Lady Alopecia’s Complete Folexin Reviews
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When you have extensive alopecia, it’s easy to neglect your scalp. To think, “well, I don’t have much hair, so why bother nourishing it?” and to use whatever products are cheapest.
Since losing the rest of my hair postpartum, I’ve been guilty of this! And although I used an amazing and gentle shampoo called Revita in the past to support my hair and scalp health, which stopped shedding in its tracks, I got a lazier after having my daughter.
I didn’t order another batch of Revita and began using Dove soap on my head. (Now, while I like the brand, I wouldn’t recommend rubbing body soap on your head, unless it’s made solely of natural ingredients!)
It’s important to keep your hair follicles clear of build-up, to moisturize and hydrate without stripping your skin of its natural oils and to prevent hair loss from the root – only then can you expect regrowth. For this, you need a hair care routine.
In this Routine shampoo review, I’ll see whether this brand would be a good asset to your own hair care routine – and if not, the other brands I’d recommend. Enjoy!
The Routine hair care brand offers a luxury hair thinning shampoo and a conditioner that supposedly has a superior formulation to other shampoo and conditioner brands. (And it’d want to – at $25 a bottle, this brand’s shampoo isn’t exactly cheap!)
However, it does contain some great ingredients to prevent hair breakage and maybe even increase hair growth: with essential oils, fatty acids and “carrier oils” like argan oil and coconut oil, which work to nourish the scalp environment, improve hair texture and deeply nourish hair strands after environmental damage.
The Routine wellness shampoo range and Routine conditioner may sound like amazing hair care products. But can they stop your hair falling out? And what are the potential side effects? Because, due to some of the ingredients involved, Routine shampoo might not be for everyone…
On the surface, Routine shampoo and conditioner look like wonderful, all-natural hair care products from a trustworthy, cruelty free haircare brand. They contain proven ingredients for increasing hair thickness, preventing hair damage and even promoting hair growth.
Plus, both Routine shampoo and Routine conditioner are free from harmful chemicals like sulfates, parabens, synthetic stabilizers or color additives. (Psst…check out my top sulfate-free shampoos in this post!)
However, before you rush out and buy Routine shampoo, take a moment to examine the below ingredients properly.
Because while many of them are great for sensitive skin and can create a healthy scalp – which is essential for increasing hair growth – one or two of them might actually damage hair health and even lead to more hair thinning or hair breakage. Noooooo!
You can choose a Routine shampoo and Routine conditioner with different scents: including Rosehip, Basil & Avocado, Cucumber and Unscented. Below are the full ingredients in their most popular option: Rosehip shampoo and conditioner.
Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycerin, Organic Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Pisum Sativum (Pea) Peptide, Polysorbate 80, Polyacrylate-33, Sodium CocoylIsethionate, Sodium Phytate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Caffeine, Biotin, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Serenoa Serrulata (Saw Palmetto) Fruit Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Organic Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Argan Oil, Nigella Sativa Seed Oil, Tocopherol (mixed), Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree Oil), Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Organic Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Tromethamine
Water, Organic Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Chloride, Pisum Sativum (Pea) Peptide, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Phytate, Organic Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Argan Oil, Nigella Sativa Seed Oil, Tocopherol (mixed), Stearalkonium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Niacinamide, Caffeine, Panthenol, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Biotin, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree Oil), Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Organic Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Serenoa Serrulata (Saw Palmetto) Fruit Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Citric Acid
The below reviews are absolutely glowing – about how Routine shampoo and conditioner can stop hair fall within a couple of weeks, improve hair thickness and hair quality… and result in hair growth pretty quickly, too.
But bear in mind, Routine shampoo isn’t available on Amazon or other retailers, just through the manufacturer’s website – so the only reviews I could find were there and can be biased.
About 2 years ago, my hair started shedding a lot and I became concerned. Like really really concerned. I was using Sephora shampoos but my hair loss just got worse. Not only did my hair stop falling when I switched to Routine, but the conditioner made it soft and shiny. It is a bit pricey but your investment is worth it.
– Emily S
I was losing enough hair it affected my self esteem. Sorry, vain about my hair even at 74. So long story short, within 3 weeks of using shampoo, conditioner and oil, my hair is not falling out. My shower and hairbrush are clean. This is pretty amazing and I’ve told all my friends. I liked the way the shampoo and conditioner left my hair and I am used to using expensive hair products. Again, 3 weeks and obvious results in less hair loss, plus more hair volume. Thank you for a product that does what it claims!
– Jill B
So, are Routine shampoo and conditioner really as good as they sound? And is Routine shampoo safe for everyone to use or could it result in hair damage?
Well, at first, I thought the inclusion of proteolytic enzymes in Routine shampoo and conditioner was a good thing. Aftar all, they can enhance natural hair color and restore shine to, supposedly, leave hair smooth and vibrant.
But are these cosmetic benefits worth it? Because the way these enzymes work is by removing excess protein build-up from the scalp…and what if they actually take away so much of our essential hair proteins, that we wind up with MORE hair breakage, even thinning hair where we hadn’t experienced hair fall before?
As this study shows, an application of these enzymes on mice led to “intense degenerative effects of the hair follicle, such as detachment of the inner root sheath [and] cystic dilation of the hair shaft…implying impairment of their function”.
