If you’re on BeautyTok or HairTok, you’ve likely come across Abbey Yung, the content creator with luscious golden blonde hair and not a single flyaway or ounce of breakage in sight. If you’ve always envied her long locks, the certified trichologist has dropped a step-by-step routine that reveals the lengths she goes to to keep her hair healthy called ‘The Abbey Yung Method’.
Now, this thing is pretty extensive. Yung posted a 20-slide explainer to her Instagram on how to do her haircare method, which products to use and how frequently.
Don’t have the time or patience to break it down? I’m here to do it for you, so we can go forth and have wonderful, glossy and enviable hair together. And if you’re feeling iffy about spending hundreds on a whole new haircare routine, the best part is that almost all of the products are on sale right now thanks to the onslaught of Afterpay Day sales.
Who Is Abbey Yung?
Before we get into it, a bit of context into the gorgeous blonde baddie we all see pop up on our feeds. Abbey Yung is an American beauty influencer and certified trichologist, a paramedical specialty in treating issues relating to the scalp and hair health.
She’s amassed 2.7 million followers on TikTok, 1.2 million on Instagram and over 800K on YouTube for bringing a clinical and research-led expertise to HairTok, and providing product recommendations and hair advice based on science rather than trending and what’s viral.
Yung is also one of the few creators and professionals in the haircare space who advocates for sulphates and silicones. In the caption of one of her TikToks, she said “think of sulfates as ingredients that help to effectively clean your scalp so that your hair can grow from the healthiest environment possible and silicones as ingredients that help to effectively condition and protect your lengths so that they don’t break off.” This is a big part of the Abbey Yung Method, and is noticeable throughout all of the products she recommends, a lot of which are affordable.
So hey, maybe you don’t need to fork out $100+ on a shampoo and conditioner after all!
What Is The Abbey Yung Method?
This is a veryyyy detailed, multi-step routine that Yung has made fully customisable depending on your hair type and needs. It’s basically a ‘choose your own adventure’ story guided by her expertise. There’s pre-shampoo, shampoo, conditioner, and styling steps, each equipped with a suite of product recs that are approved for the Abbey Yung Method.
While there are websites that’ll quiz you and provide you with product recommendations for your hair type based off your answers, Yung released a video saying that she did not create any of these websites, so a lot of the recommendations aren’t actually hers. So if you want to do some further digging into her suggestions after reading this article, the best place to find those is on her TikTok and Instagram.
Because Yung’s American, a few of her recommendations aren’t available in Australia, so we’ve left those ones out. Thankfully, she’s supplied products in spades, so there’s still plenty to go around.
Step 1: Pre-Shampoo Bond Repair Treatment (Optional)
First up in the Abbey Yung Method is an optional bond repair treatment pre-shampoo. This helps to repair broken bonds and strengthen strands before you actually hop into the shower and start washing your hair. If you already use a bond repair post-shampoo (we’ll get into that later), Yung says that you can skip this step.
There’s only one pre-shampoo bond repair that Yung recommends for this step: the Epres Bond Repair Treatment Starter Kit ($97.50). It’s a spray that works to reinforce the hair’s internal structure and elasticity on dyed and chemical-treated hair. It’s one of the more expensive products out of all her recommendations, but it has the rave reviews to advocate for it. So if you’re going to splurge on something from her guide, I’d consider choosing this, especially if your hair is damaged.
Yung advises spraying this on your hair 10 minutes before washing your hair or applying any other product, and doing so no more than once or twice a week.
Shop Abbey Yung’s pre-shampoo bond repair recommendation:
Step 2: Pre-Shampoo Oil Treatment (Optional)
Once your hair has sit with the Epres treatment for 10 minutes — or you’re skipping that part — you can then apply a pre-shampoo oil treatment. I’m no stranger to these, I apply rosemary oil to my hair quite regularly to help with thickness and growth, but Yung’s focus is on getting rid of dryness and tangling. She says to apply the oil a minimum of 20 minutes prior to showering, but to skip this step if you plan on using bond-repair treatments after you shampoo. As for where to apply the oil, Yung doesn’t specify, so I’m assuming it’s a roots to ends situation.
Her three pre-shampoo oil recs are all variations of coconut oils from the one brand: OGX. And the good news? They’re all affordable!
Shop Abbey Yung’s pre-shampoo oil treatment recommendations:
Step 3: Clarifying Shampoo
Ahhh, the first mandatory step in Abbey Yung’s haircare method. We don’t want any filthy scalps around here, do we? Clarifying shampoo helps remove the excess sebum, dead skin cells, oils, product residue and gunk that makes our hair feel yuck and gross. It’s especially useful if you have oily hair. Yung recommends using one at least once a week, but you can use it more regularly if necessary.
Yung recommends eight clarifying shampoos from different brands depending on your hair type, state of damage, and how strong you need the shampoo to be. She broke down and compared the differences between them all on her TikTok, which you can watch below.
In terms of pricing, the brands vary from affordable options you can find at the supermarket to more expensive, high end brands, so you can pick and choose what works best for your budget as well as your hair.
Shop Abbey Yung’s clarifying shampoo recommendations:
Step 4: Non-Clarifying Shampoo
Next up in the Abbey Yung method is non-clarifying shampoo. Yung doesn’t specify whether you should use a clarifying shampoo first and then follow it with a non-clarifying shampoo, or if you should alternate the two with every hair wash, so it’s up to you how you want to approach it. Personally, I think it makes most sense to shampoo once to clean your scalp, then use your second ‘poo as many times per week as needed to moisturise, strengthen, or smooth your strands.
