Custom shampoo or personalized hair care: which one should you choose?

Oily scalp, dry hair, dandruff… We all face hair concerns at some point in our lives, except for the luckiest few, but they’re rare! Faced with these issues, we’re all looking for the miracle product that will solve everything in the blink of an eye, and brands know it well.

In fact, more and more custom shampoos are appearing on the shelves of our favorite stores and online. Marketed as solutions to “treat” our hair, are they really the miracle fix they claim to be? Can they truly “heal” your hair? Hairborist explains it all.

Custom shampoo or adapted shampoo: what should you choose?

While searching online for a new shampoo, you stumble upon an attractive promise: a custom shampoo designed for your specific hair needs. Some brands now offer this concept, asking you to fill out a questionnaire on their website before suggesting a tailor-made shampoo. Different compositions are then possible, with active ingredients chosen according to your hair type. These shampoos claim to “treat” your hair problems in no time.

You can also find this type of shampoo in supermarkets or specialized stores, though presented differently. Here, there’s no questionnaire to fill out, but several ready-made options supposedly targeting dandruff, oily scalp, or dry hair. According to the claims, all your hair concerns could be solved in just a few washes thanks to a single shampoo!

Unfortunately, as you may have guessed, that’s not, and will never be, the case. Contrary to the popular belief: a shampoo does not treat or heal your hair, it cleans it. Its purpose is to remove impurities and excess oil from the scalp, not to repair or cure hair problems. So buying an anti-dandruff or custom shampoo won’t magically get rid of your hair issues!

A shampoo that heals: no. A shampoo that suits your needs: yes!

It is, however, important to choose a shampoo that matches your specific hair needs, meaning a shampoo with stronger or gentler cleansing power, depending on your scalp and hair type.

If you have an oily scalp, opt for a shampoo with stronger cleansing power. (Be careful not to confuse strong cleansing with an aggressive formula!) For example, Hairborist Harmony Clean, with its specific actives and balanced concentration, cleanses oily scalps effectively without irritation.
If you have a sensitive scalp prone to allergies, you need an extremely gentle, natural, and fragrance-free product, such as Hairborist Sensity shampoo.

In summary : A custom shampoo that claims to heal your hair issues? No. An adapted shampoo tailored to your needs? Absolutely, yes!

Pre-shampoo oil: the only true personalized hair treatment

If shampoo is designed to cleanse rather than treat the hair, there are other hair care products that do fulfill this role. The good news? You can finally address oily scalp issues or get rid of stubborn dandruff! Unlike shampoo, these treatments allow you to create a truly personalized hair care solution for effective results.

This is precisely the case with the pre-shampoo oil we offer at Hairborist. In our protocol, the oil is applied before shampoo, on dry hair, so it can better penetrate the heart of the hair fiber. Water acts as a protective barrier and prevents your hair from fully benefiting from the treatment’s properties.

Depending on your hair type, you can choose between two “base oils”:

Repair oil, designed for tired, dull hair
Renovator oil, formulated for dry and damaged hair

As a rule of thumb: Renovator is best for hair that needs deep hydration, while Repair suits all other types, yes, even oily hair, which can also benefit from oil treatments. You can apply the oil on its own, of course, but you can also combine it with one or more essential oil complexes to create a fully customized hair treatment.

For example:

If you have dry hair, add 10 drops of Aromasynergie Nutritif to 20ml of Repair or Renovator oil. With essential oils of ylang-ylang, patchouli, and geranium, this blend restores softness, shine, and flexibility.
If you have dandruff, the Deskwam complex will work wonders thanks to tea tree, Atlas cedar, and rosemary.
Got dry hair and dandruff? You can combine both complexes in your oil (without ever exceeding 10 drops in total) for even more targeted care!

Once your oil is applied with the chosen complexes (for dry hair, dandruff, oily hair, colored hair, etc.), simply let it sit for 15 minutes before rinsing and moving on to shampoo, and don’t forget conditioner. If you apply this personalized hair treatment before each wash, you’ll quickly see amazing results!

Which other hair care treatments should you apply to your hair?

To truly tackle your hair concerns, it’s better to choose a shampoo adapted to your needs rather than a custom shampoo, and to opt for a personalized pre-shampoo treatment. But your hair care routine doesn’t stop there!

After shampooing, it’s essential to apply a conditioner to properly close the cuticles of your hair. Just like with shampoo, you need to choose a treatment adapted to your hair’s needs to make it as effective as possible. For example, if you have plant-dyed hair, the Natural Color conditioner will restore shine and suppleness. If you have sensitive hair, the Sweet Care treatment will provide deep hydration.

Want to combine personalized hair care with coloring? Plant-based hair coloring is another type of tailor-made care for your hair! 100% natural and made from plants and flowers, it enhances your color with beautiful shades, covers gray hair, and also works as a true treatment. It creates a protective film around the hair, strengthening and coating it. Plus, your color will be unique, since it adapts to your individual hair.

So let’s forget about so-called custom natural shampoos and instead opt for adapted shampoos and personalized hair care treatments for truly dreamy hair.