Nioxin: The Hair Treatment That Takes Care of Your Scalp
The hair care aisle can be one of the most confusing places if your regular brand of shampoo just isn’t doing it for you anymore, or you’ve come across a new problem (or it’s not on offer this week!) Dry hair? Itchy scalp? Losing more hair than usual? The problems you can face are endless, and all of the brands seem to think they have the answer – but how do you know if they’re going to work on your own luscious locks?
When I was invited for a consultation at the Graduate Salon revolving around this strange word, ‘Nioxin’, I was a bit worried that I was going to have my head dipped in bleach, and told it would solve all my problems but don’t worry – that definitely wasn’t the case!
Arriving for my appointment on time like the obsessively punctual person I am, I was offered a drink on arrival by the friendly receptionist, and was taken over to one of the private seating areas for my consultation. Maz, one of the most experienced stylists at the salon, greeted me and explained why our hair can become limp, lifeless, falls out more and become thin. Turns out, it’s the same sort of concept as your skin – your pores can get clogged with make-up and general life dust (yes, that’s definitely a thing), leaving your skin irritated and not looking it’s best. The same applies to your scalp – your hair follicles can get clogged with left over product and even more life dust, meaning your hair hasn’t got enough room to grow through thick, leading to your hair growing in thin, brittle strands.
She then asked me what my personal qualms about my own hair were, and what I liked about it. As a natural blonde with a few highlights, my hair has always been quite naturally thin, but there’s a lot of it. It’s always been quite flat to my head, and whenever I use tongs to curl it, it never stays in for longer than 24 hours, no matter the strength of the hairspray. It also gets quite knotty, and often falls out in the shower and when I brush it. After I finished crying over my apparently horrendous hair (sounds terrible when you say it out loud!) – I admitted that I do like the colour, and I like the length – so it’s not all bad news! The great thing about this consultation, was that Maz was taking down everything I said on her Nioxin app, and was able to e-mail the rundown for me, meaning that if you do take on the Nioxin treatment, you’re able to look back at your progress. Sort of like a My Fitness Pal – but for hair!
Next, Maz was able to use this super scary, scientific looking device to look at my scalp, but magnified by about a million times. IT. WAS. TERRIFYING. My scalp looked like an alien – seeing my hair follicles like that was creepy, but very interesting. The majority of my scalp was pretty healthy – the skin wasn’t inflamed and you could see the thickness of the hair at the root. However I pointed out a section that sometimes gets irritated, and the difference in just a few inches was blindingly obvious. The skin was red and looked all angry at me, and the root of the hair was pretty much non existent. After taking snapshots of my scalp in different places for reference, Maz went through the pictures with me and explained what it meant. In my case, I had a partly sensitive scalp with progressed thinning, meaning she recommended Nioxin System #4. The treatments range from #1 – #6, depending on your hair type, what issues you’re having and what outcomes you want. I want my hair to be fuller, thicker and more volumous – which is what #4 does!
Nioxin is one of the only hair treatments that effectively treats and cleanses your scalp, meaning your hair can grow through to its full thickness without being rudely interrupted. Like all things worthwhile, it’s not a quick fix. Maz informed me that your hair only grows a few inches a year, meaning it’s going to take a while to see the results you want, but it’s something you have to keep persistent at.
Nioxin offer trial kits, consisting of the shampoo, conditioner and treatment. Think of it as a cleanse, moisturise and tone routine – you wouldn’t do two and not the other! It’s also a case of having a healthy lifestyle. Good hair requires a good lifestyle, including diet and exercise.Interested? Book a consultation appointment at the Graduate Salon to find out what kind of treatment your scalp needs to make your hair thicker, healthier and looking fab!