This is for men out there!

With the man-bun rage lately, it's more common for men tame their manly mane as well. Both for a good cause and for aesthetic purposes.

You don't believe me?? In between gaming sessions and dates, men want to look their best for their other half as well. It's not just the ladies putting in all the hard work to look good nowadays. So can I gather all the guys here right now! You! Stop playing and get here! LaoFoYe is going to share some simple tips for hair care maintenance today! Look good today for yourself with these tips.

DO NOT wash your hair daily

Your close female friends have probably told you this before but you thought that they were gross for doing so. Well, washing your hair too often can strip the hair of protective natural oils that keep the strands healthy. Thus you may end up having dry scalp and frizzy hair. Also, natural oil produced by scalp is important to prevent drying of scalp and thinning of hair.

If you scalp gets too oily, you will suffer from hair loss problem as well. But fret not! LaoFoYe has a solution! You can visit LaoFoYe to detox your scalp every two to three times per month and maintain a healthy scalp which also makes it easier for you to style your hair!

You can use hair conditioner as well!

Do not be afraid of the HAIR CONDITIONER

Not just women love to cross fingers in their hair, but men also love this idea. If you are among them who want soft nourished hair, then regular conditioning should be a part of your daily hair care routine.

Like shampoos, conditioners are also available with different formulations allowing you to have a wide range of options. Conditioners work the same way – they coat your hair so that it remains tangle-free. People with straight or very short hair do not need any conditioner at all, but for them a special formulation of shampoo plus conditioner can work great. People with wavy or curly hair need regular conditioning.

You can go with an inexpensive brand with gentle formation and free from strong chemicals.

Protect your hair from UV RAYS

You are very particular about keeping your skin and eyes protection from the harmful rays of sun. What you forget is that those damaging rays can also hurt your hair. The problem is more severe when you have thin hair or bald spots. It can lead to premature ageing of skin and increases the risk of skin cancer. If you need to step out in the bright sun, you should consider shielding your hair. There are sun protection sprays and allied products to allow you keep your hair safe from the damaging effect of UV rays.

Be more attentive to your styling gel

Men and gel are best friends. They love to style their hair with using a styling gel. Gel is also loved by men because it gives body and shape to hair. Market is flooded with a variety of styling gels and waxes. They are different in composition and formulation. You choices include:

• Water based gels – they consist of polymers which form a film around individual hair strands ensuring they can be shaped easily.
• Spray gel – they are tiny droplets of polymers.
• Hair wax – the wax clamps together creating firmer hold around hair.
• Pomades – they are oil-based products to give added shine to your hair.
• Paste – a combination of oil and wax.
• Hair creams – they make a great option by blending oil, wax and polymers to allow maximum control.

Whatsoever product you choose, make sure that you use them sparingly as excessive use may have some side-effects. Using them in smaller quantity – take a tiny drop on your palm and then apply gently. If you have dandruff, try finding an alcohol free product as alcohol can lead to dryness.

To know more click here.

Now that you gained some knowledge about hair care maintenance, it's time to put all these handy tips to use and  present a better you to the world!

Your grey can turn black too!

I'm sure all of you are guilty of this else you wouldn't be reading this post. Imagine this scenario.

You see a strand of grey hair.

You pluck one strand out. And then you see another one. You pluck the other one out.

Soon after, you will go like this.

One strand, two strands, three strands of grey hair,

Four strands, five strands, six strands of grey hair,

seven strands, eight strands, nine strands of grey hair,

MORE GREY HAIRS WILL GROW!

Actually... it wouldn't. BUT, you might have to live with bald patches next time.

Do you know why?

By pulling a grey hair, one is simply removing the hair, and the new hair growing from that follicle will continue to grow as it was doing: with no pigmentation. This means that by plucking one grey hair all you are doing is removing the hair temporarily as it will grow back again, and grey too. 

However, you will not grow an extra grey hair because the hair follicle that produced that hair strand only grows a single individual hair. That means plucking out grey hair will not remove it or make it disappear. It will simply grow back.

The issue that I see here, and that I want to warn you of, is that by plucking a hair you are many times removing the follicle, which can cause defective growth of the hair shaft and in some extreme cases, it can cause the follicle to die due to internal damage.