Yikes…as healthy hair follicles are pretty much essential in order to reduce hair loss and to promote hair growth, we definitely want to avoid anything that could cause them unnecessary damage.
There are a few other cases in which Routine shampoo and Routine conditioner mightn’t be the best choice for you.
Although I would probably buy Routine shampoo myself to try at least once, and am also happy to recommend Routine conditioner, I don’t think it’s suitable for everyone. Like if you have fine, thin or oily hair, if you have an especially sensitive scalp or known allergies to any of the (many!) botanical ingredients, you might want something more simple.
Revita shampoo and conditioner are my favorite hair thinning products for good reason – they worked in stopping my hair loss. I love how they smell, the brand’s customer service and how they massively improved the texture and quality of my hair, too.
Although I didn’t notice miraculous regrowth results, after a few weeks of using Revita I did notice a small amount of baby hairs growing back into my patches. I should have stayed consistent with their use, though…which is why I’ve just ordered my next batch and I’ll stick with it for longer this time!
Although admittedly, I think it was this brand’s amazing Gro serum that brought my hair back, to my bald spots and my eyebrow (which had disappeared postpartum), I love their other hair care products, too.
Like Routine shampoo and conditioner, they’re in the high-end market – and are actually quite a lot more expensive, at $86 for the set. For those who can afford it, Vegamour is a great brand. But it also has plenty of botanical ingredients that mightn’t agree with everyone. My husband kept sneezing after I used it and begged me to stop! Oh well.
Routine shampoo and conditioner aren’t available to buy on Amazon – you can only get them direct from the manufacturer, on their website.
Yes, you can use the shampoo and conditioner daily if you like. If you notice your hair getting oily (or overly dry), you could try them every other day instead.
I wouldn’t recommend it as the surfactants included could make color fade faster than other shampoos which are more natural.
As I said in the start of this post, I think one of the most important things you can do to reduce shedding and boost hair growth is to start with your scalp. To find a product that supports scalp health, rather than rubbing on a bunch of harsh chemicals or synthetic fragrances.
With that in mind, I think any product that means a healthier hair care routine is A Good Thing. And Routine shampoo seems like a pretty good option…apart from, perhaps, the potential side effects I mentioned and the fact that it mightn’t be suitable for certain hair types.
If you don’t fall into that category though, give it a try! Add some nourishing oils to your hair care regime and please share your experiences with your new Routine below!
Love & hugs,
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Alopecian. Yoga Teacher. Copywriter. Here to share information, offer support and show people the adventures that can lie in hair loss. I’m proud to have alopecia and I want to help others embrace their baldness, too!
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I’m Emma. I’ve had alopecia for 24 years and I’m here to inform/hopefully empower people like me! Read my full story here. But I’m not a doctor, so any advice here is based on my own research and experience. I’m also in a few affiliate programs – see my disclaimer page for more. Or contact me here. Also, why not join a thousand fellow alopecians and get my-semi regular hair about life with irregular hair?
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6 Responses
Routine shampoo and conditioner seemed to give me body week 1. Week 2 it broke my scalp out with sores, flakes and itching. I asked them why their ingredients are not listed on the bottles and they told me it is because they are always changing the ingredients so they are listed on line!!!! So now I have no way to know what caused the scalp issue. In the long run it took 3 weeks to get rid of the breakout and caused even more hair loss
Hi Karen,
Thanks so much for sharing your experience and I’m really sorry to hear about those awful side effects you experienced…it just backs up my concerns about why they don’t include at list of ingredients on their bottles! And they aren’t listed online either, from what I could find, all sounds a bit dodgy to me. I’m so sorry this happened to you and I hope your hair has managed to recover since. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with me and my readers, though – hopefully it will deter anyone from buying Routine products!
Take care,
Emma x
It’s so clear you’re getting paid for this. Pathetic!
Hi Julia,
While I appreciate that people are entitled to their opinion, I don’t appreciate the words you’re using to express it. Calling someone ‘pathetic’, when you clearly haven’t read about my story or the fact that I’m an alopecian simply trying to help other people find things that could help them cope with hair loss, isn’t really fair. And no, I am not getting paid for this post. I state right at the top and in my disclaimer page that I may earn a small affiliate commission on some products I recommend on Lady Alopecia but I’m not paid to write posts…I just want to provide people with the kind of information I never had. I’m very open and transparent about what I do here, that there are no miracle cures but that some things can help to reduce shedding, and I want to give people all the information possible.
If you actually took time to read this post rather than jumping to accusations straight away, you might see that I’m not pushing Routine shampoo on anyone – in fact, I mention its risks and contraindications, noting that it probably wouldn’t suit everyone. So if I was getting paid by Routine to write this, I’d be doing a pretty bad job!
Anyway, my advice would be to do your background reading on the author of posts before launching an attack against someone who’s just genuinely trying to help. But that’s just my opinion.
Wishing you all the best!
Emma
Certainly wasn’t obvious to me. Were you just trying to be mean?
Thank you for your support, Rebecca. Much appreciated…I guess I can’t win ’em all! Hope you found the post helpful. x