Thanks to TikTok the concept of ‘hair training’ has gone viral – stretching out the time between hair wash days as much as possible (some as long as a month!) in the hopes of ‘training’ your hair to clean itself and produce less oil so you no longer have to endure greasy roots. But is ‘hair training’ an effective method or just another internet trend that we’ll learn to regret?
CENTRED. Creative Director and hairstylist Kieran Tudor says,
There is some reasoning behind the idea of ‘hair training’ – over washing and using sulphate filled shampoos can strip the hair and scalp of its natural oils, which creates a greasy hair cycle. A dry, parched scalp will overproduce oil to compensate for the moisture it is lacking, which causes the hair to become visibly greasy more quickly, creating the need to wash more regularly.
However, I would never recommend not washing your hair for more than one week. There must be balance between not stripping the scalp but also making sure you remove any dirt, sweat, dead skin cells and product build up. Your scalp, where your hair follicle live, is just an extension of your skin, so without properly cleansing it, you won’t be able to grow strong, healthy, beautiful hair. Rather than forgoing hair washing for a month, these two simple steps will help rebalance your scalp’s moisture levels, whilst keeping your hair strong and healthy.
1. Use a gentle, sulphate free cleanser such as CENTRED. Daily Calma Shampoo (£22 / 250ml)
- This coconut derived, sulphate free, repairing shampoo develops a rich, luxurious lather, which gently cleanses the hair whilst protecting its natural lipid layer and maintaining the scalp’s oil balance
- The gentle, calming formula works to replenish lost moisture whilst being packed with aloe vera and chamomile, which are naturally healing, reduces inflammation, and soothes the scalp and hair.
- Enriched with orange blossom water to naturally smooth the hair fibre increasing shine and suppleness, and amino acid proteins that promote strength and protect from future damage
2. Stretch out ‘wash days’ using a scalp treatment such as CENTRED. En- Root Scalp Treatment (£36 / 100ml)
- Like a facial for your scalp, this oil, free from silicones and sulphates, exfoliates, deeply cleanses, stimulates hair growth, and rebalances the hair and scalp’s moisture levels.
- Salicylic Acid helps to slough away dead skin cells and product build up and unclogs pores, whilst Tea Tree Essential Oil provides powerful antifungal, antiseptic, and cleansing and exfoliating properties.
- A blend of Rosemary and Peppermint Essential Oils stimulates blood flow to the hair follicles and encourages cell regeneration to maximise hair growth potential.
- A deeply nourishing blend of Olive, Argan and Hemp oils replenish moisture to dry brittle hair and rebalance moisture levels.
- Apply directly to a dry scalp and leave for 20 minutes - 2 hours before rinsing