We put the affordable plant-powered Growth Tonic, Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner to the test
Partnership feature
I wish someone had told me ten years ago to look after my scalp better – before my hair started to thin at the temples, before I started obsessively checking the width of my parting or the ever-growing number of hairs in the plughole on wash days.
The health and thickness of our hair is directly related to the state of our scalp and how we feed it both from the inside and out is vital. We already know that a healthy diet and a good skincare regime work for our face. And although we can’t see it, our scalp needs that same care and attention if we want it to feel good and produce thick, healthy hair. This approach is being termed the 'skinification' of hair, and I'm here for it.
It’s incredibly hard to come back from hair loss, as I know only too well. If you think hair growth products don't apply to you (yet!) consider them as a form of 'prejuvenation', heading off hair loss before it happens. Most of us will experience it at some point – our hair is fickle: it's one of the first things that the body deprioritises when we’re under stress. Hair fall can have multiple causes from diet, to genetics, menopause, childbirth and even the way we style our hair. It’s even been widely talked of as one of the after-effects of Covid. Giving your hair the best possible environment to thrive in helps it withstand whatever life throws at it.
A targeted hair and scalp care regime is now part of my life. Along with hair supplements, clinic treatments such as PRP and scalp microneedling and being gentler with my colour and styling, using a shampoo conditioner and scalp serum that actively support hair thickness and growth is a non-negotiable part of my multi-pronged approach.
I didn’t need much persuading to try the new Get Set, Grow range from British sustainable and vegan haircare brand Noughty, which uses 97 per cent natural and responsibly-sourced ingredients.
Since I started on my hair rescue journey nearly a decade ago, I’ve looked for silicone-free products that are gentle on my scalp and my colour. Eco friendly and natural are important to me too as I’m conscious not just of what I absorb through my skin but of what I’m washing back into the environment. Noughty, which has partnered with CleanHub to remove the equivalent plastic from the ocean for every product it produces, ticked my boxes.
It was founded by two beauty industry insiders, Lorna and Rachel, whose friendship dates back to the era of Sun-In bottled highlights, terrible perms and frizzy fringes all of which feature in my own teenage photo album. I love the fact that they have a female botanist on their team, Jennifer Hirsch, known as The Beauty Botanist. She helps them formulate products with the most powerful plant ingredients.
Lorna and Rachel wanted to make natural haircare not just science-backed but fun, transparent and affordable. The wisdom of a botanist couldn’t be more bang-in for a hair growth range; after all, your scalp is the ‘soil’ for healthy hair, which needs the most fertile environment in which to thrive.
The hero product of the three-part range is the Get Set, Grow Growth Tonic , £9.99. It pairs with a Get Set, Grow Thickening Shampoo and Thickening Conditioner , both £7.99 (see end for our GTG offer). With the cost of living increasingly squeezed, affordability makes it easier to keep up the healthy hair habit. And as I know from experience consistency is key.
What is in the Noughty Get Set, Grow hair range?
All three products feature Noughty’s ‘Pea Complex’ which combines a trio of growth-promoting ingredients. At its heart are organic garden pea sprouts in the form of the clinically-studied hair growth ingredient, AnaGain TM, which has been shown to prolong the life cycle of hair, keeping it growing for longer, giving denser hair in three months of use.
Then there's green robusta coffee beans, which stimulate the scalp. And thirdly antimicrobial agent called piroctone olamine is used to promote scalp cleanliness.
The complex is paired with hyaluronic acid, which we know and love from our facial serums, for its ability to hold on to water and plump the skin. To continue the botany theme, think of this as watering your plants.
How to use the Get Set, Grow Growth Tonic
The Growth Tonic is the most concentrated way to get the pea complex to where it’s needed – the roots. There are two ways to use it, either as an overnight leave-in on dry hair, which you then shampoo out in the morning or on wet hair after washing.
Ever the maximalist, I went straight in for the overnight treatment, sectioning off my hair and adding a couple of drops of the Tonic serum to each section, massaging it in and then brushing it through to make sure all my roots were covered. It felt beautifully cooling and hydrating. It was comfortable to sleep in, with no stickiness.
I also tried it after shampooing when my hair was wet. Over the next few weeks, this became my preferred way of using it as it distributed more evenly and even gave me added root volume during styling. Bonus!
I used the Growth Tonic with the Get Set, Grow Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner , which also contain the Pea Complex and hyaluronic acid. If you think natural shampoos don’t lather up at all, they’ve come a long way with milder coconut-based detergents. The Thickening Shampoo also contains another popular ‘skingredient’ in the form of salicylic acid, which can help remove any oiliness and build-up and leaves scalp ready to absorb the Growth Tonic.
The Thickening Conditioner with coconut oil is beautifully hydrating but still lightweight. For those of us with hair issues, often our hair is not just thinning but fine, as the follicle starts to shrink. Keeping finer hair hydrated without weighing it down is key to preventing breakage.
If you have hair fall issues, the act of washing can be a stress in itself, as you see the strands building up in the plug hole. Credit to Noughty for creating a beautifully-scented regime that feels like a treat rather than a medical intervention. My scalp felt soothed and my hair soft and easy to style.
In the weeks that I’ve been using Get, Set, Grow, I have certainly noticed that alongside my other hair growth treatments my hair fall is slowing and my hair is stronger. If you have hair loss, or even if you’re on the prejuvenation track, a regime like this that uses clinically researched ingredients and that feels good will help you stick to the healthy hair habit. When it comes to thick, healthy hair that’s a win indeed.
Written in partnership with Noughty. Get 3-for-2 on the Get Set, Grow range (tonic, shampoo, conditioner) here until 10 April and add an extra 15% off with our exclusive offer code GETSETGROWGTG15. You can continue to shop the full Get Set, Grow set at 15% off with the code until 7 July 2022.