5 Skincare Ingredients That Pack Major Benefits for Your Hair

Shea Butter

“We’re all familiar with shea butter as skin food, but it’s also amazing for hair,” says Reed. “It smooths and seals the hair follicle, making it a natural anti-humidity ingredient, and it is also very nourishing for the scalp. Shea butter will give brilliant oil emulsification for a pre-shampoo treatment, too.” We’re big fans of the Fable & Mane Holiroots Hair Mask, which uses a generous amount of shea butter in tandem with coconut cream, banana and mango butter to help repair damage caused by heat styling and environmental factors, while working to restore hydration and increase shine.

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is widely known and loved for being a powerful humectant — or, an ingredient that retains moisture. While it’s a staple element among super-hydrating serums and creams, when used in the Blond Absolu formulas by Kérastase, it works to infuse moisture into the hair shaft, which hydrates your strands from the inside out. This helps to promote a stronger hair follicle and reduce breakage — which can be a common issue when making drastic hair color changes.

Is achieving a bouncier, salon-fresh finish your goal? Look no further than the L’Oreal Paris Elvive Hyaluron Plump Hydrating range, which packs hair with major moisture and plumps up dehydrated strands without creating a weighty texture.

Jojoba Oil

“Jojoba oil is nourishing, moisturizing, smoothing, protecting and sealing just as any oil would be, but the brilliance of jojoba oil is that it does all of this without weighing the hair down,” Reed says. Because of its featherweight texture, a jojoba-based hair oil like the Mizani 25 Miracle Nourishing Hair Oil makes it an ideal option for a post-shampoo treatment to target frizz and increase hydration, while imparting a luminous shine.

Baobab Oil

Especially when combined with baobab protein, baobab oil is a powerful ingredient for nourishing your hair and maintaining moisture. “Baobab oil and baobab protein work together to ensure the strength and moisture levels of both the hair and scalp are kept at a perfect balance,” says Reed. Lightweight enough to use every time you lather up, the Arkive Headcare Conditioner falls into the Goldilocks zone for moisture-boosting, strengthening conditioners — not too light, not too heavy, just right.

Argan Oil

You’ve probably seen argan oil featured in facial oil or body cream, but thanks to its ability to deeply moisturize and smooth flyaways, the ingredient is a mainstay in hair-care products too. In fact, Garnier has an entire Whole Blends line featuring argan oil, and it’s even a call-out in the brand’s buzzy styling treatment, Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Glass Hair Water. The rinse-out formula, which is also infused with vitamin E, helps to smooth the hair and add shine within 10 seconds — no joke.