Going on a holiday soon? Regardless of where you’re going, it’s important to take care of your hair too, same as you would to your skin. And while your top priority should always be to enjoy your day, it never hurts to be more aware of the things you do during vacation.

In this article, we’ve included a few tips for keeping your hair healthy for the holidays!

Prepare your hair

Before going on your holiday, make sure to prepare your hair first for what’s to come. Get a trim if you’ve got any split ends. Deep moisturize your hair at least a few weeks before your holiday. One of the biggest hair problems that people face during a vacation is the extreme dryness. So prepare your hair beforehand to avoid this situation as much as possible.

Get a hat

A hat is a perfect way to not only hide a bad hair day during your trip, but also to protect your hair and scalp from sun damage. Staying out under the sun for too long can burn your scalp and severely dry out your strands. And if you’ve got colored hair, too much exposure to the sun can even change your hair color. It’s not uncommon to hear of blonde hair turning lighter or red hair turning orange under the sun.

You might also want to get a swimming cap in case you’re thinking of going swimming. Some swimming pools use copper in order to avoid getting algae. Copper in water can cause light-colored hair to become green, so unless you want that, it’s best to bring something protective just in case.

Wet your hair before bathing in a pool or the sea

Wetting your hair first before going for a swim, whether in a pool or the sea, is a good habit to adopt if you’re interested in keeping your hair healthy for the holidays. If you wet your strands before going to the pool, they will be less likely to absorb chlorinated pool water or seawater, both of which can dry out your strands.

Rinse out your hair straight away after swimming

Swimming in chlorinated pool water or seawater can be really damaging to your strands, so it’s important to rinse out your hair straight away after swimming. Seawater is especially damaging, since dried out salt crystals can stick to your hair and reflect the sun’s rays, therefore increasing the risks of your hair getting sun-damaged. Always remember to wash your hair after a good swim!

Avoid using heat-styling tools on hair

If you’re always under the sun while touring around all day, it’s probably best to avoid using heat-styling tools on your hair no matter how much you want to. The sun damage plus the potential damage from the heat is just too much too risk.

Now you know how you can keep your hair healthy for the holidays! For more hair articles, don’t forget to check out our ZALA blog!

PUBLISHED 15TH DECEMBER 2019

How Often Should You Trim Your Hair?

Trimming your hair is a very important part of hair maintenance, especially if you want to grow your hair long.

Seems counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Actually, not really! The longer your hair gets, the more prone it is to damages and breakages, specifically at the ends. It’s not rare to see women with beautiful waist-length hair suffering from split ends and dry ends. That’s why getting your hair trimmed regularly is a must.

But knowing this. one question remains unanswered: how often should you trim your hair? In this article, we’ll give you a detailed answer to that.

Fine hair

Typically, fine-haired people should get a trim at least once every 5-6 weeks. A quarter of an inch should be alright to ensure that your hair still sees growth while removing any chances of split ends.

While 5-6 weeks may seem too frequent, it actually makes a lot of sense. Fine hair is more prone to getting damaged than any other hair type out there. That’s because the strands are thin and naturally fragile.

Worse, damaged fine hair looks very noticeable. There’s hardly any volume and the strands become all dull and limp. Hence, it’s important for people with fine hair to stay up-to-date with their trimming schedule.

Medium hair

If you’ve got medium-textured hair, you can get away with trimming just once every 8-12 weeks. It’s still best to do it at least 6 weeks, but unless you’ve already got split ends or dry ends, you can stretch it to 12 weeks without a problem.

What’s the reason for this? Well, medium hair is not as fragile as fine hair. If you’re regularly doing your hair care routine like moisturizing your hair, using hair serums, avoiding heat-styling tools, and so on, you shouldn’t have much reason for concern.

Coarse hair

How often you get your coarse hair trimmed depends on your individual situation, but it’s recommended to get at least quarterly hair cuts even if you’re not encountering any issues. If you are, it’s best to get your hair cut as soon as possible.

Coarse hair is not easily damaged, but when it does get damaged, it can be one heck of a hassle to deal with. That’s because split ends on coarse strands tend to knot into each other, creating tangles that are very hard to deal with. Not to mention, trying to detangle them with a comb can lead to further ruin, splitting higher up your hair shafts and making the problem worse.

How often should you trim your hair?