While it seems like a quick solution, excessive plucking can traumatize the follicle, which over time can cause scarring. Once the follicle is damaged, hair may not grow out of it at all which can lead to a bald spot. If the hair does grow back, the scarred follicle can grow a distorted grey hair that may be coarser and more noticeable than it was previously.

via theglobeandmail

A classic example is people with trichotillomania, a mental disorder in which sufferers have the compulsion to pluck their hair and are left with bald patches on their scalp as they have damaged their hair follicles beyond repair due to their pulling/plucking compulsion.

via menshairblog

If you want to get rid of your greys, what else can you do?

LaoFoYe offers Grey Hair Treatment, specially for people who suffer from premature greying.

LaoFoYe’s  Grey Hair Treatment takes advantage of the natural herb Eclipta.

Remember this picture from our old blog background image?

Eclipta is an Ayurvedic plant that helps stimulate the production of black pigment in the body. As a result, it can nourish and darken the color of your hair naturally. With this treatment, the growth of new grey hair is controlled and the Melanocyte’s life span is extended so it will be able to produce more new black hair.

Continue for more...

You can check out Clara's testimonial for more information on how LaoFoYe's Grey Hair Treatment saved her life.

However, you should take care of your diet as well. Food that are rich in Vitamin B7, for example, broccoli, cabbage, spinach and avocadoes contains biotin. If you have biotin deficiency, it can lead to depression, nausea, muscle strain, dry skin, fatigue, hair loss, and anemia. It is also very beneficial for people who have grey hair.

So visit LaoFoYe today! Where plucking one strand of grey hair, more black hair will grow out!

Call us at 6 3838 333 to book an appointment with us!

Dragon fruit? For your hair!?

Dragon fruit is one of my go-to-fruits. Not because of it's name (Let's be serious. Dragon fruit is a cool name. No?) but I like the taste and texture of it. Enough about me. If you are not a big fan of dragon fruit, you might just be one after I introduced the benefits of dragon fruit to your hair!

Pitaya, which is also know as Dragon Fruit, has an interesting story being it.

According to the legend the fruit was created thousands of years ago by fire breathing dragons. During a battle when the dragon breathed fire the last thing to emerge would be the fruit. When the dragon was slain the fruit was collected by the victorious soldiers and presented to the Emperor as a coveted treasure.

The soldiers would then butcher the dragon and eat the flesh. It was believed that those who feasted on the flesh would be endowed with the strength and ferocity of the dragon and that they too would be coveted by the Emperor.

via NaturalActives.com

Why is dragon fruit beneficial for you?

Well, it is full of goodness for your entire body and that starts with its richness in vitamin C, but it also has vitamins B1, B2, and B3. It has calcium, iron, and phosphorus, high in dietary fiber and phytoalbumins, which contain antioxidant properties. Dragon fruit is filled with those tiny black seeds and they are not only edible but also an asset to the fruit and to us. The seeds are extremely high in polyunsaturated fatty acids like Omega 3 and 6 and it contains carotene. This fruit is blood sugar regulating and an immune boosting asset to your diet.

Then, how does the dragon fruit helps with your hair?

Just about everything mentioned for benefiting your body will also benefit your hair. The fatty acids are excellent supporters for healthy hair with the Omega 3s keeping your hair lustrous and shiny while the Omega 6s stimulate hair growth. Those Omega 3s are also vital to our body’s production of collagen and collagen helps each strand of hair maintain its thickness. Unfortunately, as we age this delivery slows down, so this is very important for our aging hair to get this type of help.

Just how do I use dragon fruit to help me hair?

Dragon fruit is great for softening color-treated or chemically-treated tresses. Apply dragon fruit juice on your scalp and hair for 15-20 minutes before shampooing for scalp calming benefits from the antioxidants. This in turn increases blood circulation and good blood circulation allows oxygen to get to the hair follicles for proper growth. Dragon fruit also has niacin, which dilates the blood vessels and allows for better circulation of blood to nourish the scalp and hair follicles.

via NaturallyCurly.com

Here is a tasty and healthy dragon fruit smoothie pumped with protein, iron, and vitamin C that will benefit your skin, hair and body.

