What does your everyday haircare routine look like? For most, it used to be a quick shampoo and rinse before applying a dollop of conditioner through mid-lengths to ends. Yet now, according to sales figures, lots of us are adding in serums, toners, oils, masks and even scrubs to our hair-washing regime.
Why? In the past couple of years, haircare experts have been focusing on the scalp. Now, a new generation of sophisticated products specifically formulated to treat the skin on our heads have hit the market. Cult Beauty has noticed significant growth in the haircare category, with sales of scalp treatments up a whopping 421% year on year. ‘Consumers understand that the skin on their forehead doesn’t stop at the hairline,’ says Alexia Inge, co-founder of Cult Beauty, ‘we are all skintellectuals now, but we’re looking to become expert tricologistas!’
The thing is – hair is dead. You can make it appear healthy, but you can’t actually make it healthy, except for down at the root’
Jumping on the ‘skinification’ of haircare, skincare brands like The Inkey List, Drunk Elephant, Grow Gorgeous and Dr Barbara Sturm have all recently expanded their remit to formulate scalp-savvy staples. ‘My haircare line is really all about the scalp, and that’s a direct extension of the same skin-first philosophy that has resonated so well with my customer,’ says Tiffany Masterson, founder of Drunk Elephant. ‘The focus of the haircare industry seemed to be all about making hair smoother, shinier and nicely scented. But the thing is – hair is dead. You can make it appear healthy, but you can’t actually make it healthy, except for down at the root.’
Why Is It Important To Treat Your Scalp?
‘Your scalp is the bedrock of your hair follicles,’ adds Anabel Kingsley, consultant trichologist and brand president at Philip Kingsley. ‘If you think of each hair as a flower, and your scalp as the soil supporting it, it makes complete sense to nourish and care for your scalp.’ And this applies to every scalp – whether it’s dry, irritated, or generally happy. The scalp is just an extension of our skin. ‘It sweats, secretes sebum and sheds dead skin cells,’ says Anabel. ‘It also faces daily attacks from our environment and lifestyle so can easily become unbalanced.’
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