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The quality of your hair strands is determined at the hair follicle. You can of course ruin any hair by bleaching and heat styling, but if your hair grows from strong roots, your chances of silky strands are much higher.
But what influences hair health? Well, genetics, diet and a healthy scalp!
And when The Inkey List launched their hair care line earlier this year, instead of shampoo and conditioner they focused entirely on treatments: 5 for the hair and four for the scalp.
But are they worth your money?
The Inkey List Hair Care Line
A few words about the line in general: All products are packed in aluminum containers that are fully recyclable, yes, that includes the pump, contain 50 ml and range between 8 and 15 € pricewise.
The problem with the pump when it comes to The Inkey List Scalp Treatments
Now… the pump. I did not talk about the pump in my The Inkey List Hair Treatment post, simply because it is fine when it comes to hair treatments. For scalp treatments though, it is NOT the best.
You are supposed to distribute them evenly on your entire scalp and massage them in. So if you pump them into your hand, you will spend the next ten minutes trying to dip your fingers into the fluid and reach through your strands of hair onto your scalp without losing half the product on the way there.
If you on the other hand pump directly onto your scalp, you will end up with way too much product in one spot because it is hard to control. Other scalp treatments I have used had a spray nozzle instead that would dispense just a small amount and worked MUCH better for that purpose.
The Inkey List Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment (50 ml for 11,99 €)
Here is what The Inkey List Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment claims
Exfoliating the scalp is vital to remove dead skin and product build up and give the roots a chance to thrive and lift versus being weighed down. It´s a common mistake to think that a flaky and itchy scalp is caused by a dry scalp, in almost all cases, a dry flaky scalp is caused by over production of oil by the sebaceous gland located next to the hair follicle.
To tackle itchiness, flakiness and excessive oil build up, we have created a lightweight serum which combines three key ingredients. Salicylic Acid works to remove the build-up through gently exfoliating the scalp, and similarly to its role in skincare, it also helps to balance oil levels production. The two other ingredients, FLUIDIPURE 8G and Panthenol respectively help to reduce scalp´s redness and to hydrate and moisturize hair.
Texture of The Inkey List Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment
The product is clear, very runny and with no noticeable scent. I do not notice any stinging or irritation when applying it to my scalp.
Ingredients of The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid Hair Treatment
Salicylic Acid is listed as third ingredient after water and Propanediol and comes at the 2% allowed in non-prescription products.
FLUIDIPURE 8G is apparently at a concentration of 2.5% and is a solution aiming to fight scalp irritation and dandruff, although I am not sure I have seen it mentioned in the list of ingredients allowed to make anti-dandruff treatment claims. Salicylic Acid on the other hand is listed, and the added Panthenol is great as anti-inflammatory.
My thoughts
Now to be clear here – I do not suffer from dandruff or scalp itching. I do however enjoy frequent sweaty workouts, the excessive use of dry shampoo and have an oily scalp, all of which can lead to a kind of build up that I can literally scratch of my head – and yes, I know how gross that sounds!
To help with that, I wanted a scalp exfoliant and as I much prefer chemical over physical exfoliation on my face, I figured I would give that one a go.
Safe to say it did not disappoint. I experienced zero irritation, but after two uses (I use it around once every week, maybe every other week), my scalp felt so much cleaner and the build up was gone.
Did it make a difference on my hair health? I honestly can´t tell, I think things like that are hard to notice, but as it feels so much better now, this product definitely will be repurchased.
The Inkey List Caffeine Stimulating Scalp Treatment (50 ml for 14,99 €)
What The Inkey List Caffeine Stimulating Scalp Treatment claims
The hair on our scalp grows cyclically and follows three phases: a growth phase called the anagen phase, a regression phase called the catagen phase and a resting phase called the telogen phase. When, for a number of reasons, we experience thinning hair beyond normal shedding, this means hair is in the catagen phase.
Whilst we can not fully prevent hair loss when this happens, we have created a unique formula that works to keep hair in the anagen phase, which is the phase in which hair grows.
The result? Am overnight scalp treatment that uses caffeine powder and a new ingredient called Redensyl to help reduce and prevent hair loss by stimulating hair follicles, therefore encouraging hair growth and helping to improve hair thickness.
Texture of The Inkey List Caffeine Stimulating Scalp Treatment
This one has a gel like texture, which makes it a little easier to get to the scalp than the very runny Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Treatment. I still think another form of dispenser would have been better.
It is absolutely non oily and does not leave a film on your roots, something that was very important to me as I do not wash my hair every day. I could apply this one at night and still have fresh looking hair in the mornings.
According to The Inkey List one bottle should last you around one month, with three months being the time after you start seeing results.
I am however still on my first bottle. It is as good as empty and I did use it every night and a decent amount by my own judgement, but probably not enough, so take that into consideration when I talk about my results.
The Inkey List Caffeine Stimulating Scalp Treatment Ingredients
Caffeine powder, which aims to increase blood flow to the follicle and stimulating it that way, and Redensyl. The Inkey List claims it is a new ingredient, but it has been around since 2014 and is used in several other “anti-aging” hair products.
There are a few studies done on a 1% or 2% Redensyl solution (1% is used here), which did show good results, but were done as “clinical testing” with self report and mostly on men. That does not mean I don´t believe it can help – I would still say though that we have more data on Minoxidil.
My thoughts
I know this is the product most of you wanted to know first about, but I really wanted to go the full three months before I give you my final verdict. These three months though were a struggle. Not because the product in itself is a problem, other than the application process it does not affect your hair routine at all.
No, because I really struggle with applying something every night to my scalp. No problem if it is skincare, but that extra step was something I had to force myself to do.
For me the results would have needed to be outstanding to keep up with that, and quite honestly – they aren´t. If I look closely, I do notice some baby hair that wasn´t there before, a sign of regrowth, so yes, I would say there is an effect – maybe from the product, maybe from the regular scalp massage that in itself will increase blood flow, but for me that is not enough to keep going, and with inconsistent use the results will most likely be lost again.
So if you are more disciplined than I am, it might be worth trying – I personally will not get another bottle.