Simone Gannon: Fuss-free haircare uses the same ingredients we put on our skin

Niacinamide, Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid and Hyaluronic Acid, to name a few, are no longer reserved for just your face but your hair and scalp, too

Thu, 19 Jan, 2023 - 15:05

Simone Gannon

Thanks to powerful haircare ingredients, a new era of scalp-loving, strengthening, glossing and densifying has arrived.

FUSS-FREE MULTI-TASKING PRODUCTS

1. Bread Beauty Supply Macadamia Oil

Haircare has become more sophisticated, more multi-use, and more fuss-free than ever. We’re using products that are not just quick and easy but contain ingredients that are good for our hair, scalp and skin. One of my favourite examples of this is Bread Beauty Supply’s Macadamia Oil. A cold-pressed fragrance-free oil containing squalene and essential fatty acids, this leave-in treatment replenishes the hair, deeply hydrates and smooths, and adds beautiful shine. Use it on its own, with your favourite mask or conditioner, or on your skin.

€29 from Space NK.

OVERNIGHT REPAIRING TREATMENTS

2. Joico Defy Damage Sleepover Overnight Nourishing Treatment

Love easy overnight masks that repair and hydrate your skin while you sleep? You can do the same for your hair with Joico Defy Damage Sleepover Treatment. A zero-effort bedtime bond strengthener, this hydrates, repairs, nourishes and boosts the overall health of your hair with its potent Vitamin A and E led formula. No more hopping around the shower waiting 15 minutes for a mask to do its thing. Simply apply to your tresses the night before hair wash day, hop into bed and get ready to rise and shine the next morning (literally).

€24.50 for 100ml. Available from beautybag.ie

HAIR VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS

3. Perfectil Hair Crush Gummies

Nourish your mane from the inside out with supplements explicitly created for hair and scalp health. Look for ingredients like Biotin, Zinc and Vitamin C that help to stimulate keratin and collagen production, promote growth and repair, and soothe and hydrate the scalp, among many other benefits. Many brands are leading the way in this category, including Viviscal, Advanced Nutrition Programme and Perfectil. The latter’s hair gummies are particularly appealing as they’re quick and easy to take, and they also support the health of your skin and nails.

€29.99 for a box of 60 gummies. Available from Boots.

SCALP HEALTH

4. La Bonne Brosse The All-Rounder No.1 Hairbrush

Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. Many brands, including Briogeo, Gisou, Kevin Murphy and Ouai, offer products specifically created for your scalp, but did you know blood circulation and scalp stimulation are just as important? Flore De Robert, founder of French hairbrush brand Le Bonne Brosse says ‘the scalp needs good blood circulation to bring the nutrients to the hair bulbs and good stimulation of the skin to ensure a balanced production of sebum needed to protect the hair and give it shine. The best way to do this is through the mechanic of brushing with a good quality brush. It needs to have a rubber cushion for optimal scalp massage, and the fibres need to be very good quality (ideally boar bristles) to ensure it captures sebum at the roots and distribute it all across the fibre.’ And that’s not all. Massage is fantastic for your scalp, too. It helps to release tension and stimulate nerve supply (and it feels fantastic).

€120 from labonnebrosse.com

IN-SALON TREATMENTS

5. Kerastase Fusio Dose

In much the same way you would use a mask or active skin treatment to boost your skin, you can now do the same for your hair with quick in-salon treatments. Kerastase Fusio Dose is one such treatment customised to suit your hair needs. A range of ‘boosters’ is available, including Ceramides to strengthen and brighten and Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate, blended into a custom dose by your stylist. The treatment takes five minutes, and the results last up to five washes. Fusio Dose can be added any time you visit a Kerastase salon.

Prices vary across salons. Visit kerastase.com for more information.

Densifying Treatments

6. Augustinus Bader The Scalp Treatment

Celebrated skincare authorities are making waves when it comes to regenerating and restoring hair and scalp health through targeted treatments, including the one and only Augustinus Bader. Powered by TFC8®, or Trigger Factor Complex, Bader’s unique technology comprised of over 40 ingredients, The Scalp Treatment helps to reduce hair loss and actively promote new growth while volumising existing strands of hair, leaving you with thicker, smoother, healthier hair. Yes, please.