We all love a rich lather when we’re in the shower, be it washing our face, our body or our hair. Yet, most of us are using too much product, especially shampoo, because we don’t take the time to wet our hair thoroughly first. And when your hair is not sufficiently wet, it’s only understandable that our shampoo doesn’t lather into a rich foam during shampoo. Hence, we over use shampoo.

Not only is this a waste of product, using too much shampoo can also dry out your hair. So the next time you’re in the shower, make sure you wet your hair thoroughly before applying shampoo. And if you’re tempted to add more shampoo to create a rich lather, add more water instead. A rule of thumb: you will need only about two teaspoons of shampoo for mid-length hair, or slightly less if you have shorter hair, and slightly more if you have longer hair.

You know how your hair feels slippery and smooth after you’ve left conditioner and hair mask in your hair for a few minutes? Well, if your hair still feels like this in the shower, then you shouldn’t stop rinsing. This is because the ingredients added to give your hair that slippery and smooth sensation are often silicones, which when left to accumulate on your strands, can strip and dull your hair over time.

Plus, conditioners and hair masks are rich and full of emollients that can over-burden your scalp and cause it to become oily and prone to congestion. To avoid all these, make sure to rinse your hair clean, which is to say, until you don’t feel any residue left.

Hands up if you subject your tresses to chemical processes like colouring and retexturing treatments (be it perm or straightening) multiple times a year. When your hair undergo such treatments, the core structure of your hair can be damaged, and if moisture and nutrients are not replenished adequately, you end up with brittle hair that’s prone to breakage and split ends.

For those who have bleached their hair, it is important to use a blue or purple shampoo to neutralise any brassy undertones that might develop, so as to keep your hair colour fresh and vibrant. They are usually also enriched with conditioning botanical oils and butters to nourish and strengthen hair. You can also look out for products that are formulated with proteins as these can help rebuild and restructure damaged hair shafts to increase hair resilience.

If you’re unsure, just consult your stylist and stick to the products they recommend.

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Despite the frequent use of heated styling tools, many women skip on prepping their hair properly with a thermal protectant or a hair primer. Without an essential protective barrier that helps smooths down hair cuticles,  your hair becomes subjected to heat damage every single time your style it with heated tools like flat iron, curling tongs or even a blow-dryer. And over time, not only does hair become dryer, rougher, more tangled, hair colour also starts to fade and look duller.

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Living in the tropics mean it’s inevitable that we end up feeling sweaty and grimy at the end of the day, virtually every day. However, the habit of shampooing our hair daily or in some cases, twice daily, can end up creating problems for our hair.

First of all, even though shampooing your hair frequently keeps it clean and fresh, it also exposes your hair and scalp to potentially harsh cleansers in your shampoo, which not only are effective against eliminating perspiration, dirt and sebum, they also strip your hair and scalp of natural oils.

Moreover, clean hair doesn’t hold style as well as day-old hair. Try cutting down the frequency of washing your hair by using a dry shampoo instead. They are often made with charcoal powder to absorb impurities and excess sebum, give limp locks a root lift and feature a refreshing scent to eliminate odours.

Photo: Freepik

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Text: Joyce Cheo / Additional Reporting: Seah Pei Jun