TikTok has proven to be an endless source of self-care hacks ranging from makeup tips to homemade shampoos claiming to offer an array of benefits from clear skin to thicker hair. However, some trends may cause more damage than anything else as Superdrug experts cautioned against the newest haircare recipe taking over the social media app.
Hair cycling has been hailed as the cure to a number of hair-related ailments like hair loss, dandruff and greasy locks. It works by rotating hair care products, usually in five-day cycles, to account for changing needs on your scalp due to pollution, hormones and weather.
However, Dr Matee Rajput, the UK’s leading celebrity hair surgical director, warned this has a hidden downside for your overall hair health: ‘There is no evidence to suggest that this trend helps improve hair growth or prevents hair loss and involves using a diverse array of chemicals on your scalp.
‘The continuous changing between multiple products on a regular basis could lead to scalp irritation,’ he added. This irritation can hinder hair growth, create inflammation, damage hair follicles and interfere with new follicle growth.
Some other trends Dr Rajput urged people to avoid, fearing damage or disappointing results, include the rice water rinse, glycolic acid, cryotherapy scalp treatments and egg yolk hair masks. He also advised against techniques like washing and applying products with your head inverted, applying onion juice on the scalp and scalp guasha which is a flat tool scrapped against the scalp.
It’s not all bad news though as the expert pointed out that some viral hacks and tricks are either harmless or do actually deliver on their promises. One such trend is the apple cider rinse, which advises rinsing the hair through with apple cider to reduce dandruff, support hair growth and balance the pH levels on your scalp.
Dr Rajput admitted it might not actually fulfill all these promises and while he wouldn’t personally recommend it to clients, he added: ‘It also wouldn’t be harmful if someone were to use this method.”
A few TikTok trends he did invite people to try included using rosemary water to reduce hair loss, rosemary oil to stimulate hair growth, castor oil to reduce split ends and dermarolling. While the expert was against hair cycling, he offered an alternative with hair slugging, when the hair is loaded with a lot of product to lock in moisture and hydration.