Do You Need a Hair Scrub?!? Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt 🐚🌊🐳🐡

Do you need a hair slash scalp scrub?!? Let’s find out together lol! I love haircare and new innovative products, but even I was a little surprised by the popularity of this product. Christophe Robin is a Frenchman who now is based in the UK and has designed a whole line of haircare products that have quite a following. They are based on natural formulas and primarily (but not only) for coloured hair;

“Over the years, I have tried to develop my product range for coloured hair, based on the properties of rare or ancestral natural resources (prickly pear oil, lavender, chamomile and lemon) to offer deep nourishing treatments for hair that also maintain vibrant colour. Some of my products can now be used for skin as well as for the hair, for both men and women.” Christophe Robin 

I stumbled across the Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt on Adore Beauty and was quite struck by the fabulous reviews. I discovered a scalp clay mask a year or so ago (which I loved much to my surprise!!!) so a scrub isn’t all that far removed…. Would it be revolutionary? Do you need it as part of your hair care regime? What does it actually do for you and your hair??? So many questions to answer lol 😅 Let’s find out together!

Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt 250ml Purifying, hydrating and soothing shampoo for sensitive or oily scalps” I often noticed that women suffered from itching and feelings of discomfort during and after colouring at my salon. Until now, the only effective solution to avoid these troublesome effects was using coarse sea salt dissolved in water and applied during rinsing. Inspired by this observation and the remedy used, I worked with my formulators to create a specific product designed for sensitive and oily scalps. My cleansing purifying scrub contains sea salt, a natural exfoliant, combined with hydrating active ingredients to help absorb all the polluting particles that suffocate the hair base, while calming irritation. It has become the ideal accompaniment for hair detox treatments! The scrub won the Votre Beaute 2014 Gold Medal.” Christophe RobinDescriptionThis cleansing purifying scrub with sea salt is ideal as a detox treatment as it cleanses, purifies and restores balance to sensitive or oily scalps. It can also be used as a post-colour treatment to sooth tingling and itching sensations.ForSensitive scalps; Oily scalps; Men & WomenWhenOnce or twice a weekBenefitsCleanses; Purifies; Detoxifies; Hydrates; Soothes Texture;Compact texture How to use the Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub:

1. Use only once or twice a week.

2. Apply about a tablespoon of product to damp hair.

3. Gently massage the scalp.

4. Add a splash of water and then lather, concentrating on the nape.

5. Rinse thoroughly.

6. Condition according to your hair type and texture. DETOX TREATMENT:Apply the equivalent of a tablespoon on damp hair. Gently massage the scalp, add a trickle of water then lather, concentrating on the nape of the neck. Rinse thoroughly and apply a nourishing treatment on the lengths and ends depending on your hair’s condition. Rinse thoroughly.POST-COLOR SOOTHING TREATMENT:Ideal for eliminating chemical residues, which have become embedded on the scalp. Instantly soothes itching and calms irritation.Ingredients; Sodium Chloride, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Aqua (Water), Butylene Glycol, Cocamide Mea, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Saccharide Isomerate, Hydrated Silica, Bisabolol, Menthyl Lactate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Parfum (Fragrance), Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Salicylate, Linalool, Limonene, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Evernia Furfuracea (Tree Moss) Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate.

Designed specifically for soothing sensitised scalps post hair colouring, it makes sense that getting rid of all traces of colourants lefts on the scalp would help to soothe skin. I suppose this is why hairdressers usually wash hair twice after applying colour and really work/scrub the shampoo into the hair and scalp. If you have ever lightened your hair or used a form of bleach, you may recall experiencing a tingling sensation on your scalp during the application of a colour or even post colouring. I know I have experienced this ‘tingling’ sensation sometimes even hours after a colouring service! It never occurred to me that traces of colour and thus irritants could still be left on the scalp despite all the efforts of a diligent hairdresser. Or, some people just have more sensitive skin/scalps and hence the effects of colouring services tend to irritate them more. I do probably fall into that ‘sensitive’ category and I colour my hair, so this does sound like the perfect product for me!

How I went about using it; I first used this scrub when the roots of my hair were very oily. Interestingly, because the scrub contains quite large sea salt crystals, it’s kinda hard to apply to your scalp and hair. You will loose some salt during the application process but I don’t think you can do much about that. The salt is mixed through a paste like ‘conditioner’ which helps to keep some of the salt crystals stuck to the ‘product’ but some larger salt crystals fall away. I part my hair down the middle and then take a small scoop of product using my hands and apply it down the middle of my part onto my scalp (and yes, my hair is damp!). As you start to rub and work the product into your hair, it kinda fizzes up and emulsifies into a foam so you have a lot of product to work with. It’s a super interesting consistency and process! I usually end up applying some more salt scrub to the sides of my head/scalp, just to make sure I get an even application of product over my whole head/scalp. You don’t need to work the product into hair very long at all. Once it’s roughly worked into the scalp all over, rinse! It rinses out very easily and nicely. Hair is left feeling super clean and ‘refreshed’. It does almost feel a little ‘too clean’ but some conditioner added to the lengths of your hair fixes this super easily. My scalp is left feeling super refreshed, there’s no doubt about it. All traces of oil build up and product is gone!

