For most of my life, I’d enjoyed the privilege of thick hair. It was resilient to breakage, incredibly receptive to styling, and naturally quite voluminous. I would regularly snap hairbands when fashioning a ponytail and at one point hairdressers asked if they should thin out my hair in an attempt to make things ‘manageable’ – I’m glad I stopped them. But my late 20’s marked a shift. My hair line began to thin out, strands would decorate the bathtub after a shower, and, perhaps most tellingly of all, my hairbands stopped snapping.
While it’s not the only solution (lifestyle and environmental factors play their part, too), I took it as a sign to pay closer attention to my haircare routine and started reaching for products that tended to thinning hair. My current fixation? Bouf. It’s not just the Australian-made haircare line’s fun name and clever branding that pulled me in. Bouf makes combatting thin hair palatable by swapping scientific jargon for a less clinical, more accessible approach. Right down to the price point – its products start at just £15.95.
Sameeha testing Bouf
What is Bouf?
Don’t be fooled, Bouf is a product rooted in ground-breaking hair science. In fact, the technology behind it has been built on over 30 years of research and its formulas have been over seven years in the making by hair microbiologists in Japan. Each product is dermatologist-tested, clinically-proven and comprises of 100% natural actives, but at the heart of everything is its patented technology Fibroblast Growth Factor 5 (FGF5).
Simply put, FGF5 ‘is a naturally occurring protein in your scalp that tells your hair when it’s time to stop growing and start falling out,’ according to the brand. Think of it like a timer, says Bouf. Loaded into the brand’s current four products, Flouf Factor Growth Shampoo, £19.95, Flouf Factor Growth Conditioner, £15.95, Flouf Factor Growth Mask, £15.95, and Flouf Factor Growth Tonic, £21.95, each formula works to delay the signal of FGF5 in a bid to keep hair in its growth phase for longer. It’s biohacking at its finest.
Natural actives like sanguisorba officinalis, rosa multiflora and swertia chirata has also been included to support the suppression of FGF5. The result? Less natural hair fall, more volume, density and thickness, and hair that grows faster and longer. In a 90 day consumer study of 79 people who used the brand’s shampoo, conditioner and tonic, 98% of users experienced new hair growth, and the viral tonic is so well-loved one sells every minute.
The best bit? Bouf meets your hair wherever it’s at, whether you’re dealing with post-partum hair loss or male balding.
My honest verdict
The real stand out for me is the brand’s Flouf Factor Growth Tonic. As the most expensive product in Bouf’s line up, it really does pack a punch. Best used twice a day for the first three months, I found it surprisingly easy to feed into my current routine. That’s down to the non-greasy formula that can be used on both damp or dry hair. Its water-like consistency seeps into my scalp immediately without a trace, leaving it feeling refreshed and clarified. This bodes well when I need to style-and-go in the mornings and hit the sack without my scalp feeling heavy come bed time. While I haven’t been using it long enough to put its claims to the test, so far it’s off to a promising start. Watch this space.
Shop: Bouf’s haircare range
This gentle cleansing shampoo uses baobab extract to shield hair from breakage. It also increases hydration by up to 35%, strengthens strands by 29% and increases elasticity by 10%.
Pros
- A colour‑safe, sulfate‑free shampoo
- Affordable
- Larger size
If you love a rich, creamy conditioner, look no further. Baobab extract works in this formula too, this time, to help coat hair in a featherweight barrier that protects against heat and environment damage.
Pros
- Ligtweigh hydration
- Protects against heat and environment damage
Cons
- Thicker hairtypes may find hydration too light
For those one off treatments, Bouf recommends Flouf Factor Growth Mask. The no-rinse formula is quick to apply but the results really last. Overtime it fortifies hair with thicker and healthier strands, but tackles on-the-spot conundrums like flyaways, too.
Pros
- Short and long-term benefits
- Multifunctional
Cons
- Will require washing out after build up
Meet the brand’s pièce de résistance. This viral tonic is so well-loved one sells every minute and its not hard to see why. It seeps into the scalp immediately without leaving a trace, meaning you can use it day, night or at any point in your routine. Plus, the pipette makes for precise application.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Fast-absorbing
Cons
- Plastic packaging feels
Sameeha Shaikh is Grazia‘s beauty writer, working across all categories to bring you insights on the latest trends, industry news and the products you need to know about, viral or not (most probably viral).
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