To dive into the truth behind TikTok hair trends, a recent study identified the most popular haircare trends of 2024 to reveal whether they are helpful or harmful.
And in the least surprising news ever, experts say that TikTok hair hacks are not scientifically backed. In fact, 60% of the hair hacks on TikTok could even potentially be damaging to your client's hair.
Read on to find out what to tell your clients next time they talk to you about 'haircyling'...
TikTok Hair Hacks - The Results
86% of Brits agree that hair holds significant value on their appearance, so it comes as no surprise that the average person in the UK spends £415.80 a year on haircare products and 103 hours styling their locks.
Additionally, research has found that 50% of people aged 16-34 turn to TikTok for haircare advice. In light of this, 2000 respondents across the UK were surveyed to find out the top 15 most popular haircare trends people have heard of and if they were willing to try them out. The results reveal that hair cycling (29%), rosemary oil (29%) and apple cider vinegar rinse (27%) are the trends Brits are most likely to trial.
The survey team then spoke to a leading celebrity hair surgical director, Dr. Matee Rajput, who analysed the effectiveness of the most popular haircare trends.
While some are shown to work, nine out of the 15 trends he would not recommend to his patients.
TikTok Hair Hack: Hair Cycling
Hair cycling is the new viral trend that eight million Brits have already tried, despite it being potentially damaging to hair. This involves rotating different products in a four-to-five-day regime that incorporates ‘rest days’ and has taken social media by storm, amassing 22 million views on TikTok.
This trend, however, has been identified by Dr. Rajput as potentially damaging to the hair.
“There is no evidence to suggest that this trend helps improve hair growth or prevents hair loss and involves using a diverse array of chemicals on your scalp. The continuous changing between multiple products on a regular basis could lead to scalp irritation,” he says.
And with scalp irritation causing inflammation, this can disrupt the hair growth cycle as it damages the hair’s follicles and slows down the natural process of the new follicle growth.
TikTok Hair Hack: Apple Cider Vinegar
33.4K TikTokers have also viewed apple cider rinse content hoping it supports hair growth by balancing the scalps pH levels. Whilst this is promoted to reduce dandruff, Dr Rajput stated: “It shows some promise but lacks research to support any claims and isn’t something I would recommend. Although, it also wouldn’t be harmful if someone were to use this method.”
TikTok Hair Hack: Hair Oils and Slugging
Along with hair oils, one of the new upcoming trends that Dr. Rajput does recommend to his clients is hair slugging: “The trend of applying a generous amount of hair oil onto the scalp and spreading it evenly down the strands all the way to the ends is a good practice in principle as many of the hair oils are good to maintain shine and length and prevent breakages.”
Rosemary oil and castor oil are also doctor-approved haircare trends: “Applying rosemary oil to the scalp improves blood circulation, reduces DHT, and strengthens hair to promote hair growth. It is important to choose organic sources that use cold-pressed extraction techniques. Although not as researched as rosemary oil, castor oil certainly has potential to boost hair growth and contains beneficial properties.”
*Study conducted by Superdrug Online Doctor
