I never thought that I would be worrying about hair loss at 26-years-young. But there I was on a Thursday, walking into Yun Nam Hair Care in an attempt to fix my thinning hair and “fivehead”.
I’m not ashamed to say that my family did not strike big in the hairline lottery, and I’m always reminded of my genetics whenever I see my dad and uncles. While I had nothing to worry about as a teenager, the stress from living amidst a global pandemic and the effects of aging past 25 started to catch up. The worst part was I wasn’t even the first to notice my hair starting to thin.
“Jo, is your hair dropping?” my colleague asked a few months ago. I thought it was one too many packets of instant ramen, but I realised my towel was tugging out more strands than usual too. Uh oh. So when the opportunity came for a professional treatment at Yun Nam Hair Care, I immediately volunteered.
“Surely it couldn’t be that bad,” I thought to myself as I sat down with my consultant Jeannie. She quickly quizzed me on a few questions from my sleeping habits to my stress levels, and she immediately understood my plight when I brought up my family’s genetics.
Hair doesn’t just drop overnight, Jeannie said, and she explained how my scalp situation would have started at least three to six months prior. After doing a more thorough scalp analysis, she pointed out how clogged my follicles were, leading to a buildup of dandruff that was hidden beneath my hair.
My scalp was also unusually irritated and red, which suggested that the shampoo I used wasn’t too good for my skin.
My follicles still had some dandruff buildup even though I washed my hair that very morning
Image credit: Yun Nam Hair Care
Each hair follicle should also house three hair stems – a.k.a. three strands of hair – for the ideal regeneration ratio, yet we found plenty of follicles with only one stem, which explained my thinning hair. There was also the rare follicle that was on the verge of closing off for good, a sign that pointed towards my eventual baldness.
Jeannie also took a hair sample to examine my roots, and they were not great. A healthy hair should have a bulbous root, yet mine just looked like a microscopic walking stick that was about to fall over. This meant that my hair was prone to falling off easily. On the bright side, I had no visible white hair yet. Yay me!
To help stop my hair loss, Jeannie arranged for me to go through Yun Nam Hair Care’s signature FASTGro Treatment.
Jeannie kickstarted my treatment with a deep cleanse with a specially formulated ginseng shampoo. Rather than have me lie down by the sink, my hair was washed as I sat upright which allowed Jeannie to thoroughly wash the crown and back of my head. It was also here where she applied a lotion to balance out my scalp’s pH levels, to prevent my oil glands from overproducing oil that would clog up my hair follicles.
The highlight of Yun Nam’s FASTGro hair treatment is the herbal blend that consists mainly of six Chinese herbs: Ginseng, Hong Hua, Dang Gui, Dang Shen, He Shou Wu, and Chuan Xiong. The ginseng and hong hua would alleviate my scalp irritation and dandruff, while the dang shen and chuan xiong would aid in preventing any hair fall and balding issues.
Jeannie carefully applied the blend, making sure that it’ll stay on my scalp, a feat easier said than done considering my hair’s short length. She also made sure to drape multiple towels and a plastic sheet over my shoulders so that the blend wouldn’t get all over my clothes. The blend felt cold to the touch, but I knew it would be warm soon as Jeannie brought down the hair steamer.
To ensure the FASTGro herbal blend on my scalp was really absorbed into my hair follicles in a speedy fashion, I spent 20 minutes under a hair steamer living my best salon tai tai life. The heat from the thermal treatment helped to open up my follicles to soak up all the goodness so it wouldn’t just go away after washing my hair.
Once my head was properly steamed, Jeannie then washed all the herbal paste away and applied a tonifying essence. But instead of hastily spraying it over my hair like hairspray, she carefully applied the lotion onto my scalp so it would reap the full benefits that includes nourishing my hair follicles and improving scalp immunity.
Thankfully Jeannie didn’t let me just walk out of Yun Nam with my hair undone, and she gave me a quick styling session while making my hair look just a little more voluminous.
After spending 45 minutes under the care of Jeannie, we finally went back to the consultation room to take a look at the results of the FastGro treatment. I’d admit that I was a little skeptical as I’ve never had my hair so thoroughly taken care of before, so I was pleasantly surprised when the scalp scans showed a big difference after.
Comparing the before and after effects of the FastGro treatment on my scalp
Not only did the irritation on my scalp subside, the dandruff flakes and oil clogs were also cleared up. I also breathed a small sigh of relief when I spotted some baby hairs that were previously obscured by the oil and irritation. Colour me impressed.
Of course, this was only a superficial change and it would take at least three to six months of treatments and using the right hair care products for my hair and scalp to regain their health. In the meantime, she advised me to wash my hair every night with a suitable shampoo so I don’t go to sleep with a dirty scalp.
While I would have liked to have been a few years older before stepping foot into Yun Nam Hair Care, I was glad to have discovered the urgency of my hair issues before it got any worse. And under Jeannie’s expertise I now know how to protect my hairline. Hopefully I still have something to show for it in a few decades during Chinese New Year gatherings!
If you can relate, Yun Nam is currently offering a one-time trial on their Signature FastGro treatment for new clients at just $28 (U.P. $388). This trial also includes the hair and scalp analysis, the FASTGro treatment, and a complimentary product kit with shampoo, conditioner, and lotion that’s customised for your condition, so that you can prolong the results of the treatment.
This post was brought to you by Yun Nam Hair Care.
Photography by Zhou Jinquan.
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