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Hair routines are the center of attention among TikTok users, who seem to have made haircare a priority for 2023. So it's no surprise that each week brings new tips for dealing with dull, greasy hair or locks lacking in vitality. The latest trend is to adopt a minimalist routine adapted to the specific needs of your hair at any given time. Here's how it works.
Hair routines are the center of attention among TikTok users, who seem to have made haircare a priority for 2023. So it's no surprise that each week brings new tips for dealing with dull, greasy hair or locks lacking in vitality. The latest trend is to adopt a minimalist routine adapted to the specific needs of your hair at any given time. Here's how it works.
Faced with the success of 'skin cycling' last summer, TikTokers have built on the method popularized by the renowned New York dermatologist, Dr. Whitney Bowe, by expanding it to the rest of the body. And hair is no exception. For a few weeks now, users of the Chinese social network have been raving about 'hair cycling,' a new kind of hair routine modelled from A to Z on the technique that's already proved effective for skin. It's all about adapting your haircare to the needs of your hair, for each wash, in order to give it all the active ingredients it needs to be shiny and healthy. A program that, despite its high cost, has already found many fans on planet TikTok.
To better understand 'hair cycling,' let's start by explaining the concept behind its forerunner, 'skin cycling.' This method, which has been favored by Dr. Whitney Bowe's clinic for many years, consists of alternating treatments and recovery periods to let the skin breathe. More precisely, it involves devoting one night to exfoliation, then one night to retinoids, followed by two consecutive nights of recovery. This ritual is supposed to enhance the skin, and help protect it from external aggression. It has already scored more than 250 million views on the Chinese social network. And, as we've seen, it has given rise to similar spin-off beauty routines for other parts of the body.
Detox, repair, hydrate
'Hair cycling' works in more or less the same way, except that there is no specific recovery period. However, it is essential not to wash your hair every day, which is far too damaging. Instead, stick to two or three haircare routines per week, at most. All of which sounds pretty simple, at first glance, anyway. Because the interest of this technique lies in the products used on these haircare days, which must systematically change. The idea is to not use the same product -- the shampoo in particular -- in order to target not one but several specific needs.
In their videos, users point out that your styling products can be the same, but that it's necessary to change shampoo and conditioner for each of the week's routines. It's best to start with a deep, even detoxifying cleanse to remove dirt and residue, then focus on repairing damage to the hair fiber. For the third wash, moisturizing should be the priority. This is an essential step before starting the process over and again. All this should obviously be tailored to the nature of your hair and its specific needs. The products, no matter what order of rotation you choose, can -- and should -- evolve over time and with the seasons, just like the needs of each individual.
Evidently, this approach is not the most affordable, but it supposedly helps target all our different hair problems over the weeks. This is something that TikTokers do not take lightly, as evidenced by the major trend of the year, 'skinification,' which is about adopting the same kind of beauty routine for your hair as for your skin. All of which puts haircare firmly in the spotlight for 2023.
