Forget complicated skincare routines. Your hair wants some attention too. From scalp-loving treatments and protein-packed conditioners to seriously clever styling tools, we’re getting to the root of better hair days.
By now, most of us know our hyaluronic acid from our retinol. We moisturise, exfoliate, apply serums and occasionally spend more time on our nighttime skincare routine than we do sleeping.
Meanwhile, our poor hair gets a hurried shampoo, a questionable amount of heat and a silent prayer that the humidity behaves itself.
Well, darling, the hair has had enough.
The latest beauty obsession is the skinification of hair, which sounds like something a dermatologist might prescribe but is actually a rather sensible idea: treating your hair and scalp with the same attention you give your face.
And New Zealanders are getting into it. Google Trends data suggests searches for ‘haircare’ have risen by around 150% over the past five years.
We’re becoming more interested in ingredients, scalp health, hydration and strengthening treatments that go beyond making our hair look fabulous for one night.
So whether you’re dealing with thinning hair, curls with an attitude, heat damage or roots that turn greasy before lunchtime, here’s how to give your crowning glory the attention it deserves.
Getting to the Root of the Problem
Great hair starts with a healthy scalp. It makes sense when you think about it. We spend a fortune looking after the skin on our faces, then completely neglect the skin hiding beneath our hair.
Lush co-founder Mark Constantine, a trained trichologist who specialises in hair and scalp care, has a wonderful way of explaining it.
“The hair is like plants, but the scalp is the soil. Massage it, nourish it, clean it and care for it. Healthy plants don’t grow without healthy soil.”
And who wants a neglected garden on their head?
Lush’s Roots scalp treatment is a lovely place to begin. Designed to invigorate the scalp while giving hair a lift, it’s particularly appealing when your roots are feeling flat and lifeless.
Follow with Rehab shampoo, a refreshing cleanse for hair that’s been through a little too much, before finishing with American Cream conditioner, which brings softness and a deliciously sweet fragrance to the party.
But if your scalp concerns go beyond a little flatness, Australian haircare brand Bouf has another approach worth investigating.
Its Flouf Factor Growth Tonic is a lightweight, non-greasy scalp treatment developed to support fuller, thicker-looking hair. The formula targets FGF5, a protein involved in regulating the hair-growth cycle, and is designed for consistent use morning and night.
Bouf recommends giving the treatment at least three months, which is a useful reminder that meaningful changes to hair density take time.
The tip: Take an extra minute to massage your scalp gently with your fingertips when washing your hair. It helps distribute shampoo and lift away build-up. Your fingernails, however, are not invited.
Hot Hair, Without the Meltdown
Healthy hair is fabulous, but sometimes we also want hair that looks like we’ve just walked out of a very expensive salon.
And ghd has been busy making that fantasy a little more achievable.
The new ghd Speed ionic hair dryer is a serious piece of beauty technology. It uses the brand’s halo dual-airflow system, which surrounds heated air with cooler air to help deliver a fast, controlled blow-dry while keeping the scalp more comfortable.
For anyone with thick or long hair who considers drying it an endurance sport, that sounds rather appealing.
Then there’s the ghd Sculpt interactive hair straightener, which takes personalised styling into futuristic territory.
Its Heat-Adapt technology uses artificial intelligence to adjust styling conditions in real time, responding to how the tool is being used. The aim is smooth, glossy results with less unnecessary heat exposure.
The $629 price tag might require a little consideration, but for regular heat-styling enthusiasts, the technology is certainly intriguing.
Of course, even clever technology is no substitute for looking after the hair you’re styling.
That’s where Bouf’s Flouf Factor Growth Leave-In Mask comes in. Designed to be applied through towel-dried lengths, it helps soften, smooth and improve manageability while giving dry ends some much-needed attention.
It’s a handy addition before your usual styling routine, particularly if your hair has been feeling fragile or prone to frizz.
The tip: Good heat styling begins before you turn on the appliance. Gently remove excess water with a towel, use a suitable heat protectant and choose the lowest effective temperature for your hair type. Even expensive technology cannot make unlimited heat exposure a good idea.
Give Your Hair a Protein Shake
We’re putting protein in our smoothies, porridge and practically anything that will hold still long enough. Now it’s your hair’s turn.
Hair is largely made of keratin, a protein, and everyday styling, colouring and environmental exposure can leave strands weakened and prone to breakage.
Enter Lush’s fabulously named Super Milk collection.
