An Expert Tells Us Exactly How To Do Hair Cycling — And Why You Want To

Updated:

27 Jan 2026

Sarah Tarca is a beauty journalist, writer and co-founder of Australia’s first dedicated beauty newsletter, gloss etc. Her skills involve applying lipstick without a mirror, bullying people to wear sunscreen and procrastinating washing her hair. She loves her kids, skincare and potatoes in equal measure — almost as much as she loves SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic. Almost. Find her on socials @tarca

While hair cycling may not be a new trend (anyone with a TikTok can see there’s over 360 million views for the topic) that doesn’t mean that we all know how to do it — or even if we should.

So we enlisted the help of one of the best in the hair biz, Monique McMahon, Founder of QUE Colour in Sydney’s Darlinghurst to break it all down for us.

You’re going to want to bookmark this one for later, trust us.

What Is Hair Cycling And How Do We Do It?

Like many TikTok trends (ahem, skin cycling, latte makeup) hair cycling is not a new thing, it’s more that it now has a catchy name, so we’re all way more into it.

“Really hair cycling is all about changing up your shampoo to suit what your hair and scalp need at that moment,” says Monique.

Naturally, in-salon the pros have been doing this for years, and you might have been unconsciously doing it at home too, mixing it up when your hair needed more moisture (winter), or doing a good detox after months of product build-up.

But, Monique says the true cycling diehards rotate their shampoo and conditioner every wash.

So it’s about having a few different types of shampoos in your arsenal and using them interchangeably in your cycle.

So, how does a pro do it?

Monique says she loves her cycle to be made up of a detox shampoo, a super concentrated hydrating shampoo and a shampoo for volume, with her conditioners cycled between a multi-benefit mask and a classic conditioner.

Hair Cycling Benefits.

There’s a reason hairdressers have been hair cycling for years: because it works.

“The benefits are endless,” says Monique, “being able to treat and manage the hair and scalp as it moves in and out of different cycles means healthier hair and healthier scalps all year round.”

And the best bit about hair cycling?

Because it’s unique to your scalp and hair type, it literally suits everyone.

Do Styling Products Need To Be Cycled Too?

Because hair cycling’s whole schtick is to work with the needs of your hair and scalp at that particular time, there’s no need to cycle styling products; just use these to create whatever look or texture you're going for.

That said, Monique does say she has 4-5 on the go at any one time.

The Best Products To Use In Your Hair Cycling Routine.

Sold? We thought so. But, which products do you need?

Monique says, “hair cycling is all about your hair and scalp health so get professional advice on what to add to your cycling system as the wrong product could end up costly. This truly is the only downside to hair cycling,” she says.

Monique’s ultimate kit looks like this: