Now Asia’s “Double Cleanse” Skin-Care Phenomenon Works for Hair, Too

There’s a lot about summer you want to hold on to—the half-day Fridays, the windswept hair, the sun-kissed glow—but probably not the remnants of chlorine, saltwater, and sweat that can linger in your strands after weeks of resplendent pool and beach days. Getting rid of this dulling residue requires a deep detox that will return your hair to its healthy state yet won’t destroy the natural oils it needs to stay soft and shiny. This is where the latest purifying treatments come in, many of which mimic the “double cleanse” technique used in Asia to produce superclean, superhydrated skin: The two-step method involves washing with an oil-based cleanser first (to melt away impurities while simultaneously sealing in moisture) and then lathering up with a foamy wash to dissolve any residual grease.

Turns out, this simple-but-ultra-effective ritual works remarkably well to rehab summer hair, too. With Rahua’s new Hair Detox & Renewal Treatment, you mix potent oils (sacha inchi, buriti, palo santo) into a creamy base to create a rich cleanser that you gently massage and comb through your hair to “flush out” buildup. Let it sit for 20 or 30 minutes, then do your usual shampoo. For a ready-made alternative, look to the latest co-washes and cleansing conditioners. IGK’s Smoke & Mirrors Conditioning Cleansing Oil is spiked with healing coconut and sweet almond oils—rub it in from root to tip and pair with a mild shampoo.

Another idea, offers New York hairstylist Garren, is to use a pre-shampoo treatment that whisks away surface debris in advance of your traditional lather. His R+Co Palm Springs Pre-Shampoo Treatment Mask contains shea butter and restorative oils (babassu seed, safflower, argan) and goes on dry hair first. “Then grab the hair and twist into a topknot and just let it sit for a few minutes,” he explains. “The heat from your head helps activate it.” The inspiration, Garren notes, comes from “masks way back in day, in the ’70s and ’80s. There’s something to conditioning before shampooing—it really breaks down products and residue.”

Paris-based colorist Christophe Robin is fond of a similar homespun ritual, in which he “uses a teaspoon of vegetable oil as a pre-shampoo treatment to protect the hair,” before applying his Cleansing Mask with Lemon. Buffing this shampoo mask in as your final step of a double cleanse really works wonders, too. “In the salon, I massage the product onto the scalp, then add a little bit of water, and continue massaging until there is no more product left,” he reveals. “This activates your blood circulation and ultimately makes your hair healthier.”

In fact, minimalists will be glad to know that a single multitasking shampoo might be all you need for an effective double cleanse. Oribe’s The Cleanse has a mousse-like texture and removes grit from your hair with exfoliating volcanic ash and sea kelp extracts but also adds in hydration with natural botanicals. How to use? Just lather, rinse, and repeat.

 

The post Now Asia’s “Double Cleanse” Skin-Care Phenomenon Works for Hair, Too appeared first on Vogue.