Let’s talk Hair Moisturiser

I’m going to try and answers some of the many questions asked by the majority of our clients – “what’s the best way to moisturise my hair?” “Is a mask better than a leave in conditioner?” “What ingredients should I be using?” What’s the benefits of buying a salon professional brand?”

The list is endless. It’s hard to make sense of what’s right for your hair with so many options on the table. As professionals we always try to advise with an open mind, not everyone wants to invest in a good salon brand but the reasons we use these products are for your hairs benefit, they are formulated with the right ingredients to care and support your hair whatever the needs are.

By sharing some of our top tips for keeping your hair healthy & moisturised, which ingredients to look out for when buying a product and some salon techniques you can use at home to help keep your hair soft, shiny, and supple, I hope it will aid you in your hair struggles.

Firstly, let’s talk ingredients

Moisturising hair completely depends on the product formulations you use. When looking at the ingredient list on the back of your products (that is if you can see them without having to use a microscope to even see the words, as they are so small) try to keep these things in mind:

Ingredients to avoid

Sulfates – used primarily as a foaming agent, it combines with water to disperse grease from the hair, enabling it to wash away. A frothy lather may seem the norm but, unfortunately, the foamy bubbles could be what’s keeping moisture out of your hair fibers and can be extremely drying for the hair and scalp. Sulfates and are also known to cause hair to frizz, creating a negative electrical charge when it contacts the hair, you don’t realise this until after you have shampooed and dried your hair, leaving you dashing for the straighteners to fix it, in turn causing more dryness.

(When looking at the ingredient list, try avoiding products with words like “Sodium Lauryl Sulfate” and “Sodium Laureth Sulfate.” Oh and a few others to look out for that are not ideal - Isopropyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Parabens, Formaldehyde)

Although the breakdown of oil is needed, there are many free from shampoos out there that will do the same job without the other issues caused, you should expect a different feel from a Sulfate Free shampoo, as they don’t lather up as much, if you find this then all you need to do is add more water to help foam up rather than more shampoo and repeat if needed.

Ingredients that are good - Humectants, Emollients and Occlusives

Humectants are lightweight ingredients and are ideal for fine, low porosity hair, and oily scalps, as they won’t leave a greasy residue behind. Water-loving humectants reach under the hair cuticle to hydrate the fibres from the inside out. Two options include Aloe Vera and Glycerin, which may appear in products specifically formulated for lightweight moisturising.

If your hair is on the drier side and is of a higher porosity, you’ll have better luck with Emollients and Occlusives. These form a protective film on the cuticle and help to prevent moisture loss and tend to be thicker and heavier in consistency. They are a perfect match with curly hair types which typically require a lot of hydration. Coconut oil, shea butter, and sweet almond oil are perfect ingredients for moisturising your thick locks.

When buying your next shampoo and conditioner some of the key words to look for are - Deep conditioning, Hydrating, Replenishing, Anti-frizz, Shine and the main one Moisturising. It may seem obvious but many think of moisturising as heavy and may think you don’t need it, but I can assure you, all hair that has had some form of chemical treatment or has cosmetic damage form hot tools will need moisture. Products with these key words are all good indicators your shampoo and conditioner are specifically formulated to feed your fibres from within.

If you’re unsure as to what are the best products to use, ask your stylist for help and advice, whichever brand they use I can assure you they will all look after your unique hair needs.

Our choice of salon professional range is milk_shake which makes the most of the benefits of natural, organic ingredients and offers solutions for all hair types. Using fruit and milk protein to maintain and nourish hair, we find the lightweight feel of the products help give in-salon results at home.

HQ’s top tip - A good way to test your hair to see if you need moisture is, if you gently stretch one single hair and it stays rigid and doesn’t bounce back then you definitely need Moisture, if it stretches and is slightly spring like then you need protein.