all hair types The Benefits of Hyaluronic Acid for Hair, According to an Expert

You know hyaluronic acid thanks to your skin care routine and more specifically as the hydrating ingredient that boosts your serums and moisturizers. This champion hydrator helps the skin to retain moisture, much like the way a sponge holds water, and its benefits extend to all skin types. Actually, the benefits don’t stop there — hyaluronic acid can also do wonders for your hair care routine.

While there’s no shortage of hydrating hair care products, hyaluronic acid goes a step beyond and also helps the hair retain moisture. We tapped Dr. Joshua Zeichner, NYC-based board-certified dermatologist (and director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research at Mount Sinai Hospital) and L’Oréal Paris consultant, to learn more about the many ways hyaluronic acid can benefit your hair. Take notes as we share how this winning ingredient can improve your hair and how to use it in your hair care routine.

How Does Hyaluronic Acid Benefit Your Hair?

According to Zeichner, hyaluronic acid is a humectant which is a substance that helps the skin retain moisture, but its benefits extend far beyond your complexion. What hyaluronic acid does by helping the skin retain moisture manifests itself as plumper, more youthful and healthier-looking skin — its effect on the hair is similar.

Many of us rely on an arsenal of different hair care serums, treatments and sprays to fight frizz, boost shine and add volume, but we may just need hyaluronic acid. 

“Just as [hyaluronic acid] can plump the skin, it can do the same for the hair,” Zeichner explains. “It can also make the hair look shinier, fuller and less frizzy.” Along with that, hyaluronic acid’s natural hydrating properties can also help to soften hair and boost fullness, creating the appearance of denser-looking strands.  

According to Zeichner, those with dry, damaged, thinning and color-treated hair can see the most benefits from using hyaluronic acid in their hair care routine. But this doesn’t mean that all hair types can’t take advantage of it. All hair types can fall victim to dehydrated strands and in turn, benefit from hyaluronic acid because dehydrated hair lacks moisture and needs help to absorb it. Furthermore, hair porosity also plays a huge impact in how dry your hair is and for those with high-porosity hair that easily loses moisture, a humectant like hyaluronic acid can be a great solution. 

Although hyaluronic acid is great for the skin, according to Zeichner, its effects aren’t as noticeable on the scalp and that’s simply because we rinse out a majority of our hair products or concentrate them on the lengths of our hair. If you’re looking to improve your dry scalp with hyaluronic acid, look for a leave-in treatment that contains the ingredient.

How to Use Hyaluronic Acid in Your Hair Care Routine

Adding hyaluronic acid to your hair care routine can do many great things for the health and appearance of your hair, especially if you have thin, dehydrated or damaged hair. Check out our tips on how to use hyaluronic acid in your regimen. 

1. Choose a Shampoo and Conditioner That Contains Hyaluronic Acid

Adding hyaluronic acid to your hair care routine can be as simple as reaching for a shampoo and conditioner with the star ingredient, like the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Hydrating Shampoo, Paraben-Free and L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Hydrating Conditioner, Paraben-Free. This duo locks in moisture and deeply re-plumps dry strands for up to 72 hours, offering noticeable bounce, body and shine with no weigh-down.

Those with curly hair can choose the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Curls Moisture Push Shampoo and the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Curls Moisture Seal Conditioner. The paraben-free formulas include hyaluronic acid and castor oil to lock in moisture and reveal shiny, bouncy and defined curls. The system also includes the L’Oréal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Curls Micellar Shampoo, a micellar shampoo that helps to remove product buildup and oils from the scalp to reveal silky, defined and moisturized curls. 

2. Opt for Styling Products with Hyaluronic Acid

A hyaluronic acid serum for your hair is a great way to give your tresses a long-lasting boost of this moisture-absorbing ingredient. As Zeichner mentioned, since our shampoo and conditioners are washed out, using a serum is a great way to increase the contact the ingredient has with your hair. 

The L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Moisture Plump Serum, Paraben-Free, is a hyaluronic acid hair serum that aims to give your style a surge of hydration, added body and enhanced shine. Spray it on wet or dry hair and then follow up with an emollient hair oil like the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Simply Clean Sheer Oil to lock in the added moisture.

Next: How to Tell What Your Scalp Needs, According to a Dermatologist

Written by: Reece Andavolgyi, Photo Credit: Matthew Kelly