DRAGON FRUIT SMOOTHIE BOWL

PREP TIME

10 mins

TOTAL TIME

10 mins

A thick and creamy fiber rich smoothie bowl made with dragon fruit (pitaya) and topped with superfood ingredients.

Author: McKel Hill, MS, RD, LDN

Recipe type: dessert, breakfast

Serves: 1

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pack of frozen and pureed pink dragon fruit (pitaya)
• ½ frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon bee pollen
• 1 teaspoon maca powder
• Garnish toppings, optional: shredded coconut, bee pollen, cacao nibs, fresh dragon fruit, fresh sliced figs, fresh raspberries

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Add ice to thicken as desired.
2. Pour into a bowl and top with optional garnish ingredients to add flavor and nutrient density.
3. Enjoy immediately.

Via NutritionStripped.com

There are no health risks associated with dragon fruits, and studies have even shown that pregnant women and breast-feeding women are safe to eat dragon fruits without any worry of risks. So, go out to your nearest exotic market and grab some delicious and wildly nutritious dragon fruit.

via OrganicFacts.net

After learning about all these, are you going to the nearest market to grab these gems yet? Stay tuned for more posts like these! As we, LaoFoYe, share more hair tips and facts to you!

Hair Growth Treatment Testimonial – Mr. Ong

Mr. Ong started his Hair Growth and Detox Treatment with Lao Fo Ye since 06 June 2015.

Witness the results happening. You can come down to Lao Fo Ye too, if you suffer from the same problem as Mr. Ong.

"As a writer, my working hours are irregular. Thus, my sleep pattern is disturbed and I tend to consume unhealthy food like cup noodles and potato chips to survive the nights. I sleep in the afternoons and wake up around night time again when I am rushing for my deadline. Thus, my hair starts thinning.  I panicked. My beautiful head of hair is gone! Luckily, a friend introduced Lao Fo Ye to me. As I was desperate, I decided to give Lao Fo Ye a try."

"Within a short period of 4 months, Lao Fo Ye restored my hair. Thank you Lao Fo Ye, you have allowed me to regain my confidence."

IF you want to know how Lao Fo Ye's Hair Growth treatment can help you, visit our website or take a look at Mr. Than's testimonial to find out more.

If you have hair problems similar to Mr. Ong, call us now at 6 3838 333 or book an appointment with us! We are located at the Bencoolen (Opposite OG Albert), Bugis.

Chemical vs Henna

Many women and men think nothing of dying their hair. It may be to cover up grey, expressing yourself in a funky shade or finding your younger self back. In an ideal world, you can simply select the colour you prefer and there will be absolutely no side effects or anything.

Unfortunately, we live in a toxic world where everything comes with a price and there is not exception in beauty. Hair dye is definitely not an exception. As a matter of fact, I am going to compare the advantages and disadvantages of hair dye and henna right now to show you why henna would be a better choice for long term colour maintenance for your hair.

Hair Dye Advantages

• Wide variety of colours. You can literally go from red to blue to purple within a year and the results can be simply breath taking! Colours makes everyone happy right? Okay… Let’s move on to the next one.

• Tired of seeing your black hair all day as you look into the mirror, combing you hair? You will never know if you look good in blonde or blue unless you step out of your comfort zone and try it out! (You can also photoshop yourself to see if you suit red or orange before you dye your hair hehehehehe)

• You can achieve customised results if you use chemical hair dye. Your personal style can really impress everyone around you and …. wow, that hair though. Henna could NEVER!

Hair Dye Disadvantages

• Do you really want to sacrifice your nice healthy hair for coloured locks which are dry and brittle?

• Coloring your hair requires major adjustments for those who love to style their hair. Because color treatments are big bad wolves to the hair, you have to limit your hair styles to simple brushing or using moisturizing products. Try not to use heat to style the hair. Heat will ruin the ends of your hair. It will also weaken the hair follicles, causing thinning and breaking.