Your schedule of hair trimming depends on many factors, most importantly your hair type and texture. Remember to stick to the recommended schedule in order to prevent split ends as well as other hair issues.
Don’t forget to check out our ZALA blog for more hair articles!

PUBLISHED 13TH DECEMBER 2019

Tips And Tricks For Salon-Perfect Hair

Few things feel better than waking up with effortlessly gorgeous hair. Sometimes, it’s all that’s needed to make your day right from the start.

Ever wondered how to make your hair look like you’ve just stepped out of your favorite salon? Here are some tips and tricks for getting salon-perfect hair all the time!

Know your own hair

It’s important to know your own hair well if you dream of getting salon-perfect hair at home.

First of all, learn which temperature works best for you in the shower. Water that’s either too hot or too cold could make your hair too greasy or oily, since it can trigger your sebaceous glands.

Second, know which products or ingredients work for you–and which do not. After all, there’s no such thing as a product that works for everyone. Take your time to learn your own hair type and texture and find products that will match that.

Have a well-established haircare routine

This works with the earlier tip. By knowing yourself in and out, you can create a well-established haircare routine that works perfectly for you.

For instance, a hair serum that your sister claims to be her holy grail could do absolutely nothing for you, while that shampoo that you totally love might always be drying her strands out. So although it’s good to take advice from other people (including us), always take them with a grain of salt and don’t expect that they will all work the exact same way on you.

Wash properly and use a good towel

Washing your hair is a very important part of hair care. It removes build-up, oil, and all other dirt from your hair, preparing your strands for your hair care routine. That’s why knowing how to do it properly is just as important too.

When washing, always start with a clarifying shampoo. This is a lightweight type of shampoo whose main job is simply to clean your hair thoroughly. Next, use a shampoo that’s formulated for your own hair type. Massage your hair and scalp gently before washing it all off. Lastly, apply conditioner to the ends of your hair and leave on for a few minutes before rinsing.

It’s also important to use a towel of good quality to wash your hair. Preferably, it’s smooth and soft, so as not to cause friction on your hair. Too rough or too hard and you run the risk of damaging your strands. Remember to only pat and squeeze gently!

Be careful when using heat-styling tools

Heat-styling tools are very common nowadays, but do remember to be careful when using them on your hair. Make sure that your hair is mostly dry before even attempting to use flat irons or curling irons. You can also apply heat protectant products for best results.

Volumise your strands

You know why salon-done hair always looks so perfect? Because they’re volumised, that’s why! Most of the time, the reason for this is the method they use for blow-drying. One of the best techniques is called overdirecting, where you flip over your hair to the opposite side before blow drying it. This gives your hair the appearance of volume. You can also do the same thing even when you’re just at home, with or without a blowdryer.

Did you like our tips? Check out more of our hair articles on the ZALA blog!

PUBLISHED 9TH DECEMBER 2019

How To Improve Hair Texture

Our hair isn’t perfect, no matter how much we want it to be. What’s worse is if you used to have strong, shiny hair, but due to one reason or another, find that that’s no longer the case.

In this article, we’ll talk about how to improve hair texture, regardless of the type!

1. Focus on making your hair healthy

Your hair is not just the sum of its parts. Understandably, you want your hair to be the best version of itself.

However, don’t be too concerned about the appearance of your hair. Rather, focus more on making your hair healthy from the inside, and not just on the outside. If you keep your hair well-nourished and moisturized at all times, then appearances will follow as well. Your hair will soon appear thick, shiny, and much more alive!

2. Improve your diet

Speaking of healthy, one of the easiest and most straightforward way to improve your hair texture is to improve your diet. As discussed in the previous post, many times, poor hair can be attributed to poor diet.

Remember, your skin, hair, and nails require plenty of nutrition that you can get from food. If you’re always eating unhealthy food such as junk foods, processed foods, and sugary foods, then your health will suffer. Instead of eating a double cheeseburger and vanilla frappuccino, why not replace it with something healthier? Whole-wheat bread is better than white bread and water is always better than any sugary beverage.

Always make sure to eat lots of foods that are rich in protein as well as biotin, like eggs, nuts, and fish. These are tried and tested foods if you really want to make your hair shine!

3. Be diligent with your haircare routine

There’s a reason why it’s called a ‘routine’ – it’s supposed to be done regularly. If you’re only doing your ‘routine’ every now and then, how is it even called a routine?

