that my hair is getting duller as I get older. A happier base means the hair sprouting from it is happy, too: shiny, glossy, and not constantly attacked by my scratching nails.