The latest hair care hack: Adding a spoonful of sugar to your shampoo

LONDON - Forget expensive products - adding a spoonful of sugar to your shampoo could help you get a squeaky clean hair and a perfectly exfoliated scalp.

Dr. Francesca Fusco, a dermatologist at Wexler Dermatology, told Marie Claire that adding a tablespoon of sugar to your shampoo removes residue and gets rid of dead skin cells so that your conditioner can work harder.

"Adding a tablespoon of sugar to a dollop of shampoo will gently exfoliate the scalp and easily dissolve and rinse out without leaving any residue on hair," Fusco said.

But you can have too much of a good thing - like facial skincare, over exfoliating can strip your hair of oil. Fusco suggested using the sugar scrub every three to five washes and pairing it with a moisturising shampoo.

Hiro Miyoshi, hair stylist and owner of Hiro Miyoshi Hair & Beauty salon in Mayfair, told MailOnline that cleaning your scalp is as important, or even more important, as cleaning your hair.

"A neglected scalp can prevent new hair growth and irritation," Miyoshi said. "Adding a spoonful of sugar will gently exfoliate the scalp whilst shampooing, removing any dead skin cells or build-up of dirt which also enables you to really cleanse your scalp and prevent against oily roots and promotes healthier hair."

Not everyone is convinced sugar is the answer, however.

Style director at Goldsworthy's Joshua Goldsworthy told MailOnline that sugar has been used in the past to add stiffness to hair and is "far too abrasive," while Mads-Sune Lund, advocate colourist at Josh Wood Atelier, added: "It seems hard to imagine mixing sugar with a cheap shampoo with sulphate, as sulphates strip colour from the hair."

The only real way to tell? Raid your cupboard and see for yourself.