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Using bakuchiol in your hair may seem like an extravagance at first. The so-called vegetable retinol isn't a commonly used ingredient in hair care—collagen and hyaluronic acid are more popular, for example—but its benefits are real. Very real.
This is how stylist Gabriel Llano explained it to me, after experimenting on my own hair with a bakuchiol and collagen treatment that he performs in his salon: “This active ingredient adds a lot of shine to the hair and makes it not brittle,” he says. “It strengthens it. The reason it adds shine is that, like when bakuchiol is used on the skin, it exerts a slight exfoliation on the hair fiber, which eliminates residues and enhances the hair's shine.”
So what is bakuchiol? The plant-based ingredient comes from the seeds and leaves of the babchi tree and has recently become a popular, more natural alternative to retinol in the skin care world. And according to Llano, it's also suitable for all hair types in need of an antifrizz effect.
“My treatment, which combines bakuchiol with collagen, is recommended for any type of hair, of any age, but especially for fine hair or hair prone to breakage,” says Llano, who advises doing it every month and a half. (The duration of the treatment's effects also depends on the frequency of washing—if you wash your hair more frequently, it may last less.) And though it's not the main purpose of the treatment, it does have an antifrizz effect that makes it a good summer ally.
Until recently, in-salon treatments that replicated in-salon facials were not common. But we've normalized having a facial cleansing done by a professional—why shouldn't deeper in-salon hair treatments also be routine? But we're starting to see the wash, cut, style, and go culture in salons replaced by a more thoughtful approach in which people go to a professional stylist not only to beautify their hair but also to treat it. Just a few months ago, Quique Sánchez, director of EspacioQ, told Vogue Spain that in-depth care treatments had already surpassed cuts in his salon in terms of demand.
Undoubtedly, more people are becoming aware of the importance of taking care of their hair at a deeper level. And, if we're being practical, doing these type of treatments on an occasional but constant basis may help distance the amount of times you need to cut or treat split ends. Products like conditioners and masks have a makeup effect on the hair—they soften but remain on the surface—which makes more intensive treatments that provide a repairing effect, both at home and in the salon, ultimately a necessity.
This article originally appeared in Vogue Spain.
