“Hair cycling” is the new TikTok trend everyone needs in their life, especially in sunny Malaysia

We’ve seen many trending hair hacks on social media platforms claiming to help us achieve healthy and luscious tresses.

One method that has been the talk of the town recently would be “hair cycling”. If you’re a fan of all things beauty, you will probably be familiar with the term “skin cycling”, which has many similarities to its haircare alter ego.

For the uninitiated, “cycling” is when you use different kinds of products each day of an entire “cycle”. This allows the exposed area to slowly ease into the routine and reap the benefits of each product without any nasty side effects like purging or flaking.

Want to flaunt healthy locks wherever you go? Read on to find out all you need to know on “hair cycling”.

What is “hair cycling” and why should we do it?

“Hair cycling” involves cycles that typically last three days each, and you’ll need three types of shampoos: for clarifying, bond-repair, and moisturising.

This means that you’ll be able to target multiple hair concerns within one cycle, instead of just focusing on one as you would when using one bottle of shampoo till it’s finished.

The TikTok creators who advocate this share that rotating your shampoos every day can even reduce the amount of hair oil and dandruff produced.

The best part about “hair cycling” is that it’s suitable for all types of hair textures and types. Whether you have thick or thin tresses, oily or dry scalps, hair cycling is said to work for everyone.

Because it slowly introduces new products, your scalp can slowly adapt to each product and their haircare ingredients.

If you’re excited to try out “hair cycling”, read on to find out how you can include it in your daily regimen and the products you need for each step.

How to do “hair cycling” and the products you’ll need

Day 1: Clarifying shampoo

Start off your cycle with a clarifying shampoo to focus on cleansing your scalp and any dirt build-up present.

This step will detox your scalp to give you a clean base to work with over the next two days of the cycle.

Products you can use on this day include detox hair scrubs like Curlsmith Wash & Scrub Detox Pro-Biotic Shampoo (237ml, RM122.57) that boasts gentle particles for safe exfoliation, as well as Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt (75ml, RM97) that will effectively scrub away all the build-up with the sea salt in its formula.

Alternatively, you can also combat dandruff and cleanse your scalp at the same time with anti-dandruff shampoos. Try Ouai Anti Dandruff Shampoo (300ml, RM175).

It features salicylic acid that doesn’t only exfoliate the scalp and remove impurities but also activate the scalp’s production of defence agents against external aggressors.

Day 2: Bond-repair shampoo

Even if you’re not someone who constantly exposes her hair to hair dye and other styling chemicals, bond-repair shampoos are a great way to strengthen the follicles.

Regardless of lifestyle, your tresses will still get damaged over time either because of harmful environmental factors like UV rays or pollution in general.

On day 2, use a bond-repair shampoo like the Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo (250ml, RM150 or 100ml, RM75), a cult-favourite for its reparative effects, or the Sebamed Repair Shampoo (200ml, RM40.50) that maintains a pH value of 5.5 for a strong hair and scalp protective barrier.

Day 3: Moisturising shampoo

Lastly, use a moisturising shampoo to round up the entire cycle. The shampoos you would have used so far contain ingredients that may irritate scalps, so a moisturising shampoo can help soothe it with a boost of hydration.

Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Yogurt Hydrate & Repair Shampoo (384ml, RM59.50) and Acure Ultra Hydrating Shampoo (236ml, RM36.60) are two options for this part of this routine.

They both have hydrating agents such as shea butter and argan oil to impart deep nourishment to your hair.

Featured image credits: @thenudelip/TikTok and @kelseygriffinn/TikTok