A TIKTOK HAIR TREND THAT'S WORTHY OF YOUR TIME

Now, in the name of true journalistic integrity, I swore to follow her directive to the letter. Product-wise, I got Shea Moisture Styling Lotion, Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo & Conditioner, Rahua Legendary Amazon Oil and Rahua Hydration Detangler and UV Barrier – Lilly also recommends using a silk pillowcase, but being a beauty editor, I already have four of those.

There’s essentially four phases to her routine: pre-wash, wash, post-wash, and maintenance. However, almost immediately, my resolve was threatened. A fairly key component of her wash routine, and indeed, of many healthy-haired-people’s routines, is a so-called ‘rice water rinse’. This is a historic technique, thought to date back to ancient China, wherein you soak rice in water until cloudy, and then apply to the hair and rinse out. Rice does have lots of amino acids and proteins, as well as vitamins, so I can see how it would work, and anecdotally, the results are impressive. However, I simply could not bring myself to do it. I suppose you could cook the rice after, but you'd have to be committed to a lot of rice-focussed meals. 

However, the rest of it I was able to stick to. So that’s daily scalp massage, which takes all of five minutes and can be done whilst watching Netflix, weekly application of a mix of the Shea Moisture Curl Smoothie and Rahua Legendary Amazon Oil left on overnight, which is a doddle because it’s passive, and then just washing and styling my hair with some extremely nice products. The Shea Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner are fabulous, and left my hair feeling very hydrated, though perhaps not quite as much as my beloved Dizziak Hydration Wash. I struggled to lather them out of my hair fully at first, but switching to a hand-held shower attachment did the trick. For styling, I applied the Rahua Hydration Detangler and Shea Moisture Styling Lotion before blow-drying, and finished with the Rahua Amazon Oil again, which might be my favourite product from this haul. It’s so lightweight, but smells gorgeous and really polishes the ends of the hair up beautifully.