Worried about hair loss? You're not alone. Here are common treatments to help you deal with it.
Have you ever noticed the baffling number of hair loss centres in Singapore? Yup, hair fall is a real thing. The causes range from stress and hormones to diet, health or hereditary conditions. We also hear complaints (especially from our expat friends) that there’s just something in the Singapore water that makes our crowning glory excessively shed.
While we’re no hair experts, there might be some truth to this: our 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 us no favours) and city pollution. That’s why we’ve got the scoop on the treatments to best tackle hair loss in Singapore.
Hair loss in Singapore: Treatments and tips that help
1. Ease up on your hairstyling
We love a good updo or uniquely dyed hair as much as the next person. However, wearing your hair in styles like braids or tightly pulled back buns can cause unnecessary strain on the roots. This leads to damaged strands that are more susceptible to breaking or falling off. The same thing goes for any chemical treatments you might use on your hair. Perming or colouring can hurt the scalp and lead to breakage.
This isn’t to stop you from doing what you want with your hair. Just remember to give your scalp a break if you have it up in a tight style for too long, and get the right conditioners if you have it dyed. A tip for our pals with long hair: if you need to get those annoying strands out of your face while you work, try using a hair band or tying your hair in a looser ponytail.
2. 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. Sonaki’s one-size-fits-all shower head filters 99.9% chlorine and chloramines in every shower to reduce hair fall and damage. These are available in different settings like “shower” and “misty rain” – and they’re easy to install.
3. Skip the heat
Blowdrying your hair is typically the easiest and fastest way to get your hair done when you’re getting ready for the day. But you shouldn’t be using your hairdryer all the time. The heat often leads to dehydration, which leaves your hair dull and prone to damage. Instead, go for a lower heat setting or let your hair air dry.
Showering in hot water is also said to damage the scalp, leading to strands shrinking, follicles narrowing, and hair thinning. You’re better off taking a shower in cooler water. It’s not only gentler on your hair – it’s also gentler on your skin.
4. Think about changing your diet
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 availability of hawker food can have you quickly spiralling into a diet of grease, excessive sodium, MSG and sugar. These not only harm your body but also your mane. Oily food can lead to an oily scalp, which reduces hair follicle size and clogs up your pores.
The 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.
5. Use the right shampoo
Before you grab the nearest hair loss shampoo off the shelves in Singapore, get to know your hair. Take into account your health, genes, hair history and response to the city’s climate and water. In other words, be prepared for a little trial and error.
It’s important to 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; and biotin to strengthen. Also, understand that shampoos are by no means a miracle hair growth potion – they do stay on your hair for a limited time, after all. Instead, they emphasise hair retention and the improvement of hair and scalp health.
6. See a hair loss expert
Sometimes, even the all-powerful Internet doesn’t have all the right answers to your problems. When that happens, it’s time to ask the experts. Singapore has a huge number of hair loss treatment centres, so you can easily get the help you need. Drop by widely advertised spots like Yun Nam Hair Care or Beijing 101, which have multiple locations within malls around the island.
For us, we’re looking at the good folks from Papilla Haircare, a hair loss centre backed by a team of medical researchers and scientists. Established by dermatologists in Korea, this centre is known for its proprietary technology which is needle-free and non-invasive. It delivers serums through the superficial skin layer deep into the scalp, improving absorption by 17 times with its breakthrough technique.
7. Or visit a doctor
When all else fails, call on a doctor. What you’re experiencing may be caused by something in your genes or be a symptom of a disease. A wide range of conditions can bring on hair loss, including pregnancy, thyroid disorders and anaemia. It can also be an indication of autoimmune diseases like polycystic ovary syndrome or skin conditions such as psoriasis. If you find your hair falling out at an unusual or abnormal rate, don’t be embarrassed by it and consider visiting a doctor.
Keep your locks luscious with these hair loss solutions and treatments in Singapore!