Restless nights, sleepless nights, troubled nights… do these sound familiar to you?

Insomnia. We’ve all experienced it before, in one way or another. That feeling when you just want to sleep, but can’t. Or maybe you did manage to fall asleep, only to wake up still feeling tired and worn out in the morning. Just a few nights of this, and you begin to notice the changes happening in your body: your skin is starting to look clammy, your eyes bloodshot, and your hair, oh my. Your hair is an absolute disaster.

Now, you ask yourself: can better sleep improve your hair? Let’s find out.

Can better sleep improve your hair?

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, your regular sleep habits have a lot of impact on your general health.

Sleep plays a vital role in ensuring that your body is always in tiptop shape. You see, your body takes advantage of the time you’re sleeping in order to make necessary repairs behind the scenes. If you don’t get sufficient sleep, your body won’t have enough time to fix whatever needs fixing, which could be detrimental to your health.

Sleep also impacts your hair growth. After all, you’re not giving your body enough time to rest and repair itself, and that includes your own hair.

Effects of lack of sleep

Lack of sleep can have a lot of negative impacts, but here are some of the most common ones that are related to hair:

Higher levels of stress. We’ve already talked about stressed hair before. Stressed hair is dry, frizzy, and generally just unhealthy. Plus, if your hair stays stressed for a long period of time, it can cause eventual hair thinning and even hair loss. Yikes!
Reduced stem cell activity. The activity of stem cells in your body is what creates epithelial cells for hair growth. If you lack enough sleep, you’ll also have reduced stem cell activity, which could hinder healthy hair growth.

As you can see, better sleep can improve not just your hair, but also your life! Remember to get those 8 hours in tonight, preferably with some lovely silk pillows to give your hair some love!

For more hair tips and tricks, check out our ZALA blog!

PUBLISHED 3RD APRIL 2019

The Wonders of Hairspray

It was in the 1950s when famous beauty icon, Helene Curtis, first coined the term “hairspray”. The term was used to describe her iconic hair product, the Spray Net.

Throughout the years, the hairspray became a worldwide phenomenon. It soon became a household name when talking about hair products.

In this list, we’ve curated a couple of fun facts about hairsprays that you’ll hopefully find interesting!

Fun Facts About Hairspray

1. A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.

Hairsprays actually have many names! Some members of the older generation still call it ‘spray net’, thanks to Helene Curtis’ popular product. But in general, hairsprays can be referred to as finishing spray, setting spray, or even holding spray. It all depends on who you’re talking to and where you are in the world.

2. There are many uses for hairsprays.

Contrary to popular belief, hairsprays aren’t just used for hair. There are actually many uses for hairsprays! You can use them to remove stains from permanent markers or stop your stocking from running. You can even use them to get rid of static electricity between you and your clothes!

3. Brushing through hair-sprayed hair can ruin it.

A hairspray’s effect on your hair is so strong, you can actually damage your hair by trying to brush through strands that have been sprayed. After all, a hairspray’s job is to lock your strands into place, so it’s only natural that it won’t come off easily.

If you really need to fix your hair when you’ve already sprayed onto it, you have to wet it first before drying it and trying again.

4. Hairsprays aren’t that dangerous.

When I was younger, I used to believe that hairsprays are really dangerous to the environment. Since they’re placed inside aerosol cans, I always believed that they could harm our ozone layer if used too much.

However, a report from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proves that this is not the case. In fact, according to the report, these harmful gases have already been removed from hairsprays since 1970, so there’s absolutely nothing to worry about.

5. Too much hairspray can cause limp hair.

Hairspray is mostly used on hairstyles that you want to retain for longer than usual. But this also means that too much hairspray can cause limp hair, as its weight may be too heavy for hair to bear over a long period of time.

Did you learn a thing or two from this article? For more tips and tricks, check out our ZALA blog!

PUBLISHED 1ST APRIL 2019

How To Add Volume To Your Hair

Who doesn’t want luscious, voluminous hair? Hint: nobody! Pretty much everyone on this planet wants hair that is plump and alive, not something that is limp, dull, or dry.

If you’re one of these people (and we dare say that you are), then here’s a quick but comprehensive guide on how you too can add volume to your hair!

1. Get a scalp massage

We know it sounds simple, but sometimes all you need is a good massage to get your blood circulation going! A healthy scalp leads to healthy hair growth, which of course leads to voluminous hair.

Plus, when it comes to your hair, stress is actually an important factor that determines whether or not your hair is going to be limp today or if it’s going to be full of life.

2. Use a volume-boosting shampoo

Just like what its name suggests, a variety of volume-boosting shampoos can help add volume to your hair. You’d be surprised at how a good product can benefit your hair so much – and on the other side, how a bad product can damage it just as much.

Remember though that when choosing a volume-boosting shampoo, make sure to use something that’s paraben-free and sulfate-free. If you’ve got colored hair, make sure that it’s suitable for color-treated hair too.

3. Deep condition your hair

We’ve already established the numerous benefits of using deep conditioner, but we still can’t stress it enough.

If you want to add volume to your hair, ensuring that you do regular hair treatments – including deep conditioner – is a huge must. You can also use DIY hair treatments if you want, given that they’re all natural.

4. Change your hair color

Sometimes a change in hair color is all that’s needed if you want your hair to appear voluminous, without it actually adding in volume.

You can add highlights, or even experiment with trendy styles like balayage or ombre. If you don’t want to actually dye your hair, you can even use colored hair extensions to do the trick.

But we’ve got a little secret for you: bleach, while harsh, can actually ‘rough up’ your hair and give it the volume it needs, regardless of what color you choose.

