Some people enjoy reminiscing about the past by looking at their old photos. But for me, it’s a cringe-fest when I stumble upon a memory of my teenage self with a poorly executed hair dye job. Urgh.
There’s no denying that most of us have been through a “wild” phase of experimenting with various hair trends. We tried to be cool by perming our hair for a volumised look, and donning a two-tone hair dye inspired by our favourite K-pop idols. Little did we know at the time that these hairstyles were damaging, and also detrimental to our scalps and overall hair health.
Below, we spoke to five girls about how the hair trends they once followed actually ruined their hair without them realising.
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Images courtesy of Steph
“I decided to crimp my whole head during my teens because I looked up to a dance instructor who started a trend with her crimped hair. Since her hair looked really big and “hip hop”, a lot of the female dancers around me also did the same.
The process was similar to a perm since I only needed to visit a salon once, and it cost between $200 and $300. Back then, I really enjoyed the hairstyle because it was fun, and I loved experimenting with different styling at that age.
However, as expected, my YOLO mentality came with consequences ‒ my hair became very dry and prone to breakage. I realised that there was no way to salvage my hair unless I shaved my whole head so I decided to grow out my hair by slowly trimming away the damaged parts.”
– Steph, 34
Images courtesy of Nicole
“Children are easily influenced, so when I was 10 years old and I heard people around me point out that my naturally wavy hair looked “messy”, all I wanted was to have straight hair. Since then, I rebonded my hair every year for eight consecutive years until I was 18 years old.
At that point in time, I didn’t know rebonding could have any negative effects beyond providing me with smooth, glossy hair. My family and friends even complimented my straight hair and I loved the way it made me look.
However, things took a turn when I noticed that my hair became very dry, frizzy, damaged, and thin with a lot of split ends. It turns out that my hairstylist hadn’t warned me about the potential long-term damages that come with rebonding.
Naturally, I regretted rebonding my hair for such a long period of time because it ended up becoming more damaged than I had expected. I stopped going for rebonding sessions and went for hair treatment sessions instead.
While I don’t think my hair is currently in its best condition, I try my best to take care of it by getting regular haircuts to prevent split ends.”
– Nicole, 24
Images courtesy of Alicia
“Regrettably, I once had an ah lian hairstyle where I sprayed hot pink temporary hair dye onto my long fringe. My friends and I helped each other with our hair transformation at a neighbourhood playground because we were broke students who wanted to look “cool”.
To complete the look that I was going for, I even styled it in a way that my fringe covered half of my face, thinking that it made me look badass. I remember loving my hairstyle so much that I “camwhore-d” probably a thousand pictures, so much that I cringe whenever I look back.
While I don’t think the temporary hair dye caused significant damage to my hair, I recall that it was challenging to wash off. Considering that hair spray is generally harmful, there is a chance that the temporary hair dye unknowingly resulted in unseen damage to my hair over time.”
– Alicia, 26
Images courtesy of Jou
“As a person who subscribes to the saying “Go big, or go home,” I always choose to go for the most “showy” hairstyles during dance performances in school. From bleaching my hair to braiding them tightly, my hair and scalp have gone through all sorts of damage.
Among them, the most harmful damage was likely caused by my obsession with braids. Since I didn’t want my hair to come undone halfway through a performance, my friend braided my hair really tightly to the extent that untying them would leave my scalp really sore.
This continued for a few performances over a couple of months, and I noticed my hair started to fall out more than usual, especially after a wash. It dawned on me that my preferred hairstyle had caused my scalp to take a toll.
I regret not researching the potential damage caused by tight braiding because I’d hate to lose my hair just because I wanted to look “good”. Since then, I have made a conscious effort in learning more about taking care of my scalp and hair such as loosening the tension of my scalp through light massages.”
– Jou, 29
Images courtesy of Princess
“I was highly influenced by K-pop when I was a teenager, and at one point in time, dip dye hair was the trend. Since I’m a person who always enjoys trying something new and different, I decided to dye my hair in unconventional colours.
Initially, I got my hair done at a hair salon because I wanted it to be done professionally. But, I was unsatisfied with the way it turned out ‒ my hair appeared orange instead of the red I had in mind. As such, I went to buy a box of hair bleach, and did the work myself.
Since I was in no way a hair professional, my little DIY sesh led to uneven application, which eventually caused my hair to become very dry and full of split ends. I tried to make it look smoother by using hair oil but my hair condition was already pretty bad.
Fortunately, I only bleached the ends of my hair because I was able to snip away the damaged section sometime later.
Although I still love colouring my hair, I now leave the bleaching work to professionals, and consult my hair stylist before going in to do a hair transformation.”
– Princess, 27
Chances are, when you talk to anyone in their prime youth, few would mention hair loss and scalp problems as their main concerns. Instead, most tend to believe that such hair issues would only happen to them later in life, and let their guard down when it comes to maintaining their hair health ‒ just like these girls.
