The cold has never been kind to my hair. When temperatures drop like they have this week, I keep my desk drawer stocked with multiple hats and scarves— not just to stay warm, but to shield my strands from the freezing, damp conditions that make them frizzy and static from root to tip, even on a quick five-minute coffee run. And my handbag? It’s practically a graveyard for half-used bottles of hair oils.
I’m clearly not the only one struggling: according to Google Trends, searches for “how to fix frizzy hair” have jumped 120% in the past chilly week. So, when I heard about Hair.TOXX, a Brazilian cryotherapy treatment that freezes nutrients deep into the hair shaft, leaving hair shiny, hydrated and frizz-free, I naturally sat up and took note.
What is Hair.TOXX?
Cryotherapy has long been de rigueur among wellness enthusiasts. The treatment exposes the body to teeth-chatteringly cold temperatures in short bursts and is said to boost circulation, promote healing and even improve mental health. But cryotherapy for your hair? That’s a little different. It involves a frozen hair straightener for starters.
I headed to Haug London Haus for my Hair.TOXX treatment, though it’s quietly rolling out in a handful of salons across the UK, including Cambridge and Nottingham. Haug’s co-founder and salon director, Philipp Haug, walked me through the 45-minute process: “It involves shampooing your hair twice, then mixing 20 grams of the Hair.TOXX hair mask with five drops of the Hair.TOXX serum,” said Haug. “Then we apply the mixture to your wet hair section by section.”
The mixture in question is packed with highly moisturising omega-6 and avocado butter, plus hydrating hyaluronic acid and açaí berry—an antioxidant that acts like armour against environmental aggressors such as dulling pollution and drying UV. According to Haug, the star ingredients are the amino acids. Without geeking out on the chemistry, these are tiny building blocks for proteins, which make hair strong, healthy and hydrated (And hydrated, well-moisturised hair—key to less frizz.
I have to admit that I was sceptical throughout. The whole process is speedy, and there’s no waiting around for the mask to take effect; that’s what the cryo-straightener is for. This tool boasts one plate studded with ingredient-activating LED lights and another frozen plate complete with a layer of frost. It’s then passed over each section, ‘freezing’ the concoction into the hair to impart shine and resilience.
“The mask itself is what gives hair the shine and moisture,” said Haug, “but the tool is the most exciting bit. What’s amazing is that you can see the plate has ice on it.” Up close, it’s quite something, and you can spot little snowflakes forming on the plate. After a few passes over each section of hair, the straightener needs to be returned to the machine to ‘recharge’ and form more ice crystals, but this only takes a few moments. Admittedly, I thought it sounded a little gimmicky at first, but I was happy to be proven wrong.
How does hair cryotherapy work?
Hair.TOXX works by literally freezing nutrients into your hair, closing them into the cuticle at -16°C. Think of it like giving your hair a cold rinse after washing for extra shine or a cool blast after using a hot tool like the Dyson Airwrap to lock in waves and curls. The idea is pretty much the same, except it also seals broken bonds caused by colouring, heat or friction, making hair look sleeker.
Unlike a cold rinse, I didn’t feel a thing. Just like a normal straightener, the cryo version grips the hair at the root and smooths it all the way down to the tip. On some very wet sections, the tool snagged ever so slightly, but my hair was quickly released with no damage. In fact, it proves the strength of the tool and, as you can imagine, it’s far gentler on hair than hot plates. Once Haug got into the rhythm, the process was seamless and took just under 20 minutes—impressive, considering how much hair I have. After the freezing step, the mask was gently rinsed out, followed by a spritz of leave-in conditioner.
(Image credit: Jacqueline Kilikita)
Is Hair.TOXX worth it for frizzy hair?
This hair cryotherapy treatment comes with a complimentary blow-dry, but as Haug was rough-drying my hair, I couldn’t quite believe how glossy it appeared already, and that halo of frizz was nowhere to be seen. Once Haug blow-dried my hair, it looked like glass. I’ve never seen my hair so shiny—not even after the keratin treatments I used to get years ago.
Happily, Hair.TOXX is suitable for all hair textures and types, even coloured hair. Haug also emphasises that it’s not a keratin treatment, which often flattens waves and curls. “Hair.TOXX doesn’t change the hair structure,” said Haug. “Some people love their waves and hate that [about straightening treatments], so that’s a great thing.” In fact, the brand says it helps enhance and define natural curls.
At Haug, the Hair.TOXX treatment costs £125 and lasts up to five weeks. Two weeks in, I’m convinced my hair is improving. It’s easier to wash, dry and style because it feels smoother and more elastic, rather than rough and brittle, and the compliments on the shine just keep coming. The ultimate test was venturing out in the snow, which would normally ruin my at-home blow-dry and make my hair puff up—but not this time. When I returned home, my hair was just as sleek and glossy as when I’d left the house.
Post-treatment, you’ll receive aftercare products including a shampoo and either a mask or a leave-in conditioner to prolong the results and continue adding much-needed moisture, though I’ve found that even my usual shampoo and conditioner (Elvive Hydra Hyaluronic) works brilliantly.
While I won’t be trying actual cryotherapy anytime soon (I’m more of a sauna girl), it’s safe to say I’m sold on the hair version. My frizz would probably agree—but it’s no longer there.