9 Hair Hacks I’ve Tried, Rated

A few months ago, I decided to take myself on a haircare journey. For full disclosure, I have super fine hair, balayage it blonde every six months, washed it every morning because I thought it was naturally oily (spoiler: turns out washing it every day made it oily), then blow dried. I was in a bit of a hair slump and kept getting the urge to cut it into a blunt bob because the breakage on the ends meant it never seemed to grow past my shoulders. Instead of taking drastic action and crying everyday until said blunt bob grew back, I went on a deep dive into haircare and TikTok hair hacks and discovered that haircare isn’t just about what you use in the shower. Keep scrolling and let me share my newly found wisdom with you. 

I discovered the rice water hack directly from TikTok and started my journey here. Rice water is said to be packed with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that help to strengthen the hair at the roots, add shine, and protect against future damage. Making it literally involves boiling rice and using the water (once cool) in a spray bottle over freshly washes, damp hair. 

I did see some results from this hack, mainly the shine. I used the rice water for about three months and my hair did feel a little stronger after the spray bottle had run dry. If I didn’t try the other hacks, I would have rated this higher, but hail oiling and scalp massage edged rice water out. But the shine factor did earn this hack a solid six.  

Another hack I discovered on TikTok coming up. Hair oiling is an Indian ritual that involves massaging oil into the scalp to help to stimulate the hair follicles to encourage growth and density. Throw in an oil packed with hair loving ingredients and you’ve got yourself some very happy hair. 

I used this hack once a week, applying the oil over my hair and scalp before bed and washing away in the morning and what a difference it made! After each wash my hair got smoother, thicker, and softer than I knew possible. This was also the only hack that other people noticed a difference from. The only reason why it dropped two points is because the oil ruined my pillowcase. Tough judge.

Regular scalp massages have been hailed for a long time as a natural remedy against hair loss. Massaging the scalp is thought to help stimulate blood flow to the scalp to promote thicker longer hair. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a head massage? 

To properly research this hack, I hauled myself a massage tool and used it to massage my shampoo in the shower. I used small circular movements across the scalp to avoid causing tangles and breakage. You’ll already know by the 10 points I awarded this hack that I am super impressed by it. I’ve tried countless hair growth remedies, but since scalp massaging made it on to the scene, the hair growth has been the best I’ve ever seen. Couldn’t recommend enough!!

It’s been said that rough pillowcases and movement in our sleep can cause the hair to become brittle, prone to breakage, and oily. The solution is as simple as swapping your cotton pillowcase to a satin one to reduce the friction between the hair and the material. 

I’ve got to say, I had very limited expectations from this one. I used to wake up with my hair looking like a literal bird’s nest, which is why I often resorted to washing it every morning. Since I treated myself to a satin pillowcase, however, I wake up with hair resembling that of walking through a light breeze and I’ve been able to reduce my hair washing routine which we all know is instantly better for any hair type. If you’re not convinced about doing this for your hair, do it for your comfort levels. I even had to buy my boyfriend a satin pillowcase because he was jealous of mine. 

The same principle as the satin pillowcase applies here. Rough towels on delicate wet hair are a recipe for breakage, split ends, and frizz. Micro fibre towels are designed to be super absorbent, so all you need to do is wrap your hair up and let the towel do the drying work. 

I really enjoyed this hack for two reasons: the drying process time has been cut in half and my hair has been a lot less frizzy around the ends. And I’m no hairdresser but I swear my split ends haven’t been cropping up as much as they used to. This is the most low-maintenance hack on this list and the one every haircare lover should be using. 

Just one more friction reducing hack: the hair wrap. Hair wraps are designed to be worn overnight to protect the hair from the friction of pillowcases. They’re also super handy for keeping styles in place while you sleep. If you’re enjoying your curls but hate the way they look after sleep, this hack is for you. 

I did really enjoy the hair wrap for the style holding benefit, but I much preferred the satin pillowcase. Hair wraps are usually made using satin which means sleep becomes slippy if you’re using a satin pillowcase. My rule is now, if I want to hold my curls in place, I’ll use the hair wrap, but if I’m cool with styling in the AM, it’s the satin pillowcase. It’s all about balance. 

Scalp care is the new skincare and boy am I impressed with this hack. As an owner of oily skin, salicylic acid as become a staple in my skincare routine, and now I’ve added into my haircare routine to take care of my oily scalp and obsession with washing. Ps. avoid using actual skincare products and look for haircare with skincare ingredients featured. 

If you’re going to try one hack, make it this one! You can figure out which ingredient you want to use based on your hair type and concern, but salicylic acid is the one for me. I use it once a week to cleanse my scalp of product build up and oil which allows all the other products to do their best work. You’ll know from the points that I am super impressed with this. My hair isn’t as oily, my scalp doesn’t have those random little scabs, and my hair health is at the top of its game. 

This hack is pretty niche but I’m really into it. After washing your hair with shampoo, separate the hair like you would if you were curling the underneath hair and give it a good old rinse. The theory behind this is that shampoo can get trapped in the hair and can lead to build up and oiliness, so extra rinsing means less build up and less oiliness. And you know what, it works! I used to get oiliness around the roots within as little as 12 hours since washing, but those days are gone. Simple but oh so effective. 

Last but not least, the heatless curls. Heat styling is one of the biggest causes of damage to the hair, especially around the ends. Heatless curls solve all those problems without having to give up on the curly styles. 

The only reason I gave this hack two less points is because I really struggle to sleep in the curler overnight. Plus, my thin hair means that it can’t hold on to the curler without slipping out. But that’s my problem, not the heatless curls.