You're not alone. Here's how to deal with hair loss, from shampoos to vitamins.
Have you ever noticed the baffling number of hair loss centres in Singapore? Yup, hair fall here is a real thing. And while stress, hormones, diet, health or hereditary conditions may be the cause, we also hear complains (especially from our expat friends) that there’s simply something in the Singapore water that makes crowning glories excessively shed. While we’re no hair experts, there might be some truth to this: the local water is heavily processed and filtered, with tap water containing an average of 2.45 mg per litre of chlorine. Other reasons cited are the change in climate (humidity does no favours), as well as city pollution. Ahead, we’ve got the scoop on how best to tackle hair loss in Singapore…
Use a chlorine-filtering shower head
Scary fact of the day: Your body absorbs up to eight glasses of chlorinated water with every shower. Showering in chlorine strips away protective sebum, which coats your hair, leading to breakage and hair fall. To prevent this, your best bet is a chlorine-filtering shower head. VitaC’s one-size-fits-all showerhead filters 99.9% chlorine and chloramines in every shower to reduce hairfall and damage. These are available in different settings, like shower and misty rain, and are easy to install.
Shop VitaC showerheads at Sonaki Singapore online.
…or boiled water
Yes, it takes an extra step, but using boiled water is said to help chlorine and other heavily processed minerals evaporate. Showering in hot water is also said to damage the scalp, leading to shrinking of strands, narrowing of follicles, and leading to hair thinning and loss. You’re better off taking a shower in cooler water as it’s not only gentler on your hair – it’s also gentler on your skin.
Let’s talk about your diet…and vitamins
You know what they say: too much of a good thing is a bad thing. As much as we love living in this food paradise, the easy availability of hawker food can have one quickly spiralling into a diet of grease, excessive sodium, MSG and sugar. These not only harm your body but your mane; eating too much of oily food can lead to an oily scalp, leading to a reduction in hair follicle size and clogging up your pores.
Daily shedding of hair may be normal – you lose 100 to 150 strands of hair per day after all – but if you notice your hair excessively thinning out, it’s time to take action. Besides changing your diet, think about taking vitamin supplements – ones recommended for hair growth include Biotin, Niacin (Vitamin B3) and Vitamin C, and minerals for hair loss such as Zinc and Iron.
Use the right shampoo
Before you grab the nearest hair loss shampoo off the shelves, get to know your hair. Your health, genes, hair history and response to Singapore’s climate and water have to be taken into account when it comes to treating your hair. Be prepared for a little trial and error…but first, arm yourself with the right knowledge.
Also, know the key ingredients that go into a hair loss shampoo. These include ketoconazol to boost hair density and size, caffeine to enhance the length of the hair shaft, biotin to strengthen and even saw palmetto. Also understand that shampoos are by no means a miracle hair growth potion – they do stay on hair for a limited time after all. Instead, they emphasise hair retention and the improvement of hair and scalp health.
See a hair loss expert
If your hair is seriously shedding, the hair doctor is your bestfriend. A tricologist will do a check on your medical history, run tests and does a thorough scalp biopsy to get to the root of the problem. What often triggers hair loss is medication, hormones or nutrition and a tricologist can prescribe you pills, tonics or treatments to treat your hair.