And thankfully, all of her non-clarifying shampoo recommendations are affordable.
Shop Abbey Yung’s non-clarifying shampoo recommendations:
Step 4 Continued: Medicated Shampoos (Optional)
You thought we were done with shampoo? Think again!
If you have an itchy, dry or flaky scalp, Yung recommends using a medicated shampoo to help prevent irritation. You can either replace one of the previous shampoos with these, or use it in addition (although I think shampooing three times is a little overkill).
Shop Abbey Yung’s medicated shampoo recommendations:
Step 5: Bond Repair Treatments
If your hair is damaged thanks to bleaching and colouring your hair, you probably need a bond treatment to help nurse it back to life. You can either do this pre-shower (see step one) or post-shampoo. Most of these treatments work best on towel-dried damp hair, and need to be left in for a few minutes. While it’s typically recommended you skip rinsing this out and applying conditioner, since a lot of bond repair treatments act as conditioners, too, Yung doesn’t mention this in her guide. So go forth and condition — or not — at your own volition.
You don’t need to do this step regularly, only when your hair needs it — especially if you’re using concentrated (and expensive) products like K18. A little goes a long way with bond treatments, too. Use too much, and your hair will feel like straw, which isn’t a vibe.
Shop Abbey Yung’s bond repair treatment recommendations:
Step 6: Conditioning — Glosses, Hair Masks And Conditioners
Wow, this method is an arm workout and a half. We’re onto conditioner, friends! The last step in the shower, thank God.
There are a few different combos you can do when conditioning your hair. Yung says that you need to use a minimum of one conditioning agent each time you wash your hair (gloss, a hair mask or conditioner), but to whack on more than one if your hair is needing some extra TLC. This can be a combination of a gloss and conditioner, conditioner and mask, or mask and gloss — the world is your oyster!
A hair gloss helps boost hair vibrancy and soften strands, and is often used on colour-treated hair in-between appointments. Conditioner helps hydrate, smooth and protect your hair follicles, as well as seal them shut after shampooing. As for hair masks, they can be used for a vaiety of things: strengthening, softening, hydrating, etc. Just pick what your hair is going to drink up and go wild.
Shop Abbey Yung’s conditioning recommendations:
Step 7: Post-Wash Bond Repair Treatment (Optional)
You thought we were done with the bond repair treatments? Think again.
If you’d rather apply your bond repair after showering, skip step one and step five and only follow step seven. You can double up on the bond repair if your hair is seriously damaged, but I’d otherwise skip it. Yung recommends Living Proof’s Triple Bond Complex for this, and says to leave it for 10 minutes before applying styling products, using it once or twice a week.
Shop Abbey Yung’s post-wash bond repair treatment recommendation:
Step 8: Leave-In Conditioner And Heat Styling
We’re finally up to styling! She recommends you apply leave-in conditioner liberally after every hair wash day. If you’re not using heat to style your hair, you can skip that product, but otherwise spritz it on thoroughly! This’ll be a major help in preventing breakage and damage.
Shop Abbey Yung’s leave-in conditioner and heat styling recommendations:
Step 9: Styling (Optional)
Almost at the end, I promise. And this step isn’t crucial, only if you’re styling your hair!
Yung says at this stage of the routine, you can use any products that you feel work best for you. But if you’re completely stuck, she provides some recommendations from brands including Living Proof, Tresemmé, R+Co and K18.
Shop Abbey Yung’s styling product recommendations:
Full Dry Volume + Texture Spray, $74
Step 10: Style Sealers — Serums, Creams And Oils (Optional)
You don’t want to go to all that effort of washing and styling your hair, only for it to frizz up or drop two hours later, right? If you need a little extra conditioning, softening and shine post-styling, Yung has suggested a bunch of products to help lock in hydration and keep your hair looking sleek all day long.
Shop Abbey Yung’s style sealer recommendations:
Step 11: Between-Wash Care — Conditioning, Heat Protection And Dry Shampoo
Final step, guys! If your hair needs a little refresh in-between washes (because who on earth has time to do this daily), there are a bunch of products Yung has said are great to use.
First up is conditioning treatments, whether it’s an oil or serum. If your hair is feeling a bit dry, pop this in overnight to help smooth it out.
Re-styling your hair throughout the week using heat? Make sure you apply heat protection so you don’t fry your ends.
On the flip side, if your hair is feeling a little oily, spritz your roots with some dry shampoo to revive it with some assisted volume and texture.
Shop Abbey Yung’s between-wash care recommendations:
TL;DR: The Abbey Yung Method Summarised
That was a LOT of info, so here’s the TL;DR to recap everything you just learned:
PRE-SHOWER
- Pre-Shampoo Bond Repair Treatment* (1–2x a week)
- Pre-Shampoo Oil Treatment* (as needed)
IN-SHOWER
- Shampoo (as often as needed)
a. Clarifying (at least 1x a week)
b. Non-Clarifying
c. Medicated* - Bond Repair Treatment (varies by treatment)
- Conditioning (pick 1–2 products every wash)
a. Gloss
b. Conditioner
c. Mask
POST-SHOWER
- Post-Wash Bond Repair Treatment* (1–2x a week)
- Leave-in Conditioner & Heat Protectant (every wash)
- Styling* (as often as needed)
- Style Sealers* (as often as needed)
a. Serum
b. Lotion/Cream
c. Oil
BETWEEN-WASH
- Conditioning Treatment or Oil*
- Heat Protection*
- Dry Shampoo*
*optional.
Stick with this routine and before you know it, your hair will be on par with the queen of HairTok herself.
Image credit: Abbey Yung / @laraweber_ / enine_legierse
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