Hair Cycling
About the Trend
Skin cycling has taken over TikTok as a strategic plan to utilize the benefits of active skincare ingredients without causing the skin to become overly irritated. This general four-day cycle creates a skincare plan with a basic structure of remove, repair, and two days of rest that a variety of people, including those with sensitive skin, have been able to implement into their routines!
The same idea can be used within your haircare routine as different products possess a number of qualities that are positive, though may not be the most effective when used with other products or just not necessary to use every day. I’d like to talk you through some products that can be used to create a hair cycle to help you maximize the benefits you’re giving your hair with each wash while keeping it simple and minimizing the damage.
Hair Washes
Wash #1: Cleanse
This may seem like a no-brainer as you clean your hair every time you wash it, right? On wash one of the cycle, we want to ensure that we are removing all product buildup, residue, and dead skin left on the hair and scalp which everyday shampoos don’t always do. Before getting into the shower, massage a hair oil like Bring Balance Organic Argan + Marula Hair Oil into the scalp. Bring Balance is made of just five simple, yet effective ingredients: organic sunflower seed oil, black cumin seed oil, jojoba seed oil, organic argan kernel oil, and marula seed oil. Massaging this product into the scalp will act as a soothing scalp treatment to prevent dryness on the scalp and throughout the hair strands. Leave the oil on the scalp for about 5-10 minutes before rinsing. When rinsing, I recommend using a clarifying shampoo like the Beachwaver Charcoal Bar Cleansing & Clarifying Shampoo bar for this wash. The Charcoal Bar is water free which allows other ingredients to be much more concentrated. The concentrated organic coconut oil and shea butter will cleanse and condition the hair. Using a scalp massager like Root Therapy Scalp Massager, massage the Charcoal Bar into the scalp. The scalp massager will help exfoliate, remove product buildup, increase blood circulation, and lather the shampoo bar into your scalp. Remember that shampoo is meant to clean the scalp and not the hair so you shouldn’t be pulling this through to the ends. Then, add a deep conditioning hair mask to the ends to add some moisture back to your hair. The Inner Strength Avocado Oil Protein Mask contains avocado oil, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, provitamin B5, and silk amino acids to help moisturize, strengthen, detangle, and smooth the hair which makes it a great hair mask for this step. This wash will help refresh and reset your hair.
Wash #2: Repair
When repairing damaged hair, it’s good to understand the structure of the hair and which part has been affected. The hair cortex, which is the inside of the strand, and the cuticle, which is the outside, can both be affected by stressors and may have to be repaired in different ways. The cuticle is the outside of the strand which is made up of little shingle-like pieces that are meant to lay flat to protect the cortex. When exposed to stressors like hot water, moisture in the air, brushing, and even twisting in the same direction can cause these shingle-like pieces to open, exposing the cortex. The goal when looking for reparative solutions is to rebuild the internal and calm the exterior structure of the hair strand.
For this wash, we want to use products that have active, bond-building ingredients. Something really great about the Beachwaver haircare products is that we use an active ingredient called HIx in most of them. HIx is a Hydro + Ionic Alpha Bond Multiplier which helps to strengthen the hair and provide manageability, shine, and health back to the hair by penetrating deep into the cortex to create new hydrogen and ionic bonds. Though all of Beachwaver’s shampoos and conditioners have HIx, the Beachwaver Stay Strong line has higher levels of the active bond multiplier helping to make the hair feel even stronger and healthier. Before hopping in the shower, apply Be Strong Pre-Shampoo Reparative Foam to the hair. Allow the foam to sit on the hair for about 5-10 minutes. Once the foam has been rinsed out, lather the Stay Strong Reparative Shampoo into the scalp with the Root Therapy Scalp Massager. Gently press the massager into the scalp and use small circular movements to help work the product into the hair. Rinse and follow up by applying the Stay Strong Reparative Conditioner to the ends. You can use the Prep Brush in the shower to help evenly distribute the conditioner through the hair. Rinse the conditioner out after a couple of minutes and your hair should feel silky and soft. This wash will help bring strength back into your hair.
Wash #3 & #4: Rest
For wash three and four of the cycle, we are going to let the hair “rest.” That doesn’t mean we won’t still be nourishing it. The priority for these days is continuing to moisturize the hair. We want a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, to help keep the hair feeling soft.
For washes three and four, I recommend the Beachwaver Good Vibes Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner. This is an amazing “everyday” duo that contains highly moisturizing ingredients as well as the active bond multiplier, HIx, to continue to strengthen and repair your hair. Massage the Good Vibes Moisturizing Shampoo into the scalp with the Root Therapy Scalp Massager to create a good lather and work the product into the scalp. After the shampoo has been fully rinsed out, condition the ends with the Good Vibes Moisturizing Conditioner. The conditioner contains Abyssinian oil and shea butter to leave the hair feeling soft and moisturized. You can brush this through with the Prep Brush in the shower to evenly distribute the product throughout the hair. After a minute or two, rinse for softer-feeling hair. Once you’re out of the shower, prep the hair with a strengthening, detangler like Luxe Leave-In Conditioning Detangler. Our Luxe Leave-In Conditioning Detangler is also formulated with our HIx Bond Multiplier. The high-viscosity spray bottle transforms the thick, intense conditioning formula into an ultra-fine mist to evenly distribute throughout the hair to help smooth, detangle, and strengthen the strands. These two wash days will help to keep your hair healthy and moisturized in between treatment cycles.
The Cycle
This cycle of hair washing will help to create a pattern and habit of resetting, repairing, and moisturizing your hair for an overall healthy hair-washing routine. By cycling through these different shower routines, you help to maximize haircare benefits while not overdoing treatments that aren’t meant as “everyday” products. I’m excited to see this skincare trend take over the haircare space because haircare and good ingredients have always been something I’m passionate about. My passion for good haircare is why the Beachwaver haircare products are formulated without harmful and unnecessary ingredients to ensure that the most beneficial ingredients are as prominent as possible.