MONAT IR Clinical serum: how to apply it in four steps
8 min read Care know-how Updated 5 October 2026 By Anna Sophie Schulenburg
The MONAT IR Clinical™ serum goes onto your towel-damp scalp after washing: parting by parting about two centimetres apart, in the amount stated on the pack, massaged in with your fingertips for one minute. You leave it in, and on the days between washes it goes onto clean, dry roots as often as the pack says, usually daily. You judge whether it suits you after three months from photos of your parting, so take the first one before you apply it for the first time.
The serum is cosmetic scalp care for hair that looks thinner than it used to and that you would like to look fuller. It cares for your scalp and for the hair you have. It does not make new hair grow. Hair coming out in clumps or bald patches should go to a dermatologist first, because there may be a cause behind it that needs treatment.
What the IR Clinical serum is for
The serum is the scalp component of the IR Clinical™ system. The line's shampoo and conditioner cleanse and care for your hair at every wash, and the serum is the only product that stays on your skin afterwards.
| IR Clinical™ Hair Thinning Defense (serum) | |
|---|---|
| Part of | IR Clinical™ system with Thickening Shampoo and Thickening Conditioner |
| Format | leave-in scalp serum |
| Where | only on the exposed scalp, none on the lengths |
| When | on wash days on the towel-damp scalp, otherwise on clean, dry roots |
| Amount and rhythm | as on the pack, usually a daily step |
| Rinsing | none |
| Ingredients | listed in the INCI list on the pack |
| Who it is for | women and men whose hair looks less dense overall |
The serum is meant for missing density. If your hair only lacks lift at the roots, a volumising routine suits it better. This is how you tell the two apart in front of the mirror:
| What you notice | What may be behind it | Does the serum fit? |
|---|---|---|
| Your hair tie needs one more twist than it did a year ago | decreasing density | yes, and start taking photos today |
| In bright light your parting shows more scalp than in old photos | slowly decreasing density, often hereditary | yes, plus an early dermatologist appointment |
| Your hair lies flat at the roots while the amount of hair is unchanged | fine hair that lacks lift | rather Revive™, see volume or density |
| Short, broken hairs on the top of your head | breakage in the lengths | care for the lengths, see breakage or hair loss |
| Hair coming out in clumps, round bald patches | belongs in medical hands | no, see a dermatologist first |
No row fits clearly? The free hair analysis asks about your hair, scalp and habits and then suggests a routine.
How to apply IR Clinical serum in four steps
You need a towel, a tail comb and, for shoulder-length or longer hair, two clips.
Step 1 — Wash your scalp. Lather the IR Clinical™ Thickening Shampoo between your hands and work it into the wet scalp only, using your fingertips. The Thickening Conditioner then goes onto the lengths from ear level down, stays on for two minutes and is rinsed out with cool water. If conditioner lands on the roots, the serum later meets a film of conditioner instead of your skin.
Step 2 — Blot. Squeeze the water out of the lengths with the towel and blot the roots until they are towel-damp. If the roots are still dripping, the water dilutes the serum and it runs down the strands.
Step 3 — Part. Use the tail comb to draw a centre parting and, from there, parallel partings about two centimetres apart, first to one side, then to the other. Start where your hair looks thinnest, usually along the parting and at the temples. Clip each finished side out of the way.
Step 4 — Apply and massage. Put the serum, in the amount on the pack, straight onto the exposed skin, spread across all the partings instead of one spot. Then massage for one minute with your fingertips in small circles, keeping your nails off the scalp. The serum stays in, and you can blow-dry and style as usual afterwards.
The amounts of shampoo and conditioner depend on your hair length:
| Hair length | Thickening Shampoo | Thickening Conditioner from ear level | Serum, amount on the pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| chin-length | hazelnut-sized | half a hazelnut | part without clips |
| shoulder-length | walnut-sized | hazelnut-sized | clip each finished side out of the way |
| chest-length | walnut-sized, wash twice if your hair is thick | two hazelnuts | two clips per side so no strand falls back |
The serum amount stays the same for every length. It goes onto the scalp, and your scalp does not get bigger as your hair grows. Long hair only costs you a minute or two more for sectioning.
Damp or dry scalp, and how often?
On wash days, apply the serum right after blotting. Wash as often as your roots need, for many people every two to three days. On the days in between it goes onto clean, dry roots, for example in the morning before you comb. On oily roots or over dry shampoo it spreads badly, because sebum and powder sit between the serum and your skin. Wash first in that case.