The Super Milk shampoo and Super Milk conditioner use nourishing ingredients including plant-based proteins to support stronger-feeling, softer hair. The conditioner features fresh tofu, banana and cupuaçu butter to help smooth flyaways and boost shine.
But the real celebrity of the family is the Super Milk conditioning hair primer.
A social media sensation, this leave-in spray combines almond, coconut and oat milks with ingredients that help hydrate, soften and refresh thirsty hair.
It’s particularly handy when your ends need a little love or yesterday’s curls are looking like they’ve had a big night.
And then there’s the fragrance. Sweet, creamy and utterly indulgent, it’s the sort of scent that might have people asking what perfume you’re wearing.
For another approach to strengthening your daily routine, Bouf’s Flouf Factor Growth Shampoo and Flouf Factor Growth Conditioner are designed to nourish the scalp and support hair that’s feeling increasingly fragile.
The shampoo incorporates baobab extract to help support hydration, strength and elasticity, while the conditioner focuses on softness, resilience and reducing breakage.
Together, they offer a straightforward starting point for anyone wanting to take a little more care of ageing or thinning hair.
The tip: Start with a small amount of leave-in conditioner through your mid-lengths and ends, adding more only where needed. Fine hair can quickly go from gorgeously glossy to looking like it hasn’t been washed since Tuesday.
Let Your Curls Have Their Main Character Moment
If you have curly or coily hair, you already know the relationship can be complicated. Some mornings you’re serving magnificent volume. Others, your hair appears to be making its own decisions.
Moisture is often the key to keeping curls happy, defined and less prone to frizz.
Lush’s Avocado Co-Wash offers a gentler, conditioning alternative to traditional shampooing, making it particularly appealing to hair that tends to feel dry after washing.
Follow with Glory conditioner, a rich, nourishing formula designed to give curls and coils the moisture they crave.
Finally, Curl Power hair cream helps bring everything together, encouraging definition and softness while keeping frizz under control.
The aim is beautifully hydrated curls with movement and personality. After all, there’s nothing wrong with a little drama when it’s happening on your head.
And when it’s time to dry those curls, a diffuser attachment on a suitable hair dryer can help preserve definition while reducing the temptation to blast your hair into a frizzy cloud.
The tip: Apply curl cream while your hair is still damp, then scrunch upwards towards the roots. Once your curls have dried, resist the urge to keep touching them. Sometimes the best styling technique is knowing when to leave well enough alone.
The Morning After: Hair’s Second Chance
We’ve all had those mornings. Your alarm goes off, you’re already running late and your reflection suggests you attended a considerably wilder party than you remember.
Not every bad hair day requires a complete wash and restyle.
ghd Once Again Dry Shampoo is designed for precisely those mornings when your roots are giving ‘three-day music festival’ but your calendar says important meeting.
The lightweight spray absorbs excess oil, refreshes the roots and adds volume without washing. With notes of bergamot and ylang ylang, it also helps hair smell considerably fresher than it might deserve.
For dry or frizzy lengths, Lush’s Super Milk conditioning primer can also come to the rescue, adding a little softness and hydration without needing to start your entire routine from scratch.
The trick is knowing which part of your hair needs attention. Oily roots and dry ends require very different solutions.
And for those of us whose beauty routines occasionally happen in hotel bathrooms, meet the ghd Flight+ Travel Hair Dryer.
Compact, foldable and designed for travelling, it’s a far more appealing prospect than gambling on the mysterious hair dryer attached to the wall of your accommodation.
It even comes with a travel case, which makes it an excellent companion for holidays, Pride weekends and spontaneous romantic getaways.
The tip: Apply dry shampoo to your roots, leave it to absorb excess oil, then massage or brush it through. For dry ends, use a small amount of leave-in conditioning product instead. Your hair doesn’t need the same treatment from root to tip.
Your Hair, Your Rules
The best thing about the skinification of hair is that it encourages us to be a little more thoughtful about what our hair actually needs.
Fine hair might thrive on lightweight conditioners and clever volumising tricks. Curls may need richer moisture and gentler cleansing. Damaged lengths could benefit from strengthening treatments, while thinning hair calls for patience, consistency and sometimes professional help.
And if you’re lucky enough to wake up with fabulous hair every morning? Congratulations. The rest of us are deeply jealous.
For everyone else, a few well-chosen products, a little extra scalp attention and the occasional investment in a genuinely useful styling tool can make a world of difference.
Because life is too short for bad hair days, and considerably too short to spend half of it battling a hair dryer.
Explore the ranges at lush.com/nz, ghdhair.com/nz and bouf.com.
