Head start – the best new luxe shampoos
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
It is a common misconception that hair, much like a prized jumper or a pair of jeans, should only be washed when absolutely necessary. (The fear is that excessive shampooing strips the scalp of its natural oils.) Hair type and the environment play a significant role, but most experts suggest a thorough wash every couple of days. What is crucial, however, is what you use to wash it. Hair responds best to gentle formulas with clean ingredients.
According to Newby Hands, global beauty director at Net-a-Porter, sales of “luxe shampoos” are on the rise. “Products like these are a great way of having an at-home treatment that offers salon-quality results,” she says, highlighting Oribe’s Gold Lust Repair and Restore Shampoo as one of the site’s top 10 most-searched hair products. Oribe harnesses healing cypress, argan and maracuja extracts to help balance the scalp. Similarly soothing is Kevin Murphy’s Scalp Spa Wash, which uses micellar water – a very mild detergent – to dissolve impurities.
“Luxe” doesn’t always mean lather. If your shampoo creates an abundance of foam in the shower, there’s a high chance it contains sulphates, a frequent cause of dryness, irritation and frizz. Some sulphates stay in the body for up to five days, while parabens, another common cleansing ingredient, can disrupt hormone function. “What we surround ourselves with, what we eat and what gets absorbed by our skin and scalp are equally important,” adds Sophie Paik of Gloss Moderne, whose clean-haircare range contains naturally occurring antioxidants that help promote hair growth.
Parabens and sulphates (often derived from palm oil) also wreak havoc on the environment. Eco-seekers should look to formulas by Le Labo, Centred and Rahua, which helps preserve an acre of Amazon rainforest per year for every bottle bought.
Chāmpo divides its products into three categories: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Based on Ayurvedic principles, each group, or “dosha”, speaks to different hair concerns, and is based on remedies from founder Kuldeep Knox’s grandmother. A tip: less is more.
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