This was also the case for our colleague Alicia, who frequently dyes her hair. She now finds her hair thinning, and experiences slight hair loss.
As such, we decided to sign her up for a hair treatment at TK Trichokare, a professional hair care centre with certified trichologists, to identify and address her hair problems.
To get to the root of Alicia’s hair concerns, she was guided to a private room where she underwent a consultation conducted by TK Trichokare’s hair and scalp specialist. There, Alicia answered questions about her hair-washing routine, the hair products she uses, and also shared details about her diet and lifestyle, including her sleeping habits.
The detailed session allowed the specialist to identify the reasons behind Alicia’s hair problems, ensuring that no crucial information was overlooked when preparing the appropriate treatment for Alicia’s oily scalp and clogged pores.
During the consultation, the specialist utilised a super magnifying lens called the Tricho-Scan, that magnifies the scalp up to 200 times. This assessment was much needed since it captured images that showed Alicia’s clogged hair follicles and oily scalp.
Based on the analysis with Tricho-Scan, the specialist also added that Alicia might be experiencing alopecia areata, a scientific term for patchy balding ‒ something that she had never noticed before.
To help Alicia gain a better understanding, the specialist also explained that when hair follicles are clogged, it becomes harder for hair follicles to come onto the surface and grow. In more serious cases, clogged hair follicles may even lead to inflammation.
Fortunately for Alicia, it wasn’t too late to improve her hair and scalp condition.
To combat Alicia’s hair troubles, the therapist proposed TK Trichokare’s Scalp Purifying Therapy, which began with a customised premium European herbal scalp masque.
The masque was specially formulated for Alicia, using herbs known for their detoxifying properties that cleanse the scalp, and remove impurities and excess sebum.
When the therapist applied the masque to the scalp, Alicia couldn’t help but notice that “it was very cooling”, as if her scalp was savouring a mint candy.
After leaving the masque on for about 15 minutes, Alicia received a nourishing hair bath to cleanse her scalp.
Unlike how we would normally shampoo our hair only once a day, Alicia’s hair was shampooed thrice during the treatment, with the last wash being together with conditioner. The therapist said that multiple washes were essential to ensure that Alicia’s sebum balance was properly restored.
To this, Alicia highlighted that her scalp “was instantly refreshed” thanks to how the therapist also treated her to a mini head massage.
Now that Alicia’s scalp was cleansed and her pores were adequately opened, she was ready to receive a customised ampoule by TK Trichokare known as the MaxiKare Ampoule.
Infused with ingredients that promote hair growth and thickness, and reduce hair inflammation on the scalp and damage from the environment, the nourishing solution was generously applied onto Alicia’s scalp by hand.
Then, the therapist brought out the “big gun” aka an Oxyjet machine.
As intimidating as the name may sound, the machine is in no way painful to the user. Instead, it releases jets of pure oxygen in a rhythmic manner that speeds up the scalp’s cell metabolism and improves blood circulation.
Interestingly, Alicia found this step enjoyable since it felt as if her scalp was absorbing all the nutrients alongside the cooling sensation of the ampoule.
To conclude the treatment, Alicia was positioned in front of TK Trichokare’s Photodynamic Therapy machine ‒ a futuristic-looking device that utilises infrared laser technology. The warmth generated by the machine promotes hair regeneration and accelerates the healing process.
After finishing the session, Alicia was guided back to a consultation room for a second round of scalp analysis to see the results.
Comparing the before and after scans, it was evident that Alicia’s scalp was a lot less oily and much cleaner. Alicia even noticed that her hair follicles were no longer clogged.
Overall, Alicia found her scalp was much cleaner and refreshed, and was impressed by the difference a single treatment could make. Of course, the hair and scalp specialist reminded Alicia that for more visible and long-lasting results, regular treatments would be needed to completely alleviate her hair issues.
As the saying goes, “Better late than never”. Hair and scalp mistakes made in the past can always be corrected, especially if you seek treatments from professionals ASAP rather than feeling embarrassed about them.
Those conscious about their image should also heed the advice by Alicia ‒ she recommends getting your hair concerns checked by a professional when you first notice any signs to prevent your worst fears from coming true.
From now till end July 2023, TK Trichokare customers can treat themselves to the award-winning Scalp Purifying Therapy at $40 nett that comes with a MaxiKare Ampoule during treatment, and bring home a Hair Bath & CompleteKare Mask for free (worth $770) ‒ these products help with haircare maintenance even at home.
Exclusive to ZULA readers, the deal is available when you sign up via this link, or WhatsApp 9150 8891 and quote “ZULAXTK”.
This post was brought to you by TK Trichokare.
Photography by Liu Xing Ying.
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