>
First, the body became the new face of beauty obsessions, and now it’s our hair’s turn.
‘Deskinification of hair’ is a phrase that will make you think: ‘Hmm, sensible: our scalps are skin too, and hair, being dead, needs all the help it can get’, or ‘Gods, what a new neurosis. It is this? Isn’t life complicated enough?
Still, displaying novelties like masks, tools, and facial ingredients on our heads is becoming a daily ritual for legions of British women.
In fact, so-called ‘above forehead skincare’ is now such a phenomenon that John Lewis featured it as a key phenomenon in his 2023 trends report.
Tomas Warwick, beauty buying leader at John Lewis, tells me, “Since we began to view scalp care as an extension of our skin care, we’ve seen customers invest in products that include bond, scrubs, masks, and oils, which means our hair care regimen has become just as important as skin care.
“Bond-building brand Olaplex is up 63 percent in 2022, while sales of A-list favorite Ouai have skyrocketed 112 percent.”
It used to be that hair care was similar to makeup: it was only used to transform your appearance. Now it’s more like skincare in that it tries to tackle problems at the root. But do you really need a head routine in addition to your facial?
Once, I was firmly of the ‘life is too short’ camp. In fact, I asked top stylist Andreas Wild what I could do to improve my hair. He held up a straight lock and said deadpan: ‘Brush it?’
‘Deskinification of hair’ is a phrase that will make you think: ‘Hmm, sensible: our scalps are skin too, and hair, being dead, needs all the help it can get’, or ‘Gods, what a new neurosis. It is this? Isn’t life complicated enough?
This was a fair policeman. I washed my hair, conditioned it, then left it alone, without even drying it. I judged the shampoo and conditioner for their ability to make my hair slick without any effort. He was also of the opinion that when it comes to the scalp, if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it, or at least don’t irritate it, since irritation is the cause of dandruff. Less is more and all that.
Then YouTube started providing me with historical guides on hair care, having discovered that I’m now so old I’m practically Victorian. And I realized that this ‘deskinification of hair’ is not new. Our grandmothers always used whatever ‘technology’ was available to them to nurture their crowning glories as much, if not more, than their complexions, with clay, eggs, vinegar, oils and boar bristle brushes.
I then saw my goddaughter, Bea, who told me that after she started rubbing her scalp, her hair had grown several inches longer than she had been able to reach before.
Suddenly this made perfect sense. Not only was I removing dead skin and product buildup, but I was also increasing circulation in the tiny blood vessels at the base of each follicle, which stimulates growth.
Bea’s top product is Umberto Giannini Grow Scrub Scalp Scrub (£9.95, boots.com). In fact, it rates the brand’s entire growing range, most of which is contained in its Grow Long Kit (£37.66).
Bea also massages in rosemary oil as an added growth accelerator, and washes it out the next day.
Could this two-pronged approach work on an old man with fine hair? I went to work with Fable & Mane SahaScalp Wild Ginger Purifying Scrub (£30, cultbeauty.co.uk) because it smells divine.
I then anointed my scalp with the TikTok phenomenon Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil (£10.99, superdrug.com). Like all Mielle products, this natural fusion of 30 essential oils and nutrients, including biotin, was designed for black people with textured hair, but it works on all hair types if used sparingly.
I added some Grow Gorgeous Hair Growth Serum Intense (£28 for 30ml, growgorgeous.co.uk), a best-selling formula packed with hyaluronic acid and caffeine that’s been shown to increase hair thickness by up to 13 per cent in a month. . I slept in a slippery fragrant heap, then applied Viviscal Densifying Gorgeous Growth Shampoo and Conditioner (£6.69 each, viviscal.co.uk) to wash it all off in the morning.
Not only did I really enjoy it, but once dry my hair immediately looked longer. And this was not simply my imagination, others commented on it.
Had my traditionally stiff scalp relaxed a bit? Either way, I am looking forward to my next hair care session.
my icon of the week
The 57-year-old singer exfoliates daily, uses a vitamin C complex and uses sunscreen to protect her skin from the signs of aging. She absolutely loves Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil (now £48.80 for 30ml, boots.com), using it under moisturizer and as a make-up remover. ‘She brings color to my face and leaves it feeling lovely. I gave several at Christmas, gotta share the love,’ she says.
cosmetic craving
I’m not sure why I’ve never tried The Body Shop Chamomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter (£12 for 90ml, thebodyshop.com), as it’s a budget bestseller with billions of five-star reviews.
Actually, I know exactly why: I tend to pour whatever cup of chamomile tea I’m served into a pot. More fool me, because this is fantastic. The flexible balm spreads on a cleansing oil that removes eye makeup and leaves skin gently nourished.
It’s vegan and cruelty-free, and a little goes a long way. Reviewers consider it not just the best budget cleaner, but the best all-around cleaner. They have a point.