Multi-Masking for Your Hair Is Now a Thing
PHOTO:
Imaxtree
How to get shinier, healthier, stronger hair is an ongoing mission for us here at Byrdie UK, and now our latest tactic involves borrowing savvy innovation straight from the skincare sphere. Yep, multi-masking for your hair is now a thing, and we’re pretty excited about the science behind it.
You see, while our skin can vary in its needs from T-zone to cheeks and chin, the hair growth cycle means that sections of your tresses will have different needs too. The tips, for example, are much older than hair near the roots, so may be prone to dryness or splitting, and in need of serious moisture. While your scalp? Well that can suffer from a buildup of oil and styling products, warranting a deep yet nourishing cleanse. So when you think about it, multi-masking for hair just makes perfect sense—especially if you have multi-textured hair. But you don’t need to just take our word for it, because as always we’ve tapped the experts for the full low-down.
Here’s everything you need to know about hair multi-masking from Anabel Kingsley, Trichologist at Philip Kingsley, and Laura Luciani, Davines Education Manager.
HAIR MULTI-MASKING: WHY DO IT?
As a trichologist, Anabel Kingsley is keen to stress that looking after your scalp is just as vital for healthy hair (if not more), as keeping the ends and lengths in good condition. After all, the scalp is where it all begins. “You take your scalp to the same places you take the skin on your face – and it is exposed to the same environmental pollutants and damaging free radicals (wind, rain,UV rays etc),” she explains.
“If you don’t wash your hair often enough, dead skin cells, dirt and oils can build up, aggravating the scalp and allowing bacteria and yeast to thrive. Just as a good skincare regime can do wonders for the health of the skin on your face, taking care of your hair and scalp benefits them immensely.”
The traditional way of applying hair masks, however, doesn’t necessarily address the real needs of both your scalp and lengths, and if you have multi-textured hair, you'll almost certainly need different treatments to really nurture all of your natural tresses. This is where multi-masking comes in.
"The hair structure is different in different places," adds Laura Luciani. "On the re-growth area close to the scalp it is healthy, thick and reactive to any treatment, on the middle shaft it is damaged, a bit porous and likely stressed due to chemical treatments or heated styling tools, while the ends are dehydrated, really porous, and do not retain any colour or any styling.
"So, using different masks according to the needs of the different areas of the hair (and scalp) will allow you or your stylist to treat the hair properly and give a hyper-performing treatment with an immediate and visible effect on the entire hair."
LOOKING AFTER YOUR SCALP
While applying a hydrating treatment to your parched ends is nothing new, taking a hair masking approach to your scalp is likely something few of us have ever really considered. So how do we go about it? “You wash your face frequently to remove dirt and oil; do the same for your hair,” says Kingsley.
"Use scalp toners to soothe irritation and reduce bacteria, and apply an exfoliating scalp mask once a week. We make one at Philip Kingsley called Exfoliating Scalp Mask (£8), to help clear dandruff and remove dead skin cells—you don’t want them building up or they can contribute to hair loss.”
Our top tip: remember to ensure you rinse your hair well after using a scalp treatment, so that you aren't left with any build-up or residue that can make your hair feel heavy, or irritate your skin.
HOW TO MULTI-MASK YOUR HAIR
"The most important thing to understand is if your hair has two or three different areas, or textures, then as with multi-masking in skincare, you need to choose your products according to those needs," explains Luciani.
So if you have an oily scalp or greasy roots, with hair that's lost its radiance in the mid-lengths and ends that feel dry or damaged, for example, you'd apply an exfoliating or purifying mask to the top, a shine enhancing mask to the middle, and a reparative mask to the tips.
"For better penetration of the products, it is important to divide the hair into sections and to massage each single strand," notes Luciani. "Timing is also crucial, it's better leave your masks on for longer than not long enough."
THE BEST HAIR MASKS FOR MULTI-MASKING
If you're ready to start multi-masking, scroll through the gallery below for the best hair mask to suit your hair type(s)...
No comments