For one, pollution particles that settle on your hair can cause it to lose its shine. As the particulates are small enough to embed themselves in the hair cuticles, if your shampoo is not able to efficiently remove these particles, there will be a build up and hair will lose its natural shine.

Closed neat hair cuticles are the main reason for shiny hair. However, these pollution particles may prevent the hair cuticles from closing up, effectively leading to frizzy hair. The root cause of frizzy hair is when moisture (not the good kind) gets absorbed to the core of the hair, resulting in the swelling of hair strand. Add that to Singapore’s humid weather and you can now see why your hair turns into an unruly mop once you step out of the house.

Plus, hair that is weighed down pulls at the hair follicles. And no matter how resilient your hair follicles are, there is a limit what they can take before eventually letting the hair strand fall out.

The pollutants affect the scalp in almost the same way it affects the skin on your face and body. Particulates can clog up hair follicles and when not removed properly, will lead to hair loss. In addition, free radicals from pollutants can also affect your scalp health, causing dandruff, irritation and premature ageing.

Thus it is important to look out for hair products that are rich in antioxidants and those that can help detox your scalp to protect your crowning glory from pollution. Click the next slide to find out the five products which we like.

The key ingredient in this range is aquatic mint that is grown organically in southwest France. It is rich in polyphenols, an antioxidant that combats free radicals. We like how the shampoo also has a cooling effect on the scalp, which feels really refreshing. The conditioner acts as an anti-pollution shield by preventing pollutants from settling in and building up in the hair. It also helps restore shine to hair, and can also be applied to the scalp to hydrate it. To round up the range, there is a purifying mist which neutralises odour from hair, including that dreaded food-court smell, for up to six hours.

This can be used in place of your conditioner or hair mask, and has a patented compound that fights pollution while treating damaged hair. It is also free of silicones, mineral oils and paraben.

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This shampoo works by binding the ionic particles to pollutants to remove them from your hair and scalp, and prevent particulates from building up. It also has a soothing complex which forms a lipid layer to strengthen your scalp’s natural barrier and prevent irritation and inflammation.

Mix three to five drops of this booster serum to help restore shine to hair. It also has hyaluronic acid, creatine and moringa seed extracts to form a barrier around your hair strands to protect them against environmental aggressors. It also works on colour-treated hair and is vegan-friendly.

Though not explicitly marketed as an anti-pollution haircare product, this shampoo has charcoal to help draw out impurities and prevent product and pollutant build-up on the scalp and hair. Peppermint, spearmint and tea tree oils relieve itchiness and have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which help soothe scalp. It also has coconut oil to moisturise scalp and panthenol (provitamin B5) to strengthen hair roots and hair shaft. This is also vegan-friendly and free of silicones, sulphates, parabens and synthetic colouring.

TEXT: Kayce Teo Additional Text: Seah Pei Jun

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