The ‘Hair Cycling’ Trend – Can It Really Give You Shinier, Healthier-Looking Hair?
While you might have heard of skin cycling, hair cycling isn’t quite as common. However, with the skincare version holding some serious merit, is hair cycling worth exploring too? Keep reading as HerStyler takes a deep dive into the hair cycling trend to discover whether or not it could really give you shinier and healthier-looking hair.
What is Hair Cycling?
Just like skin cycling, hair cycling is nothing new. Professionals have been recommending it for years! However, thanks to becoming a social media buzzword, people are finally starting to pay attention to the concept.
Hair cycling is when you alternate the hair care products that you use, as opposed to using the same products on your hair each time. The ultimate purpose of this is to create a routine that’s fully tailored to your hair’s own unique needs. By regularly switching up your products, you’ll be able to ensure that your hair care routine is as effective as possible.
Of course, just like skin cycling, hair cycling also involves rest days. These give your locks a break from hair products, allowing them to naturally recover from any damage they’ve encountered. It also gives your hair’s natural oils a chance to flourish without being suppressed/washed away. These oils give your shine and protection.
The Benefits of Hair Cycling
We’ve already touched upon some of the benefits of hair cycling above, but let’s take a closer look at what you could experience if you decide to give hair cycling a try:
- Allows you to address each individual hair concern you have since you’ll be using a bigger variety of hair care products.
- Gives your hair’s sebum some time to balance out.
- Helps to prevent product buildup and scalp irritation.
- Can help to promote hair growth.
- Can actually simplify and speed up your hair care routine as you’ll be alternating your use of different products instead of using them all in one go.
- Makes it easy to adjust your routine to cater to changes in the environment, your hormones, the seasons, and more.
Who is the Hair Cycling Trend for?
While anyone can give hair cycling a try, this trend is best suited to those who currently wash their hair a few times a week. It’s also a great solution for people who are struggling with multiple hair concerns. For example, if you have color-treated hair that’s dry and frizzy, alternating the products that you use will allow you to effectively preserve your color while also targeting the dryness, instead of overloading your hair with all of those products all at once.
How to Put Together a Hair Cycling Routine
With skin cycling, there’s a generic four-day cycle that’s followed. However, hair cycling is a little different since, unlike skincare, most people don’t wash their locks every day. This means that there’s no set hair cycling routine to follow – you’ll need to put one together based on your own hair care habits. Here’s how:
Start With Your Base Texture
While you could dive into hair cycling straight away, it’s much easier to see results when you begin with a clean slate. This means taking your hair back to its base texture.
How do you do this? By avoiding any hair products, other than your shampoo and conditioner, for at least a couple of weeks. Sometimes, dryness is caused by using drying hair products, such as hairsprays, whereas greasiness can be attributed to formulas containing oil-boosting ingredients. Giving up all of those extra products for a few weeks will give you an accurate representation of what you’re actually dealing with. This then makes it much easier to identify exactly which products you need to include in your hair cycling routine.
Put Together a Trio of Basics
The easiest way to get started with hair cycling is to put together a trio of basic products. The first two should be a shampoo and conditioner. Pick formulas that are designed for your hair type, avoiding any products that contain harsh or damaging ingredients.
The third product in your trio should ideally be some sort of leave-in product that addresses your most concerning hair problem. Say, for example, you’re worried about dryness and damage. A hydrating hair serum, like the HerStyler Castor Oil Hair Serum, would be a great addition to your routine. It can be used on damp hair, after your hair has been washed and conditioned, but can also be applied to dry hair to help seal the look of frayed ends and calm the appearance of frizz.
Pick a Few Alternatives
Now that you’ve chosen your trio of basics, it’s time to think about alternatives. This essentially means that you’ll be swapping one or more of your basics for a different product every other time you care for your hair.
Shampoo Alternatives
Let’s start with your shampoo. A regular, moisturizing shampoo would be a good fit for just about everyone. However, if you have color-treated hair, you may want to alternate your regular shampoo with a purple shampoo to help maintain your shade. You may also want to replace those with a clarifying shampoo every once in a while to ensure that you’re regularly clearing away buildup.
Conditioner Alternatives
When it comes to your conditioner, hair masks can make great alternatives. They’re often more intense than a regular conditioner, which can be a game-changer for anyone with locks that need some extra TLC. The HerStyler Argan Oil Hair Mask would be a good choice thanks to its ultra-moisturizing properties. Suitable for all hair types, this non-greasy mask is packed with hair-loving ingredients. From panthenol and sodium hyaluronate to a blend of hydrating plant oils, it leaves hair looking softer and shinier after every use.
Leave-in Product Alternatives
In terms of an alternative for your leave-in product, think about what your hair really needs. Again, if it could do with a richer formula than a hair serum every once in a while, you may want to cycle your serum with a leave-in conditioning cream or a hair oil.
Scalp Treatments
Scalp treatments can also be included in your hair cycling routine. There are plenty of different scalp products out there, so you could even cycle between a couple of these. For example, week one could see you using an exfoliating scalp treatment, followed by a moisturizing formula on week two, after which you then return to the exfoliating product on week three.
Implement Rest Days
Rest days are a very important part of hair cycling. Not only should you avoid shampooing/conditioning your hair on these days but you should also refrain from applying any styling products or using heat on your strands. Other than brushing your hair, you should ideally be leaving your locks alone on their rest days.
How many rest days do you need? This all depends on how often you usually wash/condition your hair. For those who do so every other day, one rest day in between would be sufficient. However, if you can stretch this out to two rest days, you may notice an even bigger improvement in your locks.
Keep Your Styling Plans in Mind
When choosing which products to use in your various hair cycles, you’ll need to keep your styling plans in mind. After all, the products that you apply can sometimes have a big impact on how you’re able to style your hair. For example, if you apply a very rich leave-in conditioner to your strands, which weighs your hair down a bit, you may struggle to achieve the bouncy blowout that you’re seeking. A lighter leave-in product, like the HerStyler Advanced Argan Oil Hair Serum, would be a better alternative for those days.
If you plan on heat styling, then your hair cycling routine for that day will also need to include a heat protectant. Again, many hair serums, including the HerStyler Evolution Argan Oil Hair Serum, do this well. In fact, argan oil has been proven in various studies to help keep the hair feeling well-protected against heat damage.
You may also want to cycle in a hair care product for after your hair has been styled. The HerStyler Argan Oil Hair Spray, for example, will help to give your freshly-styled hair some extra shine. It’s a very multi-functional product so can also be used as a heat protectant before you style your hair. It’s filled with hydrating plant oils and extracts that your hair will love!
Seasonal Hair Cycling
If switching up your hair care routine every couple of days sounds like too much hassle for you, you could also consider seasonal hair cycling. With this, instead of using different products each time, you stick with the same products for a few months but then cycle different formulas in as the seasons start to change.
Why do the seasons matter? Because your hair’s needs change with the seasons. During the summer, your scalp produces more sebum. This helps to keep your hair better moisturized naturally. This means that you won’t need such rich conditioning products. Instead, cycle them out in favor of lighter formulas that won’t weigh your strands down.
In the winter, however, everything gets much drier. The colder months call for thicker hair care products to keep moisture loss to a minimum. Cycle out your summer formulas and replace them with winter-friendly hair care products to keep your locks looking their very best.
Is the Hair Cycling Trend Worth Trying?
When it comes down to it, yes, the hair cycling trend is well worth trying! As mentioned earlier, alternating hair care products is something that the experts have always recommended due to the many benefits that this technique provides. Give it a try for yourself and you should soon notice that your hair starts to look much healthier and happier!
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