The K-beauty fever has taken over the world. This newfound craze to achieve ‘glass-like skin’ and luscious hair like South Korean celebrities has made the Korean beauty industry ginormous across the globe. From skincare to haircare and makeup – Korean products boast natural, unique, and harsh-free ingredients that ensure a lasting glow. If you want to get rid of your dry, rough, and unmanageable hair and welcome healthy locks, let’s take you through the 10-step hair care routine that Korean beauty lovers swear by.
What makes the Korean hair care routine so effective?
Unlike the Western hair care routine that focuses on the hair itself, Korean hair care follows a holistic approach that gives special importance to scalp health. After all, a good scalp translates into good hair. K-beauty mantra is to treat your scalp like it’s an extension of your face. A clean and healthy scalp is like a clean canvas for your hair to grow and thrive. It reduces itching, irritation and flaking as well as reduces hair damage and breakage.
Korean hair care routine is quite comprehensive and meticulous, almost impossible to follow on a regular basis. But don’t worry, you don’t have to follow it every time you wash your hair. We recommend you do it once in 10 days or a fortnight.
With that, let’s take you through the steps as well as familiarise you with the products and how to use them.
10-step Korean hair care routine that will give you healthy tresses
1. Scalp scaler
A scalp scaler is basically a salicylic acid-based cleanser made for your scalp. Since Korean beauty experts stress on keeping the scalp clean, healthy and exfoliated, scalp scalers prevent a buildup of oil and dead skin cells to maintain scalp health.
How and when to use: Apply it over your dry scalp right before shampoo. Spread it and massage it thoroughly into your scalp to help with blood circulation. Let it sit for around 15 minutes and then rinse off. You can use it once every week or two weeks depending on how sensitive or dry your scalp is. We recommend you use the Innisfree Green Tea Scalp Scaler for best results.
2. Shampoo and scalp massage!
While there’s no magical trick to shampooing your hair, what works wonders is adding a scalp brush to the mix. Always use a paraben and sulphate-free shampoo, something that suits your scalp and doesn’t strip moisture from your hair. This way you can clean your hair without washing away the natural oils and disrupting the natural pH levels. Adding a brush-like tool boosts blood circulation and exfoliates the scalp. Koreans are a big fan of aloe vera shampoos, which are great for hair growth and moisturisation.
How and when to use: After shampooing, use the scalp massager in gentle, circular motions. After working your way through the whole scalp, rinse thoroughly.
3. Conditioner
Any hair care routine is incomplete without a dose of hydration. A conditioner reintroduces moisture back into your hair, making it shinier, softer and stronger. It’s a common haircare mistake to let the conditioner sit for very little time, depriving your tresses of the product’s nutrients. Try leaving it on for a longer, let your hair strand lock in the ingredients.
How and when to use: Get rid of excess water after shampooing. Apply the conditioner to towel-dried hair and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. There’s no need to apply it on the scalp, only hair strands.
Buy moisturising hair conditioners here
4. Hair masks
A good hair mask is the key to achieving glossy hair, according to K-beauty. Hair masks have natural oils, proteins, and vitamins that nurture your hair in an organic way. They’re built to repair your hair from weather, sun or any environmental harm. From argan oil to coconut oil and more, hair masks have various nourishing ingredients to suit every hair type.
How and when to use: Switch your conditioner for a hair mask once a week. Apply it all over your hair post-shampoo and let it sit for around 15-20 minutes. Again, your focus has to be on your tresses and not the scalp.
Buy nourishing hair masks here
5. Vinegar hair rinse
Just like your skin, maintaining the right pH levels for your scalp is also important. Whether you’re suffering from excess dryness or excess oiliness, a vinegar rinse will help balance out your scalp’s pH level and keep all these problems at bay.
How and when to use: Mix normal vinegar or apple cider vinegar with water and apply it on your scalp and hair right after conditioning. Rinse out immediately and thoroughly.
Buy Apple Cider Vinegar Cleansing Rinse here
6. Scalp mask/ scrub
Similar to how hair masks work, scalp masks or scrubs are a great way to get rid of any unwanted dirt and oil build-up on the scalp. It strengthens the hair from the root, soothing and restoring moisture in the scalp.
How and when to use: Once a week, apply the mask all over your scalp after shampooing. Keep it for 10-15 minutes and then wash it off. You can even use a hair mask and scalp mask at the same time, as they’re curated for different sections of the hair.
Buy NatureLab Tokyo Perfect Shine Clarifying Scalp Scrub here
7. Scalp tonic
Remember the CTM skincare ritual? You always apply a toner after deeply cleaning your face. Similarly for your hair, a scalp tonic is the equivalent of a toner that helps balance the pH and preps your scalp for the upcoming steps. From reducing hair fall, and thickening strands to increasing hair volume: a scalp tonic has many benefits.
How and when to use: Pat dry your hair with a towel post-shower and apply the tonic all over your scalp. Massage it a little for better absorption. You don’t have to rinse or remove it, let it stay on.
Buy Design Essentials Scalp and Skin Care Detoxifying Tonic here
8. Scalp serum or essence
It’s a water-like formula which easily penetrates into your scalp and helps it heal and hydrate. If you’ve an oily scalp, a lightweight essence or leave-in fluid will be beneficial. If you are having a dry scalp, you can opt for a heavier serum. If you don’t have any oily or dry scalp problems, you can skip this set and just use a scalp tonic.
How and when to use: Pour the serum into your hand and apply it on your scalp, section by section.
Buy hydrating scalp serums here
9. Hair serum or essence
If your scalp needs a hydrating serum, so does your hair. Hair serums deliver large amounts of moisturising agents to your hair and lock in the moisture.
How and when to use: After applying the scalp serum, take a small amount of hair serum/ essence in your hands, rub your hands to warm and activate the product and apply it evenly on your hair strands. Massage gently for better absorption.
Buy smoothing and strengthening hair serums here
10. Overnight treatments
On days when you feel like indulging in extra self-care, treat your hair to an overnight mask, serum, or hair essence. You don’t need to perform this step as often as the aforementioned ones, keep it for the days you have a little extra time on your hands.
How and when to use: After towel-drying your hair post-shower and applying all the serums, and tonics, cover your scalp and hair with an overnight mask and sleep. Rinse it off the next morning and enjoy those glowy locks!
Buy Tonymoly’s Haeyo Zayo Hair Sleeping Pack here
With this Korean hair care routine, bid adieu to damaged hair!
(Hero image credit: Tim Mossholder/ Unsplash)
(Feature image credit: mododeolhar/ Pexels)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- How do Koreans take care of hair?
Koreans follow a 10-step hair care routine, which focuses on strengthening and nourishing both the scalp and hair.
- Do Koreans wash their hair daily?
It’s normal for Koreans to wash their hair every day or every alternate day as they focus on keeping the scalp clean and healthy.
- Why is Korean hair so healthy?
Koreans are very mindful of scalp health and use natural, unique, and harsh-free ingredients to always keep their tresses soft and glossy.
- How to get luscious and luminous hair like Koreans?
By following the highly effective 10-step Korean hair care routine and eating a healthy diet, you can get beautiful hair like Koreans.
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Written by
Kriti Nayyar
Senior Digital Writer, Wellness, Culture, Astrology, Tech
Kriti is a stay-at-home dog mama, whose knack for telling interesting stories keeps her erstwhile monotonous life sane. A literature & journalism degree holder, you'll find her binging on Agatha Christie novels while critiquing the everyday state of affairs. On Kriti's seldom social outings, she's seen devouring coffee sangria with appetizing bread on the side.
