YOUR HAIR LOVES H2O! SO HYDRATE LOTS. 

When it comes to keeping our hair healthy and vibrant, hydration is absolutely essential! That’s right—let’s talk about H2O! Just like our bodies rely on water to function at their best, our hair craves moisture to stay strong, shiny, and manageable. Without enough hydration, those lovely locks can turn dry, brittle, and unmanageable, making styling a real challenge.

So, let’s dive deeper into why hydration is crucial for your hair health and explore some fantastic tips to keep your strands well-nourished and fabulous! Your hair will thank you for it!

Hydration is absolutely vital for achieving and maintaining healthy hair! By making moisture a priority in your haircare routine, you’re not just giving your hair a little TLC—you’re boosting its strength, elasticity, shine, and manageability. It’s all interconnected!

And let’s not forget: healthy hair starts from the inside out. So, don’t skimp on that water intake—stay hydrated, and your hair will thank you! Pair that with the right products to nourish your strands, and you’ll be well on your way to fabulous hair days.

So, embrace the incredible power of hydration. Remember, we’re always here to help guide you to the right products and routines for those times when your hair is not in our hands.

IS YOUR SHAMPOO DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD? WHY YOU SHOULD RETHINK USING SLS.

Ever taken a curious look at the back of your shampoo bottle? If so, you’ve probably come across something called sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). It’s in loads of personal care products, and it’s also the reason your shampoo gets so foamy and makes your hair feel squeaky clean. But here’s where it gets a bit tricky—while SLS is great at scrubbing away dirt and oil, using it every day might not be doing your hair any favours. Let’s have a friendly chat about why you might want to rethink your daily SLS shampoo routine.

So, what’s the deal with SLS and your scalp?

SLS is what’s known as a surfactant. In simple terms, it helps water mix with oil and dirt so they can be rinsed away easily. That’s why your shampoo gets all bubbly and foamy! But here’s the catch—while it’s amazing at giving you that deep-clean feeling, it can also be a bit too intense if you’re using it too often.

Your scalp naturally produces oils, called sebum, that keep both your hair and skin protected. It’s kind of like your scalp’s natural moisturiser. When you use SLS too often, it can strip away these oils, leaving your scalp dry and maybe even irritated. Some people’s scalps might go the other way and produce more oil to compensate, which means your hair could end up greasier. Not the best or healthiest loop for your hair.

Your scalp is a pretty smart system. It’s got its own ecosystem going on, and when it’s happy and balanced, it keeps things like dryness, itching, and dandruff away. But if you’re using shampoos with SLS too often, it can throw that balance off, leaving your scalp feeling sensitive or uncomfortable. And as we all know, healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp.

Got Colour or a Treatment? SLS Might Not Be Your Friend

If you’ve gone through the effort of colouring your hair or getting a treatment like our Nice and Smooth smoothing system here at The Hair Movement, SLS might not be your hair’s best buddy. It can strip away your colour and make treatments less effective, meaning your hair won’t stay as vibrant or smooth for as long as you’d like. Choosing a gentler, sulphate-free shampoo can help keep that salon-fresh look around for longer.

Moisture Is Key

Hair loves moisture—it’s what keeps it strong, shiny, and healthy. The problem with SLS is that, while it’s busy removing dirt, it can also take some of that much-needed moisture with it. For those with curly, textured, or naturally dry hair, this can lead to frizz and breakage. Even if your hair isn’t super dry, keeping it hydrated is still important to maintain its softness and strength.

If you’ve got a sensitive scalp, you might find that shampoos containing SLS leave your skin feeling itchy, flaky, or irritated. Some people’s skin is just more reactive to harsh ingredients, and over time, using these shampoos daily can make things worse. Switching to something gentler could really help soothe your scalp and make it feel more comfortable.

A Kinder Way to Wash Your Hair

The great news is that there are plenty of professional SLS-free shampoos out there, like The Hair Movement range, still get your hair clean without the harsh effects of SLS. These shampoos usually use gentler ingredients like sodium cocamidopropyl betaine or decyl glucoside, which cleanse your hair without stripping away its natural oils. As you know, here at The Hair Movement salon and brand, we’re all about promoting healthy hair, and our products are designed to be kind to both your hair and scalp whilst also protecting your hair investment.

While using a gentler sulphate like TEA-lauryl-sulphate every now and then isn’t damaging—it’s often found in deep-cleansing clarifying shampoos that are used once or twice a month—I’d recommend always avoiding shampoos with SLS in them. If you want to keep your hair in top condition, switching to an SLS-free or sulphate-free shampoo for everyday use is a great move. After all, your hair deserves products that work with its natural balance, not against it.

WHY PROFESSIONAL HAIRCARE IS NON-NEGOTIABLE: MY PERSONAL JOURNEY

For years, I’ve encouraged all my guests to use the right professional products at home. It’s been a conversation I’ve had time and time again, but the results truly speak for themselves. I’m fortunate to have a loyal and long-standing guest base, and with that comes honest communication. One of the biggest challenges over the years, though, has been convincing some of my guests to make the switch from supermarket brand products to professional ones.

Now, I understand how tempting it is to grab a bottle from the supermarket shelf when you’re already there, but here’s the thing: using professional products is key to protecting your hair investment. Your hair isn’t just a style; it’s a process, and as we refer to it here at The Hair Movement a hair journey—and the products you use at home form one of the main pillars of that journey.

What’s Really in That Bottle?

Supermarket shampoos often contain sulphates, silicones, and heavy detergents. These ingredients might give you that immediate squeaky-clean feeling, but they strip your hair of natural oils, leaving it dry and brittle. Silicones, while making your hair appear shiny at first, coat the strands in a layer of synthetic plastic-like material, which builds up over time. This blocks moisture and can lead to breakage, especially if your hair is already damaged or chemically treated.

On the other hand, professional products like those we use at The Hair Movement are designed with your hair’s health as the top priority.

Take our Bye Bye Dry shampoo, for example. It’s sulphate-free, meaning it cleanses effectively without stripping away your hair’s natural oils. Instead, it nourishes from within with Coconut Fruit Extract. It’s ability to simultaneously cleanse and add moisture, makes it a true gift from nature. Loaded with minerals and amino acids, it builds internal health and strength Similarly, our Fight the Frizz conditioner is a powerhouse of natural ingredients. Enriched with natural keratin to rebuild the hair’s structure and probiotics to support a balanced scalp, it works to lock in moisture and repair every strand, leaving you with smooth, frizz-free locks.

Why Invest in Professional Products?

I often tell my guests, “You wouldn’t put cheap petrol in a luxury car.” Your hair deserves the same care and attention. Professional products are formulated with higher-quality ingredients and more advanced technologies to protect, repair, and enhance your hair. When you’ve invested in your hair—whether through colour, treatments, or just regular cuts—the last thing you want to do is jeopardise it with the wrong products.

Another truth about supermarket vs professional products is that you’ll always end up using more of the cheaper ones. Professional products require smaller portions and fewer washes. For me, it took three shampoos with the brand that shall not be named, compared to just one with The Hair Movement’s. It ends up being a false economy—you might pay more upfront, but you save in the long run.

So, next time you’re tempted by that supermarket shampoo, remember: professional products are designed to help your hair thrive. And when your hair looks its best, you feel your best. That’s something no supermarket brand can match.

Here’s to happy, healthy hair—because you and your hair deserve nothing less!