Hair Care is the New Skin Care
Exfoliants, primers, and BB creams are now available for hair, too. (Photo: Arthur Belebeau/Trunk Archive)
Remember the days when a skin care routine consisted of soap, water, and lotion? Now we’re in an era of limitless options — micellar waters, primers, BB creams, toners, serums, exfoliants, masks, peels — and cures for ailments you didn’t even know you had. The hair care industry is following suit, naming products with a familiar lexicon — serums, exfoliants, SPF, priming mists — and firmly position hair care as the new skin care. “This, in part, is due to the abandonment of styling in favor of wash and wear natural textures,” explains Benjamin Mohapi, a stylist and founder of the Los Angeles salons, Benjamin with Negin Zand. “Given that people are not doing much to their hair, it’s really, really important that the raw natural ingredient, i.e. the hair, is in a great place to start with.”
Aside from incorporating nourishing ingredients (see BB creams), we can also pinpoint a personalized routine (like a custom skin care regimens) to achieve well-behaved, lustrous hair and ultimately, more perfect hair days, no matter what kind of hair we’re working with.
The sheer volume of new hair care categories that dupe skin care steps can feel overwhelming, but our pros insist we don’t need to adopt a K-beauty-like, 12-step regimen to reap the benefits. In fact, some of the latest concoctions offer a newfound simplicity. “I love that the technology of hair products have advanced in such huge ways and that there are now moisturizers and nourishing ingredients in styling products,” says celebrity hairstylist Mark Townsend.
To help drill down on what, exactly, these serums, moisturizing oils, mists, BBs, and more do — and find your best hair color-extending, health optimizing, and efficient styling tools — we corralled the advice of the leading hair care pros.
Pre-cleanse
Pre-cleansing the skin, or washing the face with an oil cleanser before following with a cream cleanser, is a staple in Korean beauty regimens and increasingly, Stateside, too. The concept is also being used to help us clean without stripping hair of moisture. “These are products to repair hair before you shampoo and can be applied on dirty hair,” notes Kattia Solano, hair stylist for fashion shows like Ralph Lauren and owner of New York’s Butterfly Studio Salon.
Leonor Greyl L’Huile De Leonor Greyl Pre Shampoo Oil Treatment ($59)
This floral-scented tonic is made to coat the hairs, protecting it from chlorine and sea water when swimming. Unfortunately, our time clocked in the shower eclipses pool and beach time. But after applying the oil to our dry, dirty hair, stepping into the shower and shampooing, our typically knotty hair was shockingly easy to comb through.
Sundari Neem and Coconut Hair Treatment Oil ($40)
We’re all for protecting our hair against heat styling, but some products applied seconds before straightening or curling tend to flake with heat, making us appear as if we have dandruff. This heat protectant treatment is applied to scalp and hair as a pre-shampoo treatment. After stepping out of the shower, hair is hydrated and ready for its styling session.
Dr. Alkaitis Organic Nourishing Treatment Oil ($90)
This botanical blend of cold-pressed organic oils and ethically-sourced wild herbs works for hair, body and face. Massage onto scalp and into hair and leave to act for 20 minutes for a deep nourishing treatment. After shampooing, hair is ultra soft and grease-free. Or, after heating a few drops in palms, use it to smooth flyaways, then rub the excess onto the tops of hands for extra hydration.
Exfoliating and hydrating scalp treatments
It makes sense to exfoliate skin on our face to buff away dead skin cells and brighten the complexion. But if we can’t see the skin on our scalp, then what’s the use of exfoliating that section of skin? The short answer: “Exfoliators are good for someone with product build-up in the scalp or dry scalp,” notes Solano. “They can be good for oily scalp, too, because it helps balance scalp and promote healthy hair.” Finally, sweeping away dead cells and product buildup can make hair appear more voluminous.
Uka Scalp Cleansing Deep and Light ($36)
The problem with many scalp exfoliators? They’re bottled like shampoos, making it hard to target the scalp only. This exfoliator features a tipped applicator for better control. The gel lightly foams with massage, leaving the scalp feeling clean and roots with more lift.
