Seemingly innocent everyday habits, like combing and using serums, can damage hair more than we realise if done wrongly. Kevin Woo of Centro W Salon shares more.
There are a few things that everyone knows are huge enemies of our tresses – heat, bleaching agents, chlorine.
“Curling irons and blowdryers are not necessarily bad for you if you know how to use them right,” tells Kevin Woo, the founder and creative director of Centro W Salon, the spacious, shiny luxury salon on the 1st floor of The Gardens Mall.
“There are many more things that are doing more damage without you realising it,” shares the mane maestro, who shot to fame when he won L’Oreal’s prestigious Colour Trophy award in 2006.
We got him to share with us what other seemingly innocent everyday habits that we don’t realise are causing immense damage to our hair.
Kevin Woo, founder and creative director of Centro W Salon
Picking our shampoo for our hair, not our scalp
“People tend to buy their shampoos based on the condition of their hair. They should choose a shampoo based on the condition of their scalps. Sometimes, your hair is oily because you have a dry scalp. Picking shampoo for oily hair will only dry out your scalp further and cause it to produce more sebum.
Pick a shampoo for your scalp and your hair, whether it is dry or oily, will regulate itself when your scalp gets healthy.”
Applying serum to the roots of our hair
“Apply serums only to the tips of your hair or the surface of your crown if you must, not into the roots. When you get serum on your scalp, it makes it oily. Worse, it can also clog up hair pores and cause hair loss.”
Combing from roots to tips in one stroke
“One of the most damaging things I’ve seen clients do is how they comb their hair. They pull the brush from the roots to the tips in one stroke, pulling and yanking through the knots and tangles. It causes hair breakage and leaves hair weak and brittle.
Start from the middle mark of your hair and comb the bottom part first. When that is free of tangles, then comb from the roots to minimise damage.”
Using a hard-toothed brush or comb
“Best tool for combing is a thin-toothed comb. Thin teeth are softer so they bends when they encounter knots in your hair instead of yanking at your hair.”
Not wearing sun protection for our hair
“Hair is also damaged by the sun, like our skin. A few years ago, serums and hairsprays with SPF were all the rage but it has died down since, which is a shame. If you go out under the sun for too long, your hair lightens and changes colour. That shows that UV rays also weakens and damage hair strands, like it does with your skin.”
(Photo: Centro W Salon)
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