Deep dive
While scalp and haircare boom, we ask if a simple, stripped-back routine is actually better for your locks
You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘the skinification of hair’ by now, or noticed how many more hair products include ingredients you recognise from skincare. Maybe you’ve spotted a sharp rise in scalp products on the shelves, or all the different treatments going viral on TikTok (we see you, rosemary oil). Reader, as a curly girl, I knew exactly where this was going.
In my most haircare obsessed days, I had a seven-product routine that involved endless sectioning and combing, as well as overnight masks. Now, I use just three products and my hair has never been better. If you’ve dived head first into better haircare but your hair isn’t getting happier – or is actively getting worse – you’re not going crazy. There are many things that can go wrong when we’re, quite frankly, doing too much.
Product build-up
Lavishing your hair in decadent products? According to Jennie Roberts, SheaMoisture’s afro hair specialist, ‘Using an excessive amount of hair products, such as conditioners or leave-in treatments, without properly rinsing them out can result in product build-up. This can make your hair appear dull and weighed down.’ Trichologist Hannah Gaboardi adds that this build-up ‘can clog hair follicles and disrupt the natural balance of the scalp, potentially leading to scalp irritation, dandruff, or even hair loss’. Far from ideal.
Moisture overload vs protein overload
Yes, because you can have too much of either, which disrupts their vital balance. Excessive conditioning can lead to a moisture overload, which Roberts says can ‘weigh down your hair and make it look lifeless and [like it’s] lacking volume’. The extreme softness can leave hair feeling ‘mushy’, more susceptible to breakage and result in a loss of curl pattern. A protein overload is on the other end of the spectrum, and can result in dry, brittle hair that’s prone t
