TikTok / hair brands
"Hair Slugging"
TikTok / hair brands
- Item
- "Hair Slugging"
- Retail
- ₹3,735≈ $45
- Spin
- "Viral hair-health hack"
The practice of 'Hair Slugging' gained viral traction on TikTok, presented as a novel beauty hack for hair health. This trend involves coating hair with oil, often overnight, and is marketed by various hair brands, with products priced around $45 for an oil. The concept, which is essentially the ancient Indian practice of Champi, was rebranded and widely promoted without acknowledgment of its South Asian origins, presenting it as a new discovery to a global audience.
चंपी
Champi (Hair Oiling)
- Region
- Pan-India
- True Value
- ₹100≈ $1.20
- Category
- 03 · The Wellness Hijack
Champi, or traditional hair oiling, is a deeply rooted practice across India, often performed as a Sunday ritual within families. It involves massaging warm oils, infused with herbs, into the scalp and hair to nourish, strengthen, and promote growth. This cherished tradition is passed down through generations, symbolizing care, well-being, and cultural connection, and is an integral part of South Asian childhoods.
FX reference: 1 USD ≈ ₹83 — for comparison only
The Story
TikTok, alongside various hair care brands, popularized “Hair Slugging” as a viral hair-health hack, often featuring products priced around $45 for an oil. This trend presented the practice as a novel discovery for achieving lustrous hair, widely promoted across social media platforms to a global audience.
The practice of 'Champi' (चंपी), or hair oiling, is a deeply ingrained tradition across India, passed down through generations. It involves massaging warm oil into the scalp and hair, often as a Sunday ritual during childhood. Beyond its physical benefits for hair health, Champi is a cherished act of care, bonding, and well-being, integral to South Asian cultural practices and familial routines.
The rebranding of Champi as 'Hair Slugging' sparked criticism from South Asian creators and communities online. Objections centered on the erasure of the practice's Indian origins and the appropriation of traditional knowledge without proper acknowledgment or credit. Many pointed out the irony of a centuries-old, accessible ritual being repackaged as a new, expensive trend.
Sunday hair-oiling rituals are part of South Asian childhoods. Rebranded as 'slugging'.
Reporting forthcoming