The secret of great hair? It’s often skin deep
If you’re wondering which new products to try, our beauty expert has the headline news on scalp care
AS A veteran beauty editor I’ve heard some nonsense in my time. Certain brands seem to think as long as we get taken for nice breakfasts, we’ll accept what they tell us without question, eat our posh avocado on toast and keep schtum. Like when I asked the American founder of a very famous makeup applicator brand why someone should spend a large amount of money on what is essentially an oval-shaped sponge. (“Oh but it’s the quality of the sponge!”) Other times it’s a narrative which gets peddled throughout the industry, such as the lie that ‘natural’ equates to ‘better’. (It doesn’t.) But shoppers are getting savvier, not to mention more curious about what goes into their beauty products, and what their skin and hair actually need, versus so-called “problems” marketing teams have cooked up to make a buck.
“Scalp care is the new skincare” is definitely not in this latter category. You might roll your eyes, but the scalp is skin after all and goes through all manner of tsuris, triggered by hormones, pollution, stress, tight ponytails — you name it, resulting in itching, dandruff, eczema and psoriasis. Not to mention the fact that the condition of your hair (and any hair growth) is directly affected by the condition of your scalp. So if you want to keep it happy and stress-free, a simple shampoo will no longer cut it.
The Inkey List recently launched a scalpcare range using ingredients normally found in facial skincare.
Its Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Scrub (£12.99) works to slough away dead skin and pesky product build up (which can cause irritation and clog hair follicles). While on the back of its popular anti-dandruff Ginger Shampoo, The Body Shop has created an accompanying serum (£15) which works to keep the scalp calm, healthy and flake-free. Hydrating scalp masks are worth exploring too. I love this little-known Swedish salon brand called Maria Nila, whose Head & Hair Heal Mask (£31.60) is my go-to when I’m feeling frazzled and my stressed scalp is paying the price.
Dry shampoo — an SOS product for oily hair types — can also be the scalp’s arch-enemy due to the pore clogging talc many of them contain. Living Proof’s new Perfect Hair Day Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo (from £13) absorbs excess oil, as well as offering pollution protection, while leaving none of that chalky residue we all hate. Another gem is Klorane Dry Shampoo with Nettle (£9.99) which regulates sebum levels, while rice starch absorbs oil without the need for talc. Both are great for tszujing hair up without leaving your scalp itchy and crying out for moisture in the bargain. (A good tip? Mist a little through your roots before bed, so your hair won’t look greasy the next morning.)
But when it comes to ‘miracle cures’ for hair loss? Trust me, that’s nonsense. Certain ingredients can encourage healthy hair growth, but for serious cases there’s no ‘cure’ other than a hair transplant. And no amount of posh avocado on toast will convince me to say otherwise.
Viola Levy has been a freelance beauty journalist for more than ten years, being inspired to make it her chosen career after being told “no-one’s going to pay you to write about makeup”. In 2019 she won the Fragrance Foundation Jasmine Award for Best Short Piece, reporting on how urban life is damaging our sense of smell