For those of you playing the esmi drinking game at home, you can take a shot because we’re about to talk about one of our favourite ingredients: hyaluronic acid. No wait, don’t click away, we promise this is different! We’re going to be chatting about hyaluronic acid for hair. While it might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to hair care, we know that skincare doesn’t end at the hairline. A lot of the ingredients we love for our skin also have some amazing benefits for the scalp and the hair. Today, we’re breaking down 6 hyaluronic acid benefits for hair.

Hair hydration

Hyaluronic acid provides deeply nourishing hydration without the risk of greasy build-up, thanks to how quickly it sinks into the scalp and hair follicles. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, which means it attracts moisture from its surroundings like a magnet, giving your hair a big drink of water, keeping it smooth and super hydrated. We’ll get into why that’s so important in a bit…

Scalp hydration

Like we said, we take a scalp-first approach to haircare (you can read more about that here). After all, by supporting the scalp microbiome, we can keep the hair happy and healthy. Hyaluronic acid draws moisture to the scalp to keep it nice and hydrated. Just like how you can’t have wine without cheese, you can’t have healthy hair follicles without a healthy scalp. Hydrating the scalp is going to keep flakiness away and reduce hair loss by creating an environment conducive to hair growth.

Reduces Frizziness

One of the best hyaluronic acid benefits for hair is its ability to keep frizz under control. For those of us who dread a rainy day thanks to our hair getting a bit wild, hyaluronic acid is going to be your saviour. Frizzy hair can often be a sign of dry or damaged hair, and if you’re suffering from one or the other, or both, the outer cuticle opens up in an attempt to let in that much needed moisture. When too much moisture is retained, these cuticles start to swell and voila, your hair might be looking like you just touched one of those balls of electricity from middle school science class. To avoid the frizz, your best bet is to keep dryness at bay with hyaluronic acid.

Improves porosity of hair

If you’re wondering, “what is hair porosity?”, don’t worry, just consider us Google! Porosity is the measure of your hair’s ability to absorb and store moisture. Majority of the time, porosity is determined by good ol’ genetics and external factors like the use of heat appliances. Having dry, damaged or bleached hair means it is going to be higher on the porosity spectrum, so you’re more susceptible to losing moisture. Think of it like filling up a bucket of water with holes in the bottom - you’re going to lose all that moisture! Hyaluronic acid plugs those holes and helps your follicles retain hydration.

Helps to Treat Dermatitis

If you’ve got a bad case of seborrheic dermatitis (in other words, dermatitis on the scalp), you’re going to want to get friendly with hyaluronic acid. Signs of seborrheic dermatitis include a red and itchy scalp, as well as dandruff. Most of the time, this type of dermatitis occurs in high oil-producing areas of the body, like the scalp, and is triggered by factors like stress, hormones, cold weather or harsh chemicals. Hyaluronic acid is going to help calm inflammation and irritation, keeping dermatitis at bay and boosting hydration.

Suitable for everyone

While some moisturising products can cause one’s hair to feel heavy and greasy, hyaluronic acid is suitable for all hair types and textures, just like it is great for all skin types. We love an inclusive ingredient!

Hair products including hyaluronic acid

When you’re scouring the internet for hair products that contain hyaluronic acid, you might be a little confused by the lack of options. That’s only because in reality, most hair products will list sodium hyaluronate instead, which is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. Being smaller in structure, it can penetrate deeper into the scalp and hair follicles.

If you’re looking for your new favourite hyaluronic acid shampoo and conditioner, you’re in luck. We happen to know the perfect ones! The esmi Hydrating Shampoo and Hydrating Conditioner are rich in hyaluronic acid to boost hydration for healthier, smoother and more nourished hair. With the help of our unique biome blend of probiotic lysates, our Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner is going to also hydrate your scalp and restore your precious skin barrier.

If you haven’t tried hyaluronic acid for hair, your world is about to be changed (dramatic, but true). Want to know more? Chat to our esmi skin (and now scalp!) experts today.