Restorsea Revitalizing Scalp Treatment ($150)
Like exfoliators for the face, this treatment is made to remove dead skin cells and excess oil on the scalp. This one has a light consistency and the spray-on treatment requires no lathering or rinsing to do its thing.
Aveda Invati Scalp Revitalizer ($60)
Most products marketed to combat thinning hair are pumped full of chemicals. This scalp treatment — which has a loyal following of fans that tout its success — uses an herbal formula of turmeric and ginseng to help slow hair loss and increase volume.
Shankara Hair and Scalp Oil ($42)
This ayurvedic blend of oils (which includes avocado oil; jojoba oil; vitamin E) is balanced to match the skin’s pH and carries a refreshingly androgynous scent. It can be used as a smoothing oil on split ends or as a deep scalp treatment, geared to stimulate hair growth.
Masks
Perhaps the most familiar of the hair-as-skin care products category, masks are a godsend after deeply-damaging hair adventures (i.e. when a Kardashian goes blonde). These deep treatments may take up to 20 minutes to work, but they can clock some serious hair repair, too. No time to stand idle in the shower? Solano offers this pro tip: “If your hair needs more moisture, apply a mask on dirty hair and put into a bun before a workout, then wash later in the day.”
Unite U Luxury Intense Mask ($72)
This ultra-rich mask is good in a crisis: It nurses damaged hair back to life by employing antioxidants, crushed pearl, white honey and argan oil. Not sure where to apply your mask? Solano suggest making a ponytail. Look to the free-falling hair as the section where the mask should be applied.
Rene Furterer Solaire Nourishing Repair Mask ($24)
After hours in salt water, our hair was not only tangled, but dull and dry. This lightweight mask, which comes in a shower-friendly tube, helps restore your hair’s condition in just five minutes time.
Serums
Like serums for the face, hair serums give strands a nourishing boost and are designed to target every type of hair need — from defrizzing to extending the life of color. “Hair serums have come such a long way,” notes Townsend — the guy responsible for Ashley, Mary-Kate and Elizabeth Olsens’ enviable hair. “The new ones aren’t like those heavy silicones from the ‘90s that left the hair looking greasy.” Since most serums are oil-based, Solano suggests applying a small amount from the mid-shaft to the ends, adding more if needed. “Serums serve as a leave-in conditioning treatment to hydrate,” she says. “They complement a blow dry and make your hair feel smooth and shiny.”
Davines Minu Hair Serum ($35)
This lightweight serum, designed to help extend a dye-job’s life, made our hair shinier while fragrancing tresses with the faint scent of orange blossoms.
Matrix Oil Wonders Shaping Oil Cream ($20)
The double helix of styling cream suspended in nourishing hair oil reminds us of some of our favorite cream-meets-oil serums, but tames and hydrates hair instead.
TRESemme Keratin Smooth Crème Serum ($6)
“A serum is a must for someone with thick coarse hair because it helps with conditioning and makes it easier to blow dry,” notes Solano. This creamy serum works particularly well with thick hair and to control cold-weather frizz and static.
Kiehl’s Silk Groom Serum ($18)
This no-fuss, oil-based serum helps smooth the hair shaft without perfuming the hair with an overwhelming bouquet.
Hair oils
Hot oil treatments have been enlisted to create frizz-free curls for decades. But today’s hair oils are made to follow the facial oil trend, with a blend for every hair type and concern. Use them to help hydrate strands, tame flyaways — and yes, upgrade curls. For best results, Solano says to apply oils from mid-shaft to ends, concentrating where hair is most unruly. “If someone has an extremely dry scalp, you can apply it to that area and rub it in as a moisturizer to the scalp,” she adds. Like with face oils, to prevent grease overload, keep doses to just a few drops.
Ojon Rare Blend Rejuvenating Therapy Hair Oil ($35)
Oils tend to weigh fine hair down. But a few conservative drops of this ultra-light version kept our straight strands feeling light and looking shiny, not greasy.