The pack sets how often. Usually it is a daily step, and that is easiest to keep up when you tie it to something you do every day anyway: brushing your teeth in the evening or your first coffee. If you forget a day, carry on the next day with the normal amount. A double dose makes up for nothing.
Think in months. Hair grows about one centimetre a month, so it takes several weeks at the very least before your parting shows whether anything is changing in how your hair looks. Nobody can promise you in advance whether or when that will happen.
What comes before and after the serum
On wash days the order is shampoo, conditioner, blot, serum, and only then anything for the lengths. Heat protection or a leave-in conditioner goes into the hair from ear level down. Use oil only on the ends, one or two drops. When blow-drying, dry the roots first, on a medium setting and 15 cm away, head down or against the direction of growth. The whole routine for decreasing density, including habits and home remedies, is in caring for thinning-looking hair.
If you wash with another mild range, such as the Revive™ line for fine hair, you can still add the serum. Even then, conditioner goes only from ear level down so your scalp stays clear. Whether to switch your wash to IR Clinical™ is something to go through with your consultant. If your scalp also feels tight or itchy and you want to add a second scalp product, introduce it only once the serum has run for two weeks without a reaction, so you know what your skin is reacting to; the steps for using Scalp Comfort are set out in a guide of their own.
Application mistakes and what to do instead
| Mistake | Better |
|---|---|
| Serum on the lengths | on the exposed scalp, parting by parting |
| On dripping-wet roots | blot first until the roots are towel-damp |
| Over dry shampoo or oily roots | on a freshly washed or clean, dry scalp |
| Rubbing it in with your nails | one minute of small circles with your fingertips |
| A double dose on the thinnest spot | the amount on the pack, spread over all partings |
| Only on days when your parting bothers you | every day at the same time, as the pack says |
| Switching products after two weeks | judge after three months with photos |
IR Clinical serum experiences: keep your own record
Other people's reviews say little about your parting, because the cause, hair density and routine vary from head to head. Your own experience becomes meaningful when you record it in a way that lets you compare after three months, instead of relying on a glance in the mirror on a good or a bad day.
After the first wash. With the shampoo and conditioner, notice how a strand feels as you comb through it and whether your roots hold their lift after blow-drying. With the serum, the first week is mainly about your scalp. Redness, itching or burning are a reason to stop using it.
After four weeks. Count the days on which you applied the serum. If your roots lie flat after blow-drying, conditioner has crept too far up. Take the second photo.
After three months. This is the earliest fair comparison. Put the photos side by side and count the twists of your hair tie. Take the photos like this so they can be compared:
- Always at the same window, at the same time of day, without flash.
- With dry, combed hair and a centre parting.
- With the camera held straight above your parting, about 30 cm away.
- Start on day one and repeat every four weeks.
When the serum isn't right and it's time for a dermatologist
A cosmetic serum does not replace a medical check. See a dermatologist before you start or carry on if any of these apply:
- Your hair suddenly comes out in clumps, or the shedding clearly increases within a few weeks.
- Bald, round or sharply defined patches appear.
- Your scalp hurts, burns, is red or has scaly crusts.
- The hair loss started after a new medication.
- Your parting keeps getting wider in the photos despite regular care.
A dermatologist can use a dermatoscope and blood tests such as ferritin and thyroid values to find out where the loss is coming from, and no care product can do that. Bring your photos, because they show the course more precisely than any description.
1. IR CLINICAL™ SYSTEM
Amount: As on the labelWhere: Part the hair into several sections and apply the product section by section directly to the scalp.How often: Regularly and consistently, as on the label (usually daily)
Massage in evenly. Track progress fairly over 30/60/90 days with photos; a specific date for visible changes can't be promised.
Quick questions
Can I apply the IR Clinical serum in the evening?
Yes. Apply it early enough for your scalp to have dried before bed, about half an hour beforehand. Then the serum stays on your skin and does not end up on your pillow.
Can men use the IR Clinical serum?
Yes. With short hair, expose the scalp with the comb and apply directly, including at receding temples and the back of the head. What care can do there is covered in hair care for men.
Can I use IR Clinical alongside a medication prescribed by a doctor?
Only after checking first. Ask your dermatologist whether, and how far apart, you may apply a cosmetic scalp serum alongside it.
Can I use IR Clinical during pregnancy or while breastfeeding?
Only after talking to your gynaecologist or midwife, as with any new scalp serum during this time. The increased hair loss a few months after giving birth follows its own course and usually settles on its own.
Whether the IR Clinical serum or Revive suits your hair better is something the free hair analysis asks you about.