When we say ‘hair care’ one immediately assumes that we’re talking about just a shampoo or conditioner. What we forget here the most essential step, which is taking care of the scalp. Scalp exfoliation is not a subject that is often talked about in the glamorous world of beauty, but we think that this is where the journey to having beautiful hair starts. A few weeks ago, at The Amazing Blog, we were kindly sent a set of KLEAF which are an extraordinary Scalp Optimizing Trio that we want to share with you.
KLEAF is a Malaysian hair care that is part of Luxurcraft PLT who are a GDPMD certified and approved company that distributes and exports premium sulphate-free scalp care products. KLEAF focuses on offering safe, cruelty-free and natural hair care. Their primary mission is to free scalps from parabens, harsh sulphates, and the ever-so-famous silicones that are still very present in the haircare industry today. Are silicones that bad? Even though they have not been proven to cause any harm to our skin, in the long run, their use becomes counterproductive as they leave a water-resistant film on the hair strands and scalp that doesn’t wash away easily. But I hear you ask; doesn’t this film benefit the skin as it protects it from pollution and retains hydration? At first yes, so short-term, your skin and your hair will look shiny and healthy. Except that as it does not rinse off with ease, it ends up retaining dirt, pollution, and dead cells; thus causing more build-up, therefore interfering with cell-renewal and eventually making your hair look dull and feel heavy. You might have noticed that when knowingly using make-up with silicones, it’s more difficult to remove. The residue is still there the second time around and sometimes even the third! This is because of the silicone coating. But that’s not all. This protective film also blocks the skin from all nourishing ingredients that are supposed to penetrate the skin or the scalp. Plus, research has shown that silicones are not the best thing for the planet, taking up to 500 years for them to biodegrade. KLEAF formulas, which were originally conceived in France, have succeeded in producing an all-natural trio of hair care alternatives to free hair from unwanted chemical residue. What impresses us is KLEAF's transparency here, as a responsible committed and sustainable business, that also prioritises their ingredients to be environmentally friendly.
This is where the KLEAF Scalp Purifying Exfoliator comes into play. Everyone who is beauty-aware knows the importance of exfoliating their skin regularly to get the best results. The scalp being nothing more than the skin on top of our head (and under our hair) which needs the same! When switching to an all-natural hair care routine, the exfoliation will help remove all residue from silicones that have been sitting on your scalp. In this formula, with its micronized walnut shells unclog the hair follicles by freeing them from build-up and product residue, while the small Himalayan salt crystals detoxify the scalp, and the sweet almond and basil oils gently purify whilst nourishing the skin. Like your usual skin scrub, you can use this exfoliator once or twice a week (maximum), before your shampoo, or instead of your shampoo. On the scalp, the solution feels cool and tingles slightly. Massage for about 3 minutes, then rinse away. After use, our hair felt incredibly clean and light, and we noticed a little more volume than usual and a scalp that was less itchy.
Next, we have the KLEAF Scalp Optimizing Shampoo, which is a plant-based stimulating shampoo. In this product, piroctone olamine’s anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties are used to reduce hair loss and inflammation. At the same time, the caffeine stimulates the follicles and strengthens the hair, extending its life cycle. These allow the hair to be efficiently cleansed while the basil, argan, and sweet almond oils nourish the hair to keep it healthy and supple. Again, on the scalp, this lotion-like shampoo feels cool and refreshing, and the basil smell (almost licoricey) is to die for. Our hair looked healthier and lighter and with more volume. To use, massage on wet scalp and leave on for 2 to 3 minutes.
The third product of the set is the KLEAF Hair Strengthening Conditioner, which helps the hair stay silky smooth, healthy, and resistant to breakage without the use of any silicones. In this thicker formula, the glycerine and jojoba & basil oils ensure that your locks are deeply nourished, without leaving any excess. We think that it has a delicious fresh basil fragrance and used it as a regular conditioner after shampoo. They recommend avoiding the scalp, leaving it on for about 2 minutes and then rinsing thoroughly. Afterwards, our hair smelt almost garden-fresh and felt clean, light and shiny with our curls that looked more naturally defined. This is definitely one of our top hair care #amazingfinds for 2020. In the office, we had to toss a coin to decide who got to keep this set – that’s how much we loved it!
For optimal results, KLEAF advises combining these three products. You can purchase the set for 255 AED (approximately £48) on their European distributor’s website at Advik Beauty’s here who very kind to send us these products.