Beauty Fix: Christophe Robin Clarifying Sea Salt Scrub
I've always thought that clarifying shampoos were a gimmick from haircare lines to get people to spend more, so I don't have high expectations when I check into 10/10 Space in Causeway Bay.
Why do you need a clarifying treatment if you wash your hair all the time? It is like a facial, explains Wing, the therapist. You wash your face every day, but sometimes you want a deep cleanse. The clarifying scrub, from Christophe Robin, works in a similar way, and comes in handy when the seasons change, which can cause scalp irritation.
Wing recommends a clarifying treatment once a month, especially for those who tend to have oilier scalps and use a lot of product. If you can't use a clarifying shampoo, Wing suggests shampooing your hair twice.
First my hair is coated in moisturising lavender and prickly pear seed oil, which is left on for 10 minutes. Surprisingly this is applied without washing the hair first. Most people's idea of a thorough cleansing doesn't involve pouring oil on top of the dirt and residue that's already on your head.
After that she washes my hair and applies the scalp scrub. It is a paste which is dotted with crystals of sea salt. She massages my scalp, and I'm surprised to find that after she rinses the scrub off and rubs her thumb against my hair, it actually squeaks.
A blow-dry later, and my hair feels lighter and is catching the light in a much more obvious way. Wing says my tresses were looking dull, not due to a lack of moisture — which I thought was the problem — but because I was loading up on conditioners to compensate, and the build-up was weighing down my hair.
So for those after shampoo- commercial shiny hair, the solution may be to use less product and go for a deep clean.