Marula Intensive Hair Treatment and Styling Oil ($46)
This hair oil formulated for coarse and thick hair uses its namesake marula oil not only to tame frizziness, but to nourish the hair from the inside out; marula’s fatty acids, (oleic acid) are small enough to penetrate the hair shaft and hydrate from within, rather than just coating the exterior with shine.
Sally Hershberger 24K Golden Touch Nourishing Dry Oil ($42)
“Dry oils can be used throughout the day for touch-ups without weighing the hair down,” says Townsend, who likes these formulas for their ability to dry quickly. This formula can be used as a heat shield or to add shine to coarse hair.
Verb Ghost Oil ($14)
“Oils are great for moisture and repair,” says Solano. “By giving more moisture to your hair you will give it more shine and control.” This oil, made with a blend of moringa and argan oils, is designed to disappear after application, leaving smooth hair in its wake.
My Beauty Tea Mermaid Beauty Oil ($21)
Maybe it’s the teeny seashell in the bottle or the coconut and pineapple scent, but this oil feels like just the thing to help manage water-worn hair during our next tropical vacay.
BB creams or Beauty Balms
Beauty Balms or BB creams did wonders to streamline our AM routines by marrying the best of skin care with base makeup. Now, hair care lines are producing similar beauty balms to tackle a host of hair problems in one shot. “BB and CC creams [for the hair] are good for someone who doesn’t like to put product in their hair because they have great benefits and are super light,” says Solano.
O&M Project Sukuroi Gold Smoothing Balm ($40)
This multitasking balm is the hair’s version of a BB; it uses gold oil, keratin, and macadamia nut oil to soften, smooth, and add shine to hair while serving as a styling product as well.
Dove Youthful Vitality Silk Crème ($6)
Marketed as a BB cream for hair outside the US, this formula adds body and moisture while taming frizz and protecting from the heat of styling tools. “I always keep this creme in my pocket on photo shoots for touch-ups because it gives the hair amazing shine and it’s conditioning it at the same time,” says Townsend. “I add a few drops to damp curly hair and let the hair dry naturally to keep curls defined without feeling crunchy.”
Rahua Finishing Treatment ($45)
This split-end mender is chock full of antioxidants and oils to permeate the shaft and moisturize from within. It gave our hair a naturally healthy finish, without superficial shine when we applied it to wet or dry hair.
Sunscreen
True, there’s no medical reason to protect hair from UV light — it’s not a living part of the body and isn’t susceptible to cancer. But as a 2008 study shows, excessive sun exposure degrades protein and pigment in the hair shaft, which means the sun can strip your color. By protecting the outermost part of the hair shaft with UV filters, we can keep hair color from fading. “Any time you can put something between yourself and the harsh rays, you’ll be better off,” says Mohapi.
Oribe Après Beach Wave and Shine Spray ($39)
This microfine salt spray not only gives hair the beach-y texture of an ocean dip, it’s formulated to protect hair color from the sun.
Phyto Phytoplage Protective Sun Veil ($30)
This light spray not only makes our hair feel soft, it’s equipped with UV filters to help keep colored hair looking bright.
Hair mists
We often use face mists or hydrosols to refresh skin, help add a little moisture to the face, and set makeup. With their light formulations and superfine-gauge sprays, mists for the hair endeavor to do similar tasks. Some are formulated to extend the life of a hairstyle (perfect for bridal ‘dos and from-work-to-happy hour scenarios), while others are geared to prime hair for styling.
Keranique Lift and Repair Treatment Spray ($20)
Overdue for a haircut? This peppermint-spiked spray is designed to mend split ends and can also be used as a styling primer to boot.
Natu Reviving Hair Mist ($15)
This lightweight mist, made with 99% natural ingredients, delivers a light shot of hydration while serving as a little pick-me-up for styled hair.
OGX Moisture +Vitamin B5 Weightless Oil Mist ($8)
As Solano points out, those with naturally curly hair often mist their hair with water between shampoos. “But primer mists are often better options because they add more moisture and hydration to the hair than water,” she says. Spray this sweetly-scented hair mist on wet hair from roots to ends before hair drying to hydrate and help control curls.
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