Adding Hyaluronic Acid To Your Hair Care Routine Could Be A Game Changer

There are no rules when it comes to crossovers in the beauty world. The market is constantly evolving, and with that comes an influx of brand-new products you never knew you needed. Who could have predicted that we'd be adding facial cupping devices to our wishlists or lusting after a hand-shaped hair diffuser? Whatever odd beauty concern you may have, you're pretty much guaranteed to find a tool or product dedicated to it at this point. 

Products that were once reserved for skincare have made their way over to hair care, per W Magazine. You can now get physical or chemical exfoliants for your scalp, and you can build an entire 10-step haircare routine filled with acids, serums, and creams. But the most bizarre part has been the crossover of ingredients. It still seems somewhat shocking to think that you can use something as active as salicylic acid on your hair safely, and even more shocking to realize all the benefits it can have. Don't sleep on popular skincare ingredients popping up on your hair care bottles; they can often work just as miraculously for your hair as well. 

Hyaluronic acid has been a fan favorite holy grail ingredient for years, and while it's popped up in everything from makeup to foot masks, no one predicted it being incorporated into haircare. But could this hydrating hero be the cure for your dry locks?

Hyaluronic acid has been a buzz ingredient for quite some time now. The hydrating powerhouse has become a holy grail ingredient that's included in just about any skincare product that includes the words "plumping" or "hydrating," and rightfully so. There's a reason why the simple ingredient has been so successful, to the point of skincare products existing that are solely a concentrated dose of hyaluronic acid à la The Ordinary's best-selling serum.

What's so interesting about hyaluronic acid is that it actually already exists in our bodies and works to retain water and moisture, per Healthline. When topically applied, hyaluronic acid works the same way. The hype surrounding this hydrating superhero began when it was explained that hyaluronic acid had the ability to hold 1000 times its weight in water, so you can only imagine how deeply it can hydrate your skin as opposed to your typical moisturizer. 

Hyaluronic acid doesn't only deeply hydrate and quench your skin's thirst, but it also has other added benefits, such as its ability to prevent signs of aging. Chemist Sandra Bontempo explains to Allure, "As we age, our bodies produce less of it, so replacing hyaluronic acid topically will make the most impact on those of us who are middle-aged and older." When an ingredient works as miraculously as hyaluronic acid, you can't help but wonder if you should be using it everywhere — even in your hair.

You're not always going to find the same ingredients in your skin and hair care products, but when it comes to hydration, there can often be a crossover. So it's only natural that hyaluronic acid has forged its way into healthy hair routines. Hyaluronic acid actually works in a very similar way for your hair as it does for your skin, and it may be worth adding a dose of this element to your regimen.

We've already acknowledged that hyaluronic acid absorbs its weight in water, so imagine how much moisture it could add to your hair. Hyaluronic acid can deeply hydrate your hair in a way that your average hair serum just cannot. By rejuvenating your hair follicles and hydrating them, you'll be left with much healthier feeling hair, per Healthline. Dr. Bridgette Hill explains to Mane Addicts how hyaluronic manages to, "Stimulate the creation of new blood vessels on the scalp allows oxygen and nutrients to make it to the affected hair follicles that may be compromised due to health, genetic, dietary, stress, intake of medications, or chronic illness or disease."

But it's so more than just deep healing; there are visible results as well. Dr. Hill also explains how hyaluronic acid works to visibly improve your hair: "The humectant binding properties of hyaluronic acid perform similarly to hair fibers, allowing the hair fibers to retain and seal moisture from products, as well as sealing the cuticle to prevent unwanted moisture to enter, which leads to frizzy hair and shrinkage in highly curly and coily hair textures."