Skincare for your HAIR
Brightening vitamin C. Anti-ageing acids. And serums for your scalp. Welcome to the new world of...
WASh. condition. Blow- dry with a product you’re not quite sure you’re using correctly. If that’s the extent of your haircare routine, you’re not alone.
You probably pick products based on your hair ‘type’, too — oily, dry, normal, fine, curly, colour-treated — but because we all have some combination of those, the choice is never clear. Plus, it’s hard not to suspect the differences between the many sub- categories offered by haircare brands are rather minor.
So many of us end up with a shampoo we like the smell of, or a conditioner bottle that matches the bathroom tiles.
The problem is, the usual approach doesn’t seem to work so well — 81 per cent of UK women are unsuccessfully grappling with multiple hair concerns, according to researchers Mintel.
But help is at hand, a new generation of innovative haircare brands is taking haircare as seriously as skincare.
Their approach is to offer the latest active ingredients, coupled with a sophisticated way of tackling consumers’ specific needs that doesn’t just reduce them to a hair ‘type’.
In many ways, haircare is finally catching up with the ‘ingredients-first’ thinking that’s revolutionised skincare over recent years — pioneered by affordable brands such as The Ordinary, which prioritised active ingredients over pretty packaging or glamorous adverts.
Allowing shoppers to select products based on p o werf u l , targeted ingredients, is a way to empower the customer (and drive revenue) that has changed the face of skincare.
‘Not only does this approach make sense, it’s inherently inclusive,’ says Mark curry, co-founder of The Inkey List, the ingredients-led skincare brand, which is among those taking their approach into haircare. ‘It’s silly to divide ourselves into hair “tribes” when we all have the same protein-based fibres sprouting from our scalps.’
Good health is the key to good hair, according to these innovative new brands. Gentle cleansing and nourishment should be standard, supported by targeted ingredients to tackle specific issues as and when necessary.
SOWheRe to begin with this new approach? Scalp health is largely r esponsible f or t he health of our hair as it comes out of the living hair bulb, so, says Mark, that’s where haircare should start.
Good scalp care can improve hair growth, condition, thickness, and even slow greying, he believes. ‘After that, it’s about protecting, strengthening and visually influencing the dead material that is hair — a bit like how you would handle delicate clothes.’
hair is unique to the individual in terms of texture and structure, so t his i s where t argeted treatments to hydrate, repair or thicken come in. This approach has driven better skin and it will drive better hair,’ he says.
So, here’s our round up of the new-generation haircare . . .
GROWTH BOOSTER
grow gorgeous Intelligent Haircare, from £16 (growgorgeous.co.uk)
ORIGINALLY a set of universal hair growth serum sand scalp treatments( by the brains behind The Ordinary), Grow Gorgeous has since created multiple products, i ncluding shampoos and conditioners.
The i dea is ‘ to help f ulfil every woman’s desire for fuller, thicker, healthier hair,’ says technical director Robin Parker.
‘Skincare grade’ ingredients (moisturising hyaluronic acid, healing centella, soothing green tea) are central to the concept, as are hair growth- stimulating favourites caffeine and biotin. TRY: Anti- Pollution Leave- In Spray, £ 23. With hyaluronic acid, panthenol and amino acids for hydration, green tea for antioxidant protection and a polysaccharide matrix to form a shield against external a ggressors, y ou c ould be f orgiven f or confusing t his with a face mist. 4/5
THE TRIPLE SYSTEM
Larry King Haircare, from £22 (larryking.co.uk) ‘ The Wash cyc l e ’ range f rom celebrity stylist King comprises three shampoos and a conditioner.
Rather than selecting the one for your hair type, you use all of them, as and when required. ‘Think of your salon backwash: there are loads of different shampoos and your stylist will pick the one you need that day,’ says King.
‘People think shampoo “stops working” when you use it all the time, but your hair has different needs at different times. The trick is to be responsive to it.’ So, his system has a clarifying shampoo for clearing product build-up and purifying your scalp weekly, a deep-conditioning one for when you’ve put hair through the mill (styling tools, heat), and one to leave it fabulously bouncy (see below).
The conditioner smooths and detangles whenever you need it. It’s all laced with skincare staples such as zinc PCA for oil control, calming centella asiatica, and green tea to fight UV-induced colour fade. Who knew shampoos could do it all? TRY: Social Life For Your hair Shampoo, £39. Based on the truism that there is such a thing as hair being too clean, this shampoo cleverly adds a little grit and grip, so it feels volumised and sexy. 4/5
UNIVERSAL HEALER
Khali Min, from £25 (khalimin.com) ‘The traditional hair type model doesn’t allow for the countless variants within every “type”,’ says Vanessa Karlo of Anglo-egyptian brand Khali Min. ‘It’s so outdated.’
Like skin — including the scalp — hair needs lipids (fats) to protect, nourish and prevent moisture loss. And it needs amino acids (protein building blocks) to boost strength and elasticity.
Favouring nature-derived active ingredients, Khali Min’s (it means ‘free from’ or ‘ made without’ in Arabic) debut treatment oil is a blend of nutrient-rich plant, fruit and nut oils weightless enough to penetrate the hair shaft and superficial skin layer without over-saturating either.
A universal ‘ health re- set’ for any scalp and hair, you can use it as often as yours require. TRY: Rescue Oil, £38. Applied 30 minutes before shampooing (or overnight), it leaves hair silky and scalps nourished. 3/5
ROOT OF THE ISSUE
The Inkey List Haircare, from £6.99 (theinkeylist.com) EACH built around a single problem- solving ingredient popularised by skincare obsessives, these eight scalp and hair serums can be l ayered, so you can tackle as many issues as you like.
There are peptides (protein fragments) for thickening fine hair, vitamin c for brightening dull strands, amino acids for keeping greys at bay, and so on. TRY: Salicylic Acid exfoliating Scalp Treatment, £ 11.99. A gentle, pore-unplugging exfoliant, salicylic acid makes total sense as a ten-minute pre- shampoo scalp serum. It regulates both oil production and dry, flaky scalps; the difference is noticeable after just a few uses. 5/5
SCALP DESTRESSER
Centred Honest Hair Wellness, from £18 (wearecentred.com) ‘STRESS threatens our health, our skin, and our hair,’ says Kieren Tudor of centr e d . ‘It really i nterferes with hair’s active growth phase, so our whole range is geared towards stress-reduction. We don’t mask symptoms or take a band-aid approach; we tackle the root cause of poor hair health.’
That means a no- sulphate shampoo that won’t aggravate the hair and scalp, treatments and supplements that fortify and calm from the inside out (with skincare staples such as essential f atty acids, vitamin e and hydrolysed wheat protein, all conditioning and healing) and a scalp t r eatment t hat both stimulates and relaxes. TRY: en-Root Scalp Treatment, £28.80. Our scalps hold major t e nsi on — that in itself c o nt r i butes to hai r loss. Treat yours to a regular massage with t his scalp balancing, circulation- boosting, senses-stimulating potion. 4/5
Inge’s book great skin: secrets The Beauty Industry Doesn’t Tell You is out now. You can order a copy from mailbookshop.co.uk for £11.30 plus p&p.