5. Ditch the straight hair

Straight hair can look much thinner than its curly or even wavy hair counterparts. If you want your hair to add more in volume, you might benefit from ditching the straight hair and going for a curled or wavy-haired look.

6. Switch up your hair parting

Another simple trick that you can do is to simply switch up your hair parting. Flipping your hair parting to the opposite side can instantly add volume to your hair, especially at the crown.

If you’ve never done it before, try it after your next shower and you’ll be surprised.

7. Use hair extensions

When all else fails, you can always use hair extensions to add volume to your hair. After all, that’s one of the reasons why you should get hair extensions, right?

Did you enjoy this article? For more hair care tips and tricks, check out our ZALA blog!

PUBLISHED 20TH MARCH 2019

The End of Split-Ends

Have you ever had split ends?

They’re this super annoying, super hideous, and super embarrassing hair problem that millions of ladies all over the world are dealing with every day.

It’s not easy dealing with damaged hair. Sometimes we wish it was as easy as pulling all our hair out and replacing them with new strands, but that simply isn’t possible.

What we can do, however, is to breathe in, breathe out, and face the problem head-on!

What are split ends?

‘Split ends’ are what we call those double or sometimes even triple splits that can be found at the end of our hair strands.

Our hair is constantly damaged and repaired by our body on a day-to-day basis. After all, knowingly or unknowingly, we often thrust our hair into the harshest of conditions. How often do you use heat tools to curl or straighten your hair? How often do you wash with shampoo? Are you using paraben-free or sulfate-free shampoo?

The ends are basically the oldest part of an individual strand and thus suffer the most damage. Sometimes, when the hair cuticles get too weak, they can ‘split up’, revealing the inner shaft within. This can cause the appearance of split ends, which no person with hair on their head has ever wanted to see in their life.

What causes split ends?

Although split ends are often just a great annoyance to many people–especially those with long hair–sometimes they can point to more pressing issues with your hair.

These are just some of the common causes of split ends:

Habits. Your habits have a lot to do with you getting split ends. For example, do you often use high heat when you’re styling your hair? Do you rub your hair hard with a rough towel after showering? Do you wash your hair daily using non-paraben free and non-sulphate free shampoo?
Environment. Some environments make people more prone to split ends. For example, those living in areas that are more too humid or too dry could suffer more from split ends than those living in more temperate areas. At the same time, those living in harsh, cold climates and blazing hot climates could also face more split ends.
Diet. Your diet can also affect your hair. If you’re not eating healthy, your body will be weaker. Thus, your hair could be more prone to damages and breakage too, which includes split ends.
Health. We’re not talking about just physical health, but also emotional and mental health. If you’re too stressed, your hair could suffer too and make it more susceptible to split ends.

The end of split ends

Now that we’ve tackled the causes of split ends, it’s time to start recognizing what you’re doing wrong and what you can do to minimize the damages.

After all, you can’t change your environment, but you can mitigate the damages it causes to your hair. Most of all, you can change your habits and your diet, and make sure that your health is always in tip-top shape.

It’s not too late to deal with split ends now! If you’re interested in more hair care tips, check out our ZALA blog!

PUBLISHED 14TH MARCH 2019

Maintaining Your Hair Colors

It’s easy enough to color your hair. You just add some dye here, add some dye here – voila, you’re done!

Indeed, coloring your hair is easy enough, even for complete beginners. But maintaining your hair colors? Now that’s an entirely different question.

1. Hold the shampoo

Hair dye can smell anywhere from unpleasant to downright revolting depending on the brand. It might be tempting to immediately scrub your hair with your favorite scented shampoo right after getting your hair dyed, but fight the urge.

First of all, you should be using a shampoo that preferably has no fragrance in it. Second, you should wait at least 3 days or 72 hours before using a shampoo, if you want to really let your hair soak in all the color. Getting off to a good start ensures that your hair color lasts a longer period of time.

2. Always use a conditioner

Using a conditioner makes your hair much smoother and softer, and it also helps make your hair much easier to manage. Just make sure to use a conditioner that’s suited for color-treated hair!

3. Don’t wash your hair every day

We’ve said it again and again – washing your hair every single day is a huge no-no. Water, in addition to shampoo, can dry out your hair really badly, making it more prone to damages and breakages.

And if you have damaged hair, it’s more than likely that you’ll have to style it more often to cover up the damage, which could lead to further damages.

4. Turn off the heater when washing

Another no-no when it comes to hair is hot water. Sure, it’s fine to use lukewarm water to rinse off shampoo or hair dye at first, but try to avoid having your heater turned on while washing your hair.

Above all else, make sure to use cold water at the end of your shower to lock in all the moisture in your strands.

5. Use heat protectant when styling

Speaking of heat, don’t forget to use a heat protectant when styling using heat tools. Color-treated hair can be weaker and more susceptible to damage than untreated hair, so they need extra protection.

You can even use leave-in conditioners that will protect your hair from UV rays if you’re all for maintaining your hair colors.

6. Use products made for color-treated hair

There are lots of products out on the market right now that are specifically made for color-treated hair. Using products that are made for non-color treated hair could have negative effects on your hair’s color.

For example, products made for untreated hair could make the color look duller or less shiny, as color-treated hair has a slightly different chemistry than untreated hair. Plus, those products may accidentally make your hair color fade much faster, as they weren’t created with hair color in mind.

7. Do regular treatments for maintaining your hair colors

Just like with non-color treated hair, it’s also important to do regular treatments for maintaining your hair colors. You can use deep conditioners, hair masks, or even DIY hair treatments to bring back your hair’s sheen and luster.

If you’re interested in more haircare guides, feel free to check out the ZALA blog!

PUBLISHED 12TH MARCH 2019

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