For most of us, our hair is pretty much the cornerstone of our appearance. It’s only natural that splurging on hair products and salon visits equate to having enviable hair, but us Singaporeans are more than welcoming when it comes to saving time and money on these. It turns out you can use household items to get the job done without having to head out to a salon. Here are 8 hairstyle tips that’ll give you effortless hairdos as you head out after a day from working-from-home.
While hair curlers are usually the default option to get those bouncy curls, it turns out you can actually style your hair without styling tools, a.k.a. a simple bath towel. Since you’ll be at home working anyway, no one’s going to judge you for having a towel secured to your hair throughout the day.
What you’ll need: A bath towel and 2 hair ties.
How it works:
Pro-tip: You can also use socks or strips of aluminium foil to get tighter curls.
Men, rejoice. While we can’t have ex-One Direction heartthrob Zayn Malik’s sultry vocals, it’s quite easy to replicate the popstar’s iconic loose strand hairstyle. You just need a little bit of help from one of the prongs of a trusty fork.
What you’ll need: A fork, pomade of your choice and a hairdryer.
How it works:
Pro-tip: Use a generous amount of hairspray so your hair doesn’t flop haphazardly when you’re out!
Having your hair in a ponytail is a go-to hairstyle that’s classic and stylish, especially in Singapore’s heat. But it’s a common peeve for ponytails to eventually droop after a couple of hours, especially if you have hair that’s too fine or thick. It turns out all you need is a small pencil to keep your ponytail voluminous and perched atop your head.
What you’ll need: A short pencil and a hair tie. Also works with a pen cap.
How it works:
Pro-tip: Use the 2 ponytail trick to get extra volume and length. Tie the top half of your hair and do the same for the bottom half. Drape the top ponytail over the bottom one.
Picture this: You’ve just meticulously styled your hair when you notice some pesky flyaways jutting out from the edges of your head. To prevent these frizzy hairs from dampening the glamour of your coif, use a toothbrush-hairspray combo to keep them down.
What you’ll need: A toothbrush and a can of hairspray.
How it works:
Pro-tip: If you don’t have hairspray or wax on hand, you can also use hand lotion for flyaways.
If some beachy waves or natural volume is what you want, then a sea salt spray is what you need. Providing a different look from your regular pomade or wax styles, this 4-ingredient DIY sea salt spray recipe helps you get that casually suave hairdo without having to buy one off the shelves.
What you’ll need:
How it works:
To style, spray the product 3-4 times into your hair, using your hands to massage the product evenly through the roots. From there, style it in an upwards motion or however you’d like and let the product set in.
Pro-tip: You can add in about 4 drops of an essential oil of your choice – like lavender or mint – to give the spray a hint of fragrance.
Rumour has it that shampooing your hair too frequently can cause issues like a flaky scalp and dry hair. That’s why some people stagger their shampoo routine, washing their hair only once every 2-3 days.
On those no-wash days though, dry shampoo is a convenient go-to solution to absorb oil on the scalp. With just 2 ingredients, this DIY recipe could be your trump card on days where you’re rushing out after a long day of work or when you simply have no time to wash your hair.
What you’ll need:
How it works:
Many of us are no stranger to changing up our usual look by dabbling with different hair colours every now and then. But coloured hair requires maintenance, especially when your roots start to grow out and the colour difference can stick out like a sore thumb.
To effortlessly touch up your roots at home, use coconut oil as a protective layer so you don’t colour anything other than your roots. By acting as a protective layer, it doesn’t let any dye trickle over from your roots and affect the rest of your hair.
What you’ll need: 1 bottle of coconut oil
How it works:
Another fear we have when colouring our hair at home is dye trickling down our foreheads and staining our skin. To avoid looking like a crayon ran amok on our head, apply a protective layer of lip balm across the circumference of your hairline and you’ll be safe.
What you’ll need: A stick of lip balm and hair dye colouring.
How it works:
Pro-tip: Add a high-gloss sheen to dyed hair with an olive & coconut oil mask.
One of the most common hairstyle tips you’ll hear is to always conduct a skin allergy test on a small portion of hair before using any hair dye product
As we age, grey hair is a horror story that eventually comes true for many of us. Even if we’re young at heart, adding a splash of colour or touching up silver streaks can do wonders for our self-confidence.
If you’re looking to conveniently touch up grey hair without messing up the bathroom, check out the Men’s Bigen ($17.90) and Cielo Cream ($17.90) by Hoyu, one of Japan’s top hair colour brands. These are convenient home colour products for men and women respectively.
The products come with a bottle of hair dye and a comb, which is all you need for your next dye sesh. The bottles’ double nozzle design squirts out 2 different non-drip creams that mix themselves when you’re combing the product through your hair, so there’s minimal prep you need to do beforehand.
The colouring process is quick too. Simply apply the product and let it sit – the Men’s Bigen only requires 5 minutes while the Cielo Cream requires just 15 minutes. Rinse it off with shampoo and conditioner and you’ve successfully guised those pesky gray patches.
Best part is, unlike single-use hair dyes out there, a single bottle can be used multiple times, making it a convenient, money-saving option. Fresh cream will be dispensed even after the first use, so your future touch-ups are all sorted with just 1 bottle.
You can get your hair colouring fix from your local Watsons, Guardian, FairPrice, Cold Storage and even e-commerce sites like Shopee Mall and Qoo10. Here are some upcoming deals to take note of, in conjunction with Japan’s “Good Couple Day” on 22nd November, where married couples celebrate their love.
At the end of the day, we all just want an easy hair ritual that effortlessly gives us the perfect hairdo before our next outing. So bear these hair hacks and products in mind and you’ll never have to compromise on punctuality and looking good ever again.
This post was brought to you by Hoyu.
Photography by Nadia Loewito.
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