Wait, Can Your Hair Get "Used" To Products? We Asked The Pros

Imagine: You score a brand-new shampoo-conditioner duo, and your hair looks fantastic post-wash. The curls are bouncy, the strands are soft, the scalp feels light as air. Then after a while, those results become a bit…meh. Your hair isn't exactly worse for wear, but the outcome certainly doesn't seem as sparkly. 

Short answer? Not exactly. Anecdotally, some people swear their hair experiences tachyphylaxis1—where your body desensitizes to a certain drug, rendering it ineffective—but that's very unlikely with general hair care products. (Whereas if you use a prescription-strength formula—say, a derm-ordered dandruff shampoo—you might have a leg to stand on here.) 

But oftentimes, it's not the products themselves that stop working; it's your hair and scalp that change over time from factors like weather, hormone fluctuations, age, water composition, styling choices, etc. 

"So your hair needs may change, but it's not necessarily due to your hair getting used to the products you are using," hairstylist Cynthia Alvarez tells mindbodygreen. And the efficacy of your products can totally change based on how your hair looks and feels on a given day.

"It's important to realize that different products are not only geared toward different hair types but different hair needs," Alvarez continues. "These factors should always be your first step when determining how to care for your hair."

There's nothing wrong with switching up your hair care regimen. Test all the products you please! Just know that there's also nothing "wrong" with your standard go-to's, so don't toss them thinking they're ineffective—your hair just might need some extra TLC. 

"Rather than switching products regularly, I suggest adding in additional weekly or biweekly treatments," shares Roszak. So, yes, you might need to swap a different product in the rotation, but not because your previous selection has lost its luster—your strands just need different care at the moment. 

For example, "One week it could be treating your scalp and strands with a deep nourishing oil treatment," Roszak offers. "It may be adding a deeper clarifying cleanser for a weekly thorough cleanse." (You could also opt for a scalp brush to manually lift stubborn buildup.) Or if your hair appears dull and limp, you might need to fold a hydrating hair mask into the rotation to breathe some life into those strands. 

What treatments you add will ultimately depend on your hair's needs, so it's important to I.D. your strands before hopping under the spray. "Is [your hair] feeling dry? Is your scalp oily? It's OK to have different products in your routine that you can rotate in and out as needed," Alvarez explains.