“Girl ah, your hair is very thick you know. You want me to thin it out for you?” This was a comment often said to me whenever I would get my hair cut. Hairdressers would marvel at how much hair I had and how lucky I was to be blessed with such a luscious crown of locks.
Until one day, my hairdresser said, “Girl ah, your hair is very thin now you know.” I’d noticed that I had been losing quite a bit of hair recently, but I didn’t think it was bad enough to warrant such a comment from my hairdresser. This was the wake up call I needed to finally do something about it. Here’s how I dealt with losing my hair in my 30s.
Ask any girl with long hair and they’ll tell you that, sometimes, just lightly combing their fingers through their hair would produce a number of loose strands.
It doesn’t seem like much but imagine pulling out this much hair every time you lightly brush it.
Image credit: Raewyn Koh
Except that for me, it was every single time I was touching my hair. It was noticeable especially on the floor around my study table at home. After a typical WFH day, there’d be a tiny ball of hair below my chair – enough for my parents to bring out the broom to force me to sweep up once I clocked out of work.
It would be worse whenever I stepped into the shower. Every time I shampooed, it seemed like I was pulling out strands by the fistful. Last year, I would only have had to clear out hair traps every couple of days for hygiene purposes. Now, it was daily, else I would be wading through my bathroom during my second shower of the day.
If I think back to what caused the sudden hair thinning, my best guess would be the stress I’ve been under recently.
Image for illustrative purposes only.
The past couple of years has been peppered with events like going through a painful breakup, financial issues from a bad investment decision, and mounting pressure at work. With everything combined, I had a recipe for stress, sleepless nights, and listless days. It was no wonder my hair was falling out.
Image adapted from: Raewyn Koh
I can also attribute the hair loss to the over-styling of my tresses. I’ve bleached, coloured, and permed my hair regularly over the years. On top of that, I’m no stranger to hair styling tools like straighteners, curling irons, and hair dryers that use a lot of heat. My hair has long felt healthy, and it could explain why it’s been falling out so easily now.
In an attempt to save what little locks I have now, I’ve resorted to trying out various at-home treatments. To deal with frequent breakage, I would slather a hair mask onto my hair ends daily. While my ends felt smoother, I found that my liberal usage did more damage in the long run – the heaviness of the mask would weigh my hair down and cause it to fall.
My last ditch attempt was to stop shampooing my hair as often. There’s an old wives’ tale that frequent washing would lead to hair loss because of the harsh chemicals found in shampoo. But in the heat and humidity of Singapore, daily washing is a must.
After months of trying, it was clear that I couldn’t reverse the hair loss situation on my own. I’d exhausted all DIY efforts and it was time that I headed to an expert in hair care to get to the root of the problem.
I’d hesitated long enough about visiting a Trichologist for a myriad of reasons. Firstly, I thought that Trichologists only dealt with people who were really balding, not just individuals with thinning hair. I was also apprehensive about the efficacy of such treatments because they all sounded the same across the market – nothing about their treatments seemed to target personal issues.
Of course, I was also weary about such treatment centres hard-selling their expensive treatments. I can understand the need for multiple treatments for long-lasting results, but what I didn’t want was to be sold on treatments that I didn’t even need in the first place.
Enter the Scalp Purifying Treatment by TK TrichoKare. At just $48 for the trial, I felt that I had nothing to lose in trying it out.
I met with their hair consultant who started out the treatment with a Pre-Treatment Hair and Scalp Scan Analysis. This included a comprehensive questionnaire about my lifestyle that could have affected my hair loss. During the scan, she also pointed out areas of concern, such as empty hair pores, inflamed skin, and clogged follicles from over shampooing and conditioning.
With the analysis done, I was ushered into a comfortable chair for a Customised European Herbal Scalp Masque that would help to clear sebum and dandruff from my clogged follicles.
When the product had been fully absorbed, I was given a Hair Wash with TrichoKare’s best-selling shampoo, the Nourishing Hair Bath, to moisturise the scalp and hair. This was to treat dryness not just on the ends of my hair but on my scalp as well. Dryness is what contributes to excessive sebum production as it tries to compensate for how dry the scalp is. This would help recalibrate moisture balance so my head is less greasy.
There was also a Customised Treatment Essence to strengthen hair growth that was applied to my scalp using a NanoMist Spray so that it would enter hair pores effectively. Then I was put under the Hair Bang, a device that uses infrared technology to balance out scalp pH levels for healthier hair. This also detoxified out impurities that were hindering hair growth.
Image adapted from: TK TrichoKare
After 2.5 hours, there was a Post-Treatment Scalp Scan Analysis which showed the immediate results of the Scalp Purifying Therapy. I was quite surprised to see that the clogged follicles had been cleared, and the inflamed patches of my scalp had toned down.
You can opt to get your hair styled before leaving too.
The consultant even gave me insights to my hair loss worries. She assured me that what I was experiencing was quite natural for ladies my age because of hormonal changes. I hadn’t entered true balding yet; I was still experiencing hair regrowth, just at a slower pace.
She suggested continuing the scalp treatments if I wanted to see long-term improvements. Otherwise, she proposed changing certain lifestyle habits such as not using hair masks daily to give my hair and also my scalp a chance to breathe. She also stressed the importance of getting enough sleep to reduce cortisol levels that were contributing to increased hair fall.
Free gifts to bring home post-treatment: TrichoKare’s Hair Care Kit, the Nourishing Hair Bath, and CompleteKare Mask.
Before leaving, I received a complimentary Hair Care Kit that included a shampoo and conditioner. Formulated in-house at TK TrichoKare, this pair is said to keep the scalp squeaky clean and promote hair growth.
Naturally, one treatment isn’t enough to resolve hair loss completely. But within a week of using TK TrichoKare’s Hair Care Kit, I found that I didn’t have to wash my hair as often, as my hair wasn’t that greasy, even after the gym. This meant less tugging on my strands during showers, which was certainly helping the hair loss situation.
This isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, of course, but you can find out what best suits your needs by making a visit to TK TrichoKare yourself.
As mentioned, you get to experience the Scalp Purifying Therapy at only $48 nett, along with a free Hair Care Kit (worth $556 in total). It includes all the steps above, as well as consultations before and after the treatment. Just note that this promotion is only available from now till 31st July 2024, and requires advanced reservations, so make sure to book your slot early via their website via the link below, or through TK Trichokare’s WhatsApp.
This promo is available at all TK TrichoKare outlets, which can be found at Nex, Ngee Ann City, Velocity @ Novena Square, The Clementi Mall, and Jurong Point – all within walking distance of an MRT station.
Millennials, we’re no longer young. We wear ankle socks instead of crew socks. We prefer Coldplay to Olivia Rodrigo. It also means our hair is losing its prime as we get older. If you notice that your hair has been thinning lately, it might do you good to visit TK TrichoKare for yourself to see what’s the root cause of your hair issues.
This post was brought to you by TK TrichoKare.
Photography by Lee Pei Yee.
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