Good-smelling hair is undeniably appealing. A single hair flick can cause a flood of warm and fuzzy feelings at first sniff. But a hair perfume? It may be something you never really thought you needed – until now.
Hair perfume, in the form of fragrant mists and oils, is basically the hair-appropriate version of a brand’s most popular fragrance.
As such, it’s also a clever way of getting a fix of the best women’s perfumes in a more affordable fashion.
Not to mention that it’s great for giving second or third-day hair a fresh scent. Which is perfect if you’re juggling working from home with childcare right now and ‘me time’ is in short supply.
Reading this you may be thinking, ‘Why can’t I just spray regular perfume on to my hair?’.
You could, but traditional fragrance formulas tend to be loaded with alcohol, which can be incredibly drying to strands.
Hair perfume is respectful to strands. This is because the formula is totally different.
It’s more lightweight, for a start.
‘People are more experimental today. Hair perfume creates an invisible veil to scent the hair,’ says Ben Gorham, the founder of Byredo.
It is also more conditioning. All 13 of Byredo’s hair perfumes, for instance, use a silicone and polymer formula to leave hair shiny and hydrated.
Others like Diptyque Do Son Hair Mist are enriched with nourishing camellia oil.
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So where does a hair perfume fit into your haircare routine?
It should be the last thing that you apply to your hair. After styling, mist into the air before walking through it or spray it in a cloud onto your hair brush.
But that’s not all. This type of perfume gets better as the day wears on as the scent is amplified by the hair’s natural movement. Win-win.
Meet the hair perfumes that make your locks smell expensive…
Givenchy L’Interdit Eau de Parfum Hair Mist, £37.50, John Lewis
Smells like: Holly Golightly in Breakfast At Tiffany's and is just as complex in character. Light and sophisticated notes of orange blossom, tuberose and jasmine meet dark and mysterious in the form of patchouli, vetiver and musky ambroxan.
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Fresh Hair Mist, £36.97, John Lewis
Smells like: Fresh and optimistic with orange and rose undercut with earthy patchouli to keep it from being too saccharine.
Gucci Bloom Hair Mist, £32.30, John Lewis
Smells like: A garden but with an Indie twist. Tuberose, jasmine, lily of the valley, plus a South Indian flower called Rangoon creeper, meet in this grown-up scent that even floral haters will fall for.
Molton Brown Suede Orris Hair Mist, £55, John Lewis
Smells like: The most buttery soft leather handbag you can imagine thanks to powdery orris and a creamy suede accord.
Diptyque Do Son Hair Mist, £42, John Lewis
Smells like: Walking along the beach carrying a bouquet of flowers. Enriched with nourishing camellia oil, it also fortifies hair.
Dior Miss Dior Parfum Hair Mist, £38, Debenhams
Smells like: Walking into a flower shop first thing in the morning. It's light, bright, dewy and utterly joyful thanks to the dominant notes of bergamot and rose.
Byredo Slow Dance Hair Perfume, £52, Net-A-Porter
Smells like: Your end-of-year high-school dance when you lost your heart on the dancefloor. Sweet myrrh, geranium, violet and vanilla conjure up warm silk and breathless exchanges.
