Melissa Jane Ho, a young entrepreneur and social media influencer, shares her struggles with her hair, and gets some great advice from Svenson on what she can do to regain her hair and scalp’s health.
With her full head of lustrous and beautiful hair that gleams in the light with its newest shade of colour (this month, her hair is a vibrant bright brown with gorgeous coral, almost rose gold streaks) – you would be forgiven to think that Melissa Jane Ho, 29, has perfect hair and knows no hair woes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJMhHyZDtnT/?taken-by=melissajaneferosha
This budding entrepreneur, who is also a full-time influencer through her social media platforms, certainly feels the pressure to look immaculate at all times. Wanting to keep her finger on the pulse of the latest hair trends, a constant change of hair colour and style to reflect her public persona is key – but Melissa is beginning to feel the effects on her hair.
Ever since she emerged on the radar as a social media influencer, Melissa literally has done it all to her hair. From dye jobs to perms to straightening, she has boldly tried new hair styles and colour trends throughout the years, her hair evolving with her image. You would find it hard to believe, but Melissa had once found herself at the receiving end of a hair disaster in her younger days that she remembers to date as a lesson to take good care of her hair. She laughs, “I had naively trusted my hair with an unknown neighbourhood salon, and they had literally ‘deep-fried’ my hair into a barbecued haystack after trying to give me a perm. I recall that my hair and I both took a long time to recover from the trauma and I became terrified of perms for a while!”
Melissa has certainly come a long way from that hair-raising incident. As a young entrepreneur, Melissa also knows that it is absolutely crucial that she looks vibrant, energetic, dynamic and impeccably put-together – and one of the first things that people notice about a person is their hair. Dry and frizzy hair also inadvertently impedes your confidence, since you do not feel good about yourself. So for Melissa, having such hair problems are a big no-no.
Melissa’s hair has been dry and frizzy for almost a year now, from the chemical treatments that she does almost every month. She notes that fortunately for her, her hair sponsor has helped to manage her dry hair with regular treatments at their salon. However, what has really begun to bother Melissa is the thinning of her hair.
Over the last six months, she has noticed that she had been dropping more hair than usual. Thankfully, Melissa is really blessed with a naturally full head of thick and voluminous hair, so her hair problems are hidden well. Still, she suspects that the frequent dye jobs she has put her hair through is really beginning to take a toll on her crowning glory. She shares, “I have to take extra care of my hair via treatments, conditioners and masks, because it has become dry and frizzy due to multiple dye jobs. My scalp is also pretty oily, resulting in clogged hair follicles. I do try to minimise heat styling for fear that it damages my hair too much, but sometimes it is just part of the job of being a beauty personality.”
Hair Thinning Woes from Stress and Chemical Treatments
Added to the strong pressure to look perfectly put-together, her demanding work schedule has seen Melissa leading an increasingly stressful lifestyle. A typical day for Melissa is packed to the brim from day to night, with events to attend, meetings with clients and business partners, working on her websites and social media platforms, while also tending to and replying her numerous emails.
“I hardly have time to sit and enjoy my meals on some days! I now really appreciate the benefit of a proper home-cooked meal, which have become rare treats for me these days.” she says with a sigh. “However, I still make it a point to choose healthier options when eating out because I know how important diet, exercise and sleep are in keeping my hair looking healthy. It means a lot to me to have healthy and beautiful hair – as it reflects my personality, well-being, lifestyle and overall image.”
In Melissa’s case, stress, coupled with the frequent chemical treatments and heat styling she puts her hair through regularly, is wreaking havoc on her scalp and hair. The trichologists from Svenson give their advice on how Melissa can tackle her hair problems from beyond the root, to prevent further thinning of her hair and start on her hair growth journey.
What the Svenson Trichologist says
Melissa’s hair loss is potentially due to a combination of many factors, such as: stress, hormonal changes, diet, lifestyle and chemical treatments that occur too frequently. Each of these factors has to be dealt with differently, which is why it is important to visit a certified trichologist to get an accurate diagnosis. On top of everything else, she also has an oily scalp which is causing clogged hair follicles, even though she shampoos every day.
Trichologist Kim Fong from Svenson advises: “Melissa needs to really slow down and take some time out of her hectic schedule to take care of her scalp so that her hair will be healthier. This means eating a balanced diet with more protein (as protein is a building block for hair!), spending more time on relaxation to curb stress levels, getting sufficient sleep and exercise and going for regular hair and scalp treatments.”
Some other treatment steps that Melissa could begin at home to treat her dry and fizzy hair would be to regularly condition her hair, wash her hair daily with a mild moisturising and sulphate-free shampoo that will not strip her scalp of its natural oils, and use a leave-in conditioner after every wash.
Melissa can get several proprietary treatments for her scalp at Svenson that she is unable to get at other salons. One recommended treatment is the Microtransdermal Therapy, which uses a special micro-needle machine to aid in the absorption of Svenson’s proprietary solutions for hair growth. Visit Svenson learn more about their range of advanced treatments, like the Oxy-Jet Therapy and scalp solutions with natural active ingredients such as Juniper Oil.
This is the second of a three-part series where we talk to people with hair problems and ask a trichologist from Svenson to weigh in with her advice according to the problems presented. You can ask a trichologist to by emailing [email protected] or clicking here.
This article is brought to you by Svenson.