What about after a colour when your hair is clean but your scalp is sensitised? This scrub doesn’t effect the colour of your freshly dyed hair at all. Blonde hair is particularly prone to chemical processing damage (which I would say I have as I’m blonde) and this scrub does not damage my hair or colour at all. Does it help to reduce scalp sensitivity? I think so. I say ‘I think so’ only because I think my hairdresser (I have my hair coloured at a salon) uses quite gentle colourants and I can’t say I’ve experienced hair tingling or colour induced irritation since being her customer (she uses Jeval Hair Colours which are formulated on botanical plant bases). However, I do still experience a sensitive scalp from time to time – it’s just the type of skin I have on the top of my head lol! Does this sea salt scrub help? It’s hard to tell. I think so. My hair and scalp feel better after application but I just don’t know if it is helping with the health of my hair and scalp overall in the long term.

Sea salt, which is created by evaporating sea water, typically involves little or no processing and contains no anti-clumping additives, unlike table salt. Whether coarse or finely ground, it contains more minerals than other salts because it comes from the sea. Sea salt is known to contain a whole host of trace minerals including; iron, iodine, manganese and zinc. Now what kind of minerals are contained in sea salt depends on where the salt is taken from and how it is processed. The sea salt in this hair scrub is very course, so I assume and hope it’s been minimally processed (it’s a good sign!). Christophe Robin doesn’t tell us where the salt comes from alas. I am surprised that sodium laureth sulphate (SLS) is in the ingredients of this scrub. I know the scrub is meant to be super duper cleansing (‘detoxifying’) and all, but the problem with SLS is that it has super small particles which can also enter into pores causing irritation. Perhaps it’s needed to get rid of every little bit of chemical residue after colour processing? The only problem with this ‘theory’ is that the sea salt is meant to be an abrasive scrub that would hopefully get rid of traces of chemical colourants and other ‘irritants’. I’m sure most hairdressers would use SLS based shampoos to remove hair colours from hair, so using another product containing SLS on sensitised hair seems like overkill to me… So is it a short term fix that potentially makes a problem worse in the long term? The other thing that concerns me is that with so much ‘cleansing’, there’s probably not a lot of natural oils and thus ‘protection’ left on your scalp/skin. Sure, there’s almond oil in the scrub but I don’t know that it would replace natural oils found on your scalp. And if you have flaking, lots of that dead skin and product will be washed away, but again I don’t know how gently…

I read a Polish magazine article recently where a Dermatologist who specialises in hair (it makes PERFECT sense right?!? Scalp is skin after all!!! Tricologists are ‘hair experts’ but they aren’t doctors, just remember that…) said that hair and the scalp doesn’t need to be exfoliated. So there’s no need for scrubs of any kind. Granted, this scrub by Christophe Robin isn’t claiming that you need to ‘exfoliate your scalp’ rather it’s for reducing sensitivity, irritation and oil build up. It does also boost circulation and ‘stimulates’ the scalp. The Dermatologist from the article didn’t say that scalp scrubs are bad for your hair – they just aren’t necessary. It certainly feels like a fancy ‘salon product’ – it smells beautiful (perfumed) and has been created by a hairdresser who sees a lot of women, their hair and hair/scalp problems – I just don’t know if this is a ‘must have’ product for me. I find I reach for it less and less lately. When you start to forget about a product, there’s usually a reason why. I am super intrigued by the fact that Christophe Robin said that a sea salt rinse was usually the way to go when treating scalp sensitivity. So you know what – I am going to find some Celtic Sea Salt (it’s naturally very highly mineralised) or fine pink Himalayan salt and dissolve it in some water before rinsing my scalp with it after shampooing my hair with a gentle SLS free shampoo. When I do this, I will report back on the results (I’ll get a family member to then check my scalp, which has been a little pink/red in areas lately).

You can pick up the Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt from Adore Beauty (free shipping!) for $69.00 AUD. Not cheap I know… A 250ml tub should be enough for about 20 applications. That’s pretty good actually! You need less product than you imagine because it emulsifies 😊💦 The scrub retails for $55.20 AUD from RY but it’s currently out of stock… maybe it won’t be when you try the link 😉🤗 (the rrp in Australia is $69). You can also pick up the scrub from Look Fantastic (who ship internationally) as well as the Christophe Robin official web shop (they also ship worldwide but you can only pay in a few currency types).

I have mixed feelings about this product but that doesn’t mean it won’t work brilliantly for you! If you love it, tell us why in the comments below and what kind of scalp issues you experience – it might help some Beauties out there. I still want to try other products from Christophe Robin as I’m sure he has some gems in his hair care line for me! I also like the way he comes across on his website and through his short blog posts. Maybe that sounds silly, but he sounds lovely and full of experience/mastery lol Oh and STAY TUNED for my sea salt rinse experiment!!!

Catch ya next time Beauties,

Beauty Bee~

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