Nowadays, given the endlessly hectic nature of our day-to-day lives, we’re all constantly looking for ways to simplify or “hack” our routines. Whether it’s meal prepping on a Sunday night or doing overnight heatless curls to avoid waking up early to style, there are many ways to hack our habits, thanks in large part to social media platforms like TikTok.
As we have undoubtedly experienced, though, sometimes internet hacks are not all they’re cracked up to be. So, it’s important to research before trying out any new beauty hack in pursuit of real, time-saving solutions. Recently, users across my For You page have claimed that washing their hair upside down is the under-the-radar secret to next-level volume. Always a skeptic, I tapped creative director, master stylist and colorist Paul Labrecque with Paul Labrecque Salon and Skincare Spa to see what the trend is really all about.
TikTok’s Upside Down Hair Washing Trend: Does It Work?
If you give “upside down hair washing” a quick search on TikTok, you’ll see hundreds of videos. Users boast the benefits of inverted washing for countless hair concerns, from excess oil and cleanliness to wave definition and even volume. While I can understand how washing upside down would help with a deeper clean, how the technique could add volume stumped me. Was it because there was less oil in the hair? Is the gravity at play? According to Labrecque, when it comes to volumizing hair, upside down hair washing isn’t worth your time.
“Washing your hair upside down to create volume does not work and is unfortunately a gimmick,” Labrecque says. If you need a hack for adding volume as part of your daily hair rituals, Labrecque has another suggestion that doesn’t involve a sore neck in the morning. “What will work for adding volume to the hair is if you dry your hair with a hairdryer upside down,” he affirms.
