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Are you familiar with the struggle of having limp and oily hair at the end of the day, even while your hair ends are still dry and frizzy? Well, dear friends, you have combination hair.

Combination hair, just like combination skin, is very common but much less understood. But fret not, we’ve rounded up some tips from experts to combat problems associated with combination hair.

1. Wash your hair daily

Daily washing is necessary to combat oily hair roots. Teo Shiyun, co-owner of Picasso Hair Studio, explains that oily roots are, unfortunately, a common occurrence due to the often sweltering humidity in Singapore. Oily roots give rise to limp, flat hair at the crown and a lack of volume.

Shiyun explains that oily hair should be washed daily even if there you have dry ends and recommends using a scalp cleansing shampoo that targets oily scalp. Here’s a little trick from Shiyun that you should pick up:  apply shampoo at the scalp, massage through and only lather to the hair ends right before rinsing. Following that, apply a nourishing hair conditioner to recondition dry ends while avoiding the scalp!

2. Avoid constant use of styling tools

Freshly curled and straightened hair can work to put your look together, but Gary Chew, founder and director of Mi The Salon, cautions against the constant use of heat styling tools. If you need to heat style your hair, Gary reminds us to always use heat protection before applying the styler to your hair.

3. Shield your hair from the sun!

Apart from applying heat protection, Gary also says sun exposure is bad news for our hair. Gary suggests avoiding sun exposure when possible, and applying leave-in hair products that include SPF before sun exposure.

Most of us are familiar with using sunblock for your skin, but how many of us use it on our hair? Guilty, as charged. Sunscreen for your hair will prevent it from drying out and becoming brittle, and also adds extra shine and moisturises your hair to help it look healthier and more lush.

4. Go for a shorter cut

Yes, in this case, less can be better! According to Shiyun, our scalp produces sebum which travels down to moisturise hair when combed. The longer your hair, the more the sebum produced by the scalp to lubricate the longer stretch of hair. As such, people with longer hair tend to have oilier scalps due to increased sebum production.

Hence, sporting a shorter cut effectively helps in curbing oily roots and also removes damaged hair ends!

5. Use a nourishing mask

Conditioning your hair after shampooing is definitely essential, but switch up your routine and add in a nourishing hair treatment mask occasionally to lock in extra moisture as well! Gary tells us that the exposure of sunlight, use of styling tools as well as hair colouring results in damaged, dry and brittle hair.

Both the experts that Daily Vanity consulted with stress the importance of using a nourishing treatment mask for hair to replenish moisture in dry hair ends, while being careful not to make any contact with your scalp.

While incorporating the aforementioned tips are important in tackling problems from combination hair, the experts also recommend use of the following products:

Kérastase Bain Divalenet Shampoo

Bain Divalent Specifique 250ml 01 Kerastase

For those with oily scalp and dry ends, Shiyun recommends the use of the Kérastase Bain Divalenet Shampoo. This Shampoo works to effectively cleanse and purify the scalp by regulating sebum production, while also nourishing dry ends.

Kérastase Chronologiste Series

Gary recommends a series from Kérastase that works to repair and restore damaged hair. This series includes four different products – pre-shampoo, shampoo, hair mask and a hair oil. This series of products cares for your scalp while also moisturising hair ends, as well as protect your hair from sun damage!