Could Hair Cycling be the Secret to Healthier Glossier Locks?

Hair cycling has become a recent trend and topic of conversation, but at ALTERNA, hair cycling has always been a thing!

Joana Neves, Editorial Director at ALTERNA, discusses the ins and outs of hair cycling below and why everyone should be doing this to ensure their hair stays in the most optimum condition...

So, what is hair cycling?

Hair cycling means creating a specific/tailored routine to suit your individual hairs needs based on your hair type and your texture. Simply put, choosing the correct shampoo, conditioner and styling products that are targeted to your hair type and that will work to give your hair the most optimal results and ensure it looks and feels its healthiest.

Even more than that, hair cycling takes a step further and isn't just about your weekly hair routine, but it's about the the long-term routine and what you do to your hair and scalp fortnightly/monthly to keep it looking its best. E.g. you may use a scalp scrub every two weeks on your hair and a very intense treatment every two weeks instead of every week for example.

What are the benefits?

The main benefit of hair cycling is that you are giving your hair what it needs!

A common error we all make is choosing a shampoo we think is for everyone including ourselves. For example, in the ALTERNA haircare range we have ranges for Moisture, Volume, Bond Repair and Colour and many of us would likely reach for the moisture range thinking it will be the best range to help damaged hair. However, it would actually be best to initially use the Bond Repair range to repair the broken hair bonds and then, move onto the Moisture range once hair is less damaged.

Similarly, many of us would perhaps opt for the Bond Repair range assuming that our hair needs this range due to it being dry and frizzy. Whereas we would really benefit from the Moisture range. Those with long hair may assume they will need Moisture or Bond Repair as their hair looks and feels limp, whereas Volume would be a great choice to help give hair the appearance of more volume and bounce.

It's so important to change your routine to suit your hair and to never stick with the same shampoo and conditioner unless that is what your hair needs. Once the shampoo and conditioner you are using have targeted your needs, you will often find that your hair needs something else, so change your products to reflect this.

Blondes can also be tempted to use a silver shampoo in their routine regularly. However, this can be drying on their hair. Instead, they should use this only once per week/once every two weeks and alternate this with a Bond Repair Shampoo and Conditioner to repair their hair from the colour processes it has gone through.

Also, adding hair products like a scrub (one of my favourites is the new Alterna Renewing Scalp Care Scrub-to-Foam) is so important in your hair routine. Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp and it's essential that you look after your scalp just as much as your hair with the correct products. Using a scalp scrub once per week/every two weeks is a great way to stay on top of your scalp health.

Should we all be hair cycling?

Definitely! It's a great way to improve scalp and hair health and ensure your hair needs are met. However, it can be tempting to add many products into your haircare routine, and this is where you need to be careful - you don't want to end up having product build up and making your hair weighed down due to using an excessive number of products. Instead, a routine with just the key products should be used and you should also have 'rest days' to give your hair a break from products.