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The state of your hair and scalp can deteriorate over time, thanks to the ageing process, stress, excessive heat styling, chemical treatments, and environmental damage. So, if you’re tired of having one bad hair day after another, this plan should set you up for happy tress days in no time.
Do This Right Now
When hair is dehydrated, it becomes brittle, lacklustre and limp. Deep- conditioning recharges it with moisture and nutrients. But don’t just slather on conditioner and wash it off immediately. Take a couple of minutes to let it work its magic. Or use a leave-in formula.
Must-try: Innisfree Camellia Essential Dry Conditioner, $14, is an all-in-one conditioner, hair pack and styling essence. The “air-bubble” formula revives fried strands with camellia, argan and sunflower seed oils for a silky finish. Towel-dry your shampooed hair before application. Excess water blocks full product absorption.
If you have a couple of hours to spare, an in-salon treatment, like L’Oreal Professionnel Pro Fiber Professional Program, offers the best course of action for multi-levels of damage – from shampoos to in-salon and at-home treatments – so that you not only step out of the salon with fabulous hair, but can boost the effect yourself every week. Priced from $198 for 90-120 minutes, it is available at J’s Salon.
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Do This Daily
Like your face, the scalp can also benefit from moisturising with ingredients that keep away signs of ageing such as dryness.
Must-try: Urban Care Argan Oil and Keratin Hair Care Shampoo and Conditioner are said to strengthen the scalp and hair with ingredients like argan oil, essential fatty acids and vitamin E. Tip: When your hair is happy, so is your scalp, so get into the habit of protecting it from styling and environmental damage with Innisfree Camellia Essential Hair Oil Serum. Made with fermented camellia oil and Jeju camellia oil, it coats cuticles, infuses each strand with nutrients, detangles, treats split ends and smooths frizziness.
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Do This Once A Week
Singapore’s weather increases the production of sweat and sebum, which can clog scalp pores. If you use styling products a lot, your regular shampoo may not be enough to rid your scalp of product residue. This heavy build-up can cause itch, inflammation, acne and dandruff. Dead skin cells and clogged follicles also slow down growth and contribute to thinning hair.
Must-try: Innisfree Green Tea Mint Fresh Scalp Scaler, $25 (three x 25ml tubes), controls excess sebum with mint oil and extract as it purifies as well as refreshes the scalp with bergamot, lemon and orange essential oils. Massage it in once a week, leave for five minutes, rinse and shampoo.
To gently slough off dead skin cells and remove unwanted build-up, the hair experts at J’s Salon recommend using Kerastase Chronologiste Revitalizing Exfoliating Care at least once a week. Massage it into your scalp and hair for five minutes and rinse thoroughly. This pre-shampoo treatment purifies both with exfoliating micro-particles, and nourishes with abyssine (a potent oceanic molecule that is said to detoxify the scalp), the brand’s Oleo-Complexe (maize, pracaxi, camellia and argan oils), and vitamin F (essential fatty acids).
Do This Once a Month
An inflamed, itchy, scaly or flaky scalp often suggests more severe issues, so don’t turn a blind eye to any of the above. Stress and external stressors as well as the wrong products and poor nutrition can contribute to the occurrence of dandruff and a sensitive scalp, too.
Must-try: The right intensive monthly treatment can effectively address your problem. At J’s Salon, a trichologist analyses your hair and scalp before recommending the right Detoxifying and Nourishing Scalp Treatment, $198 (75 minutes). It also has an Anti-Aging Scalp Treatment, from $248 (90 minutes), for a dry or maturing scalp. This is said to prompt cell renewal and stimulate pigment production to minimise greying. It includes an infrared light and oxygen infusion treatment to boost circulation as well as deliver nutrients to the scalp. Another benefit: voluminous, lustrous locks!
This article was originally published in the August 2016 issue of Simply Her.