Is hair slugging* the best way to fix HEATWAVE DAMAGE?
*That’s the new craze for slathering it in oil from root to tip
TMake your choice carefully if you have fine or blonde hair
Apply correctly, or it’s like using a facial oil on top of make-up
his is just about the worst possible weather for your hair — as the heatwave breaks, the humidity threatens to turn even the sleekest coiffure into an unruly ball of frizz.
But on social media, the latest advice for how to cope turns conventional wisdom on its head.
hot on the heels of the skincare craze ‘slugging’ — which involves slathering a thick, greasy ointment, such as Vaseline, over your face in a bid to lock in moisture — comes the equivalent trend for hair.
it is not for the fainthearted, however — especially those of us who bought into the idea that applying conditioner close to your roots is a cardinal sin that leaves hair flat, greasy and lifeless.
But now videos extolling the virtues of drenching your entire head in oil have clocked up hundreds of millions of views on TikTok. And it’s not only social media stars singing the praises of hair slugging — many experts think it works, too.
Adam Reed, British hairdresser to stars including Madonna and sophie Dahl, says the technique is ‘hugely beneficial’ for keeping hair shiny and voluminous on hot days.
While it might seem odd to us, oiling the scalp and hair is a weekly ritual in many areas of the world.
Derived from Ayurveda, a system of holistic medicine originating in india more than 5,000 years ago, the idea is that the process of massaging oil into the scalp leads to longer, thicker, healthier hair.
hair and scalp oils are suddenly everywhere in Britain, from Boots to luxury retailer Net-a-Porter. And while some are designed to be used like a serum on the lengths of the hair, others are expressly for applying to the scalp.
Take the recently launched Abeille Royale scalp & hair Youth Oil-in-serum from French beauty experts Guerlain (£108, guerlain. com), which is designed to ‘revitalise the scalp and repair the hair fibre’. Or Aesop’s sage & Cedar scalp Treatment (£25, aesop.com), ‘enhanced with botanical oils’.
The Organic Pharmacy also does a version — hair & scalp Nourishing Oil (£28, theorganic pharmacy.com) ‘designed specially for dry hair’ — as does Centred, with its En-Root scalp Treatment (£36, wearecentred.com), which it calls ‘skincare for your scalp’.
All are formulated to be massaged into dry hair and on to the scalp, left overnight and washed out the next morning — or they can be left in for 15 to 30 minutes as a pre-wash treatment.
so what’s behind this surge in scalp oils? it could be partly down to the boom in what’s known as ‘i-beauty’ — brands whose founders have indian heritage but Western upbringings.
One such brand is Fable & Mane (fableandmane.com), founded by brother and sister team Akash and Nikita Mehta. The siblings were born and raised in London, but their roots lie in india.
‘Our indian grandmother would visit London every summer,’ says Akash. ‘And i clearly remember her bringing various ingredients with her to make magical potions in the kitchen.
‘One of our night-time rituals was to listen to her tell us stories as she massaged oil into our scalps and hair. This habit inspired the name of our brand.’
Fable & Mane launched at the end of April 2020. Akash believes that salons having to close during the pandemic encouraged consumers to embrace home rituals such as scalp oiling.
Meanwhile, the benefits of scalp massage to boost circulation are well documented; the better the circulation around the hair follicles, the more nutrients will reach them, boosting growth.
‘Your scalp is the base from which hair grows, but it’s often neglected,’ says hairstylist Kieran Tudor. ‘When my wife was losing hair because of stress, i used oils such as castor and peppermint on her scalp, mixed into a carrier oil, such as almond.
‘But on the downside, it left her hair very greasy, and it would require multiple washes to get rid of the oil residue.’ This experience motivated the couple to create their haircare brand, Centred, and specifically a scalp treatment oil that easily emulsifies with water to wash off fine hair.
The take-away? Choose your oil carefully if you have fine or blonde hair. hairstylist Adam
Reed, whose haircare range Arkive headcare (arkive headcare.com) includes an oil-rich scalp scrub, has always used oils. ‘i don’t think there’s a single head of hair that won’t benefit from oil,’ he says. ‘You want to apply it when the hair is wet, otherwise it’s a bit like putting facial oil on once you’ve done your make-up — it will just sit on top and look greasy. ‘But if you apply oil to wet hair, it doesn’t sit on the surface, instead it sinks in to moisturise, protect and soften.’ he is a fan of using skin-grade oils, such as jojoba and baobab, because he says they don’t weigh down hair, but he points out that just as one moisturiser won’t suit all skin types, you might have to experiment to find the oil that’s right for your hair and scalp.
‘And if you’ve oiled your scalp the night before, don’t get straight in the shower and wet your hair,’ adds Adam. ‘Apply the shampoo first to your dry hair to break down the oil before you use water.’
Trichologist susie hammond, of the Philip Kingsley Clinic (philip kingsley.co.uk), agrees that scalp massage can help remove dead skin cells and improve blood flow. however, she believes that a good massage when you’re applying your shampoo should suffice.
‘People see flaking and assume it’s a dry scalp issue,’ she says. ‘But it’s more likely to be because of accelerated skin cell turnover, which is an oily problem.
‘Applying oil can make the flakes stick to the scalp, blocking the follicles and impairing growth.’
so, while there may be good reasons for oiling naturally dry or brittle hair, she cautions that some products can create a moistureproof barrier around the hair cuticle which can make hair drier in the long run.
‘instead, look for masks, which contain oil, but are formulated to penetrate the hair shaft and hydrate from within,’ she says.