I know what you’re probably thinking: social media really shouldn’t be my main source of knowledge for anything. But, trust me, TikTok has become an amazing platform to pick up new tips and tricks on how to improve your overall hair health.
Since hair is one of my favourite steps in my self-care routine, it’s no wonder that I’m always eager to try out any new treatment/product that the TikTok community recommends. Even though not everything that I tested turned out to be great for my hair, it’s been an amazing process for me. Testing out TikTok haircare trends has allowed me to get to know more about my hair texture, and what kinds of products are actually worth incorporating into my routine. So, out of everything I tested and tried, here is a selection of the best TikTok haircare trends that worked for me. This can encourage you to give them a try, and incorporate some of these into your own routine.
However, before getting into the routine itself, I wanted to establish a basic factor that really helped me target my hair’s needs (TikTok also taught me this)!
Hair Porosity
Hair Porosity is, in very simple terms, how much your hair can absorb and retain any moisture. This helps in understanding your hair’s needs, especially in defining how often do you need to moisturise your hair in order for it to have that “healthy” look. To find out whether your hair has high, medium, or low porosity, TikTok taught me to do The Float Test: you will need a glass of water, and some strands of your hair (it can be from a brush btw! no need to rip your hair off). Gently put the hair in the water and wait for 10 minutes. Then, you can use the following image to interpret the results:
Low hair porosity means that your hair struggles to absorb any moisture. On the other hand, medium hair porosity suggests that your hair can absorb moisture relatively easily. So that would be the desired level of hair porosity. And lastly, high hair porosity means that your hair can gain, as well as lose, any moisture very easily.
As a person who has low hair porosity, I know that 1) I need to constantly hydrate my hair and 2) I have to use thicker, oil-concentrated formulas that really penetrate it. For other hair porosity types, using a deeply hydrating formula can end up making your hair greasy, for example. This is why it’s interesting to know your hair porosity type, so you can invest in products that will moisturise your hair properly.
Below, I’m also going to add some tips that helped me prevent damage to my hair. These, however, aren’t specific to hair porosity type. So, even if you don’t have low hair porosity like me, I’m sure that the tips below can help you in the overall care of your hair.
Hair Oiling
Hair oiling is great, especially if you feel like your routine creams aren’t effective enough to moisturise your hair. The process consists of applying hair oil to both your roots and ends, and leaving it on for the stipulated time, before rinsing it out and washing your hair normally. The ideal is to select a lightweight oil that will not clog your pores or cause any irritation to your scalp. Because of this, rosemary oil has been increasingly popular among the TikTok community, especially because it both hydrates your hair and stimulates hair growth. I use rosemary oil on a weekly basis, applying it about 30 minutes before I shower. For a detailed step-by-step, make sure to check out the video below. The result? My hair feels softer and has a lot more shine, and I have definitely noticed a difference in how dense my hair looks now.
Using a silk or satin bonnet/pillowcase
This was a tip that, at first, I didn’t really think would make that much of a difference. But oh, was I wrong! I didn’t know this before, but cotton (the material that most pillowcases are made of) can actually absorb your hair’s moisture, making your hair dry out. Sleeping with a cotton pillowcase can also make your hair more prone to breakages and frizz. Because of that, it could be good to invest in a silk or satin bonnet or pillowcase, that keeps your hair’s moisture intact. If you’re willing to invest more in your haircare routine, pure silk pillowcases are the best material, but can also be quite pricey. But, if you’re on a student budget like me, satin also has a similar effect on the hair. I definitely noticed my hair looked and felt less frizzy and brittle in the mornings. Here’s a link to satin pillowcases:
Overnight Heatless Curls
This tip was honestly a lifesaver. It’s no news that constantly using heat tools in your hair will cause a lot of damage. But, even with the risks, I always liked to do curls at the ends of my hair using my curling iron, just because I liked that “flawless blowdry” finish. However, not surprisingly, I noticed that I started to get a lot of split ends, and my hair was thinning. So overnight heatless curls were definitely a game changer in preserving my hair’s health. I had to practice a few times before I got the hang of getting smooth curls, but the results of heatless curls are very similar to what I get using a proper curling iron. If you like to style your hair with waves or curls, then this method is definitely worth a try to reduce the amount of damage to your hair.
These tips may not be revolutionary, and you may not see results overnight. But I can assure you that by adding these three tips to my haircare routine, I definitely noticed a difference in shine, strength, and density of my hair. Even more, I feel like using these tips and being more mindful of how you treat your hair can become an important part of your self-care routine. For me, after I finish oiling my hair and need to wait before I shower, I often use this time for another hobby. I will normally read a magazine, watch a tv series, or just make a hot chocolate and do some journaling. Or, doing my heatless curls every night encouraged me to spend some time offline before I go to bed. Taking care of yourself physically can also encourage you to tune in to how you’re feeling mentally and emotionally.
It also helped me make my self-care routine fun! To try different ways of taking care of your hair can also be a process of exploring what hairstyles you like best, and how you like to present yourself in your day-to-day life. So, if you haven’t heard of any of these TikTok trends, I definitely encourage you to give them a try.