I don’t often look to TikTok for beauty trends or hacks, but here recently, #haircycling has been gaining in popularity to such an extent that my middle-aged eyes over on Instagram have taken notice. What is hair cycling? First, it has nothing to do with bicycles or washing machines; it’s actually a simple process of rotating a handful of different shampoos and hair products over the course of a few weeks to improve hair and scalp health. And chances are you may already be doing this. Here is a rundown of the latest beauty craze of hair cycling.

The name of the game with hair cycling is to alternate your shampoo products throughout the week and to give your hair time to rest in between, rather than washing it every day. I try to wash my hair every other day, especially in winter, to avoid drying it out.

Besides dry hair, your follicles and scalp may have other concerns. One day, your hair might be super oily and require a clarifying shampoo. Another day, the ends could be frizzing and be in need of something more moisturizing. Depending on the weather, or your lifestyle, your hair and scalp needs can fluctuate.

Before you start rotating products, take some time to assess the condition of your hair and how it changes over the course of a couple of weeks. If you’re using lots of different styling products on the regular, it can be helpful to first eliminate those in order to better determine your hair’s baseline. See how your hair looks and feels after using just shampoo and conditioner for a week or two, and you can then choose your hair cycling regimen accordingly.

For the most part, there are three steps in a basic hair cycling routine. First is a clarifying shampoo at the start of your week. For oily hair, try Neutrogena’s Health Scalp Clarify & Shine shampoo with detoxifying pink grapefruit designed to give the scalp a reset without stripping out healthy oils. For dry or dandruff-prone hair, there’s Head & Shoulders Supreme Detox and Hydrate Relief Shampoo. A solid overall product, no matter your hair type or condition, is Suave Essentials’ Daily Clarifying shampoo. And feel free to incorporate a scalp scrub in this step as well.

Next up, a bond-repair or a hair-strengthening shampoo once a week, midweek. Bond-building hair treatments are an important inclusion in hair cycling, especially if you color your hair and/or use hot tools frequently. Stronger hair is able to hold moisture and protein for healthier hair. Bumble and Bumble’s Bond-Building Repair Treatment is honey-based to de-frizz and moisturize and works just as well with fine hair as it does for textured hair. For damaged or brittle hair, try Amika’s Kure Multi-Task Repair Treatment, which is made from plant-derived proteins delivering bond-repairing amino acids.

Step three is a moisturizing shampoo at the end of the week. Most shampoos are moisturizing, so you can use your standard shampoo for this step. However, if you feel you need extra moisture, then consider a product like Herbal Essences’ Bio Renew Coconut Milk shampoo for a big gulp of hair hydration. There’s also Garnier’s Whole Blends Replenishing Shampoo, which features olive oil and argan oil for extra nourishment. Both products come with matching conditioners to seal in the moisture. And, voila, that is a hair cycle!

In practice, you don’t have to follow a rigid three-wash routine to participate in hair cycling. You can simply swap out your regular conditioner for a more moisturizing mask once a week if your hair feels dry or damaged or switch your go-to shampoo for a more clarifying formula every few washes if you have product build-up or oily hair. Even doing a weekly hair mask incorporates the hair cycling trend into your beauty routine.

Also, hair cycling can be seasonal. Clarifying shampoo for the summer, hair-bonding for the winter. It’s really about what your hair and scalp need. Now the only problem is finding space for all of these products in the shower.