Will the viral glitter shampoo hack ruin your hair? Learn what experts have to say

Hashtag #haircare, full of people sporting sparkly shimmery hair, must have caught your eye just as it has caught ours! Before planning on channelling your inner rock chic goddess to the next weekend rager with the glitter shampoo trend, it’s always good to know whether this hack will send you straight to the doctor’s office.

Indianexpress.com spoke to Dr Swapna Priya, consultant dermatology, CARE Hospitals Hitech City, Hyderabad to learn more about the risks and rewards of this viral trend.

What’s the glitter shampoo trend?

The viral trend all over TikTok and Instagram has sent haircare enthusiasts into a frenzy. Content creators grab a bottle of clear shampoo and mix colourful biodegradable glitter in it. The concoction is then slathered on the scalp and used to wash hair like a regular cleanser. The videos cut to the result where dried and styled hair with specks of glitter all over the length of the mane catches and reflects light.

 

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Is this a safe hack?

“The glitter has a water-soluble paper component and an artificial chemical component that sticks around even after the hair has been washed. This chemical, which can be some kind of microplastic, adds the shine and sparkle and stays on the hair due to electrostatic force,” said Dr Priya.

Of course, anything that is naturally produced cannot create such artificial sparkle. Therefore, the biodegradability of such glitter comes into question, she further added.

“If you want to partake in this trend once or twice, sure, I don’t see why not. But in the long run, I would recommend against adding glitter to your haircare products. Glitter can cause allergic reactions and irritations, especially for people with sensitive scalp,” Priya said.

According to her, trends are fleeting and cyclical, and thus one can’t comment on long-term damage or after effects unless this hack continues to stick around for a while.

While netizens are torn between the wonderous marvel and the eco-friendly nature of this sparkly hack, people have criticised the creators for adding to environmental waste as it would take a long time for microplastics to disintegrate and disappear.

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