Being diligent with any routine, much less your regular haircare routine, may seem bothersome at times, but believe us, it’s good for you. Your hair needs constant moisture, nourishment, and care in order to stay in tip-top shape. Don’t ever forget your routine!

4. Avoid too many chemical treatments

There’s nothing wrong with chemical treatments, but there is such a thing as too much. And you know what they say about too much, right?

It’s alright to go to a salon every now and then for a hair procedure, but don’t overdo it. Hair rebonding and hair perming should only be done once a year. Hair coloring, every few months. Hair bleaching? A couple of weeks to a month in between each session. Yes, we know it’s hard to wait, especially if you’re dealing with bad hair, but rarely do things turn out well if you rush them.

5. Do be patient

Last but not the least, do be patient. Your hair texture didn’t change overnight, so there’s no way you can improve it overnight, too.

This is especially true if your hair changed due to medications or hormonal changes. What, are you supposed to just stop taking your meds so that your hair will look prettier? Seriously, you’d rather not be able to sleep at night because of pain just to get your hair texture back? And let’s not even go to hormonal imbalances caused by pregnancy in women.

What about you, how did you improve your hair texture? Share your experiences in the comments below!

For more hair tips and tricks, don’t forget to check out our ZALA blog!

PUBLISHED 17TH NOVEMBER 2019

What Is Hair Texture?

Hair texture can be a great indicator for hair health. While there are various types of texture, it goes without saying that a change in your hair’s texture could signify that something in your body has just gone wrong.

In this article, we’ll be talking all about hair texture, what it is and why it changes throughout our life.

What is hair texture?

To most laypeople, hair texture simply refers to how hair feels like when you touch it. From a professional’s standpoint, however, hair texture refers to the thickness or width of your individual hair strands. There are three main types: fine, medium, and coarse hair.

Fine hair

Fine hair refers to thin strands, typically thinner than a thread. Fine-haired people rarely get frizzy hair, but this type of hair texture does come with some caveats.

One, fine hair usually lacks volume, the most common complaint being flat-looking strands. Two, fine hair becomes greasy or dry very easily. Lastly, many fine-haired people are known to suffer from hair fall more than other hair texture types. That’s because fine strands are more vulnerable to damage and are more prone to breakage, due to their fragile nature.

Medium hair

Medium hair, as its name implies, is neither thin nor thick. On average, each strand is about the thickness of an average thread. Of the three hair textures, medium is also the most common.

Medium-haired people are generally quite lucky, as their hair aren’t as fragile as fine hair nor as hard to manage as coarse hair. They do have their own share of hair problems but nothing too extreme, since medium hair sits perfectly in the middle.

Coarse hair

Coarse hair is the thickest of the three textures, evidently much thicker than an average thread. It’s also the strongest hair type, able to withstand even the tightest of ponytails and most regular hair pulls.

Coarse hair is very easy to style, as it always appears full and thick. It can also tolerate most chemical treatments, such as hair rebonding or even hair bleaching. However, coarse hair tends to dry up easily, since it requires a lot of moisture to sustain itself. When it becomes too dry, it feels rough, frizzy, and straw-like.

Does hair texture change?

It’s possible for hair texture to change. Many people have experienced a change in the texture of their hair before due to a myriad of reasons.

Here are some factors that could change the texture of your hair:

Aging. Many people usually have fine hair as children, which turns medium or coarse as they grow older, eventually going back to fine in their senior years.
Diet. If you’re not getting enough nutrition in your body, your hair could become fragile, limp, and easily broken. It’s also not surprising to experience hair loss due to poor diet.
Medication. Some people see their hair textures change as a side effect of their medications. Luckily, the changes usually stops once the person stops taking the medication, eventually reverting back to the old texture.
Hormonal imbalance. Imbalances in your hormones can cause changes in your hair’s texture. For example, people who have an issue with their thyroid could experience their hair becoming drier, coarser, and more brittle. Women who are undergoing pregnancy also report seeing changes in their hair textures, namely becoming thicker and shinier than before.
Chemical hair procedures. Lastly, chemical procedures like bleaching, coloring, rebonding, and perming could change the texture of your hair. Chemically damaged hair, for example, is usually straw-like and devoid of any shine and luster.

In the next article, we’ll discuss the ways on how you can improve your hair texture! For more hair tips and tricks, don’t forget to check out our ZALA blog!

PUBLISHED 15TH NOVEMBER 2019

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