• Millions of people already have upper respiratory allergies from pollen, mold, and chemicals. Studies have shown that those susceptible to lung inflammation will be at increase risk for the development of asthma when using commercial hair dye.Persulfates are chemicals found in bleaching agents and hair dye and most commercial hair products contain a whopping 60% of them! Continued inhalation of persulfates can lead to persistent cough, throat discomfort, wheezing, lung inflammation, and full-blown asthma attacks.
  Ammonia is another common contributor to asthma attacks when using hair dye. In high concentrations, it can easily exacerbate pre-existing breathing conditions.
• Dying your hair can lead to the development of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is cancer of the lymph tissue. This cancer is often found in the lymph nodes,spleen, and bone marrow. As it spreads, it begins to affect immune system function and the body’s ability to fight infection.According to data retrieved from the National Cancer Institute, 30% of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cases are caused by regular use of commercial hair dye. 4-ABP is a hair dye byproduct that has also been proven to have carcinogenic effects. The byproduct is commonly found in blonde, red, and black hair dyes but may not be listed on the label.

Read the full articles here: (A) (B)

As someone who is working in the hair care industry, many have expressed their regrets for regular chemical hair dye. They have bright and beautiful looking hair in exchange for sensitive scalp that gets itchier and itchier the more they go for hair dye sessions. Do you want brightly coloured hair with scalp that itches badly that can even cause your scalp to bleed? Or would you prefer  lovely red hair with scalp that is healthy and clean thanks to henna and proper hair care maintenance?

Now, let’s see what henna is capable of.

Henna Advantages

• Applying henna makes hair glossy, healthy and voluminous. It’s like a two-in-one hair dye and hair pack!
• It repairs the damaged hair strands and restores the acid-alkaline balance of the scalp.
• It is acts like a hair conditioner that protects the hair strands by building a protective layer and locking the nutrients and moisture.

 (Coloured with henna. Results may vary.)

• It is the best and safest way to color your hair that has no ammonia, chemicals, and toxins.
• Henna can be used to treat dandruff and scalp infections effectively.

Read full article here.

Henna Disadvantages

• Colours are not as bright! But it is a price to pay for healthy and beautiful coloured hair after all.
• Limited choice of colours. Henna is a reddish-brown dye that only contains one dye molecule, a red-orange one. Thus the colours you can achieve are quite limited. It can only range from black, brown and red as other herbs such as indigo will be added to the henna mix to produce brown and black. The henna dye powders that offers blonde and more are usually compound hennas.
• It gets really messy during the application process. You might want to get someone to assist you in applying the henna mix. Washing henna off has to be a thorough process as well. So why not get someone experienced in hair dye application to help you with these two processes? (wink wink)

If you are convinced that henna is for you, search for the right kind of henna as compound henna does NOT play nice with commercial hair dye and other chemical residue in hair. 

People who have itching, blisters, or serious allergic reactions to para-phenylenediamine hair dyes often want to change over to henna hair dyes. 

Compound henna reacts wildy with synthetic hair dyes and other chemical hair products!  If you use compound henna soon after you have done your hair with para-phenylenediamine dyes, your hair may be brittle, trashed, and may turn frog butt green or offshore sewage outlet black.  Compound hennas have metallic salts which react disasterously with the ammonia in synthetic  hair dye. Problem is … many pre-mixed henna powders do NOT have these ingredients listed!

If you have used compound henna to colour your hair and you would like to switch to chemical hair dye, the only way would be to wait for your coloured hair to grow out first. Beauty requires patience. So be patient and don’t harm yourself unnecessarily. 

Read the full article here.

The kind of henna you will be looking for would be known as BAQ(Body Art Quality) Henna. BAQ Henna is pure henna with the highest natural dye content and perfect sift is used for body art.

BAQ Henna is,

• Henna that has a very high natural dye content
• Henna that is very finely cleaned, ground and sifted
• Henna that is pure:  ONLY dried, powdered lawsonia inermis leaves
• Body Art Quality henna is often referred to as BAQ henna

The best 10% of henna is reserved for body art.  Henna for body art must have a higher dye content and finer sift, so artists can make fine patterns with deep long-lasting stains.

For more information and the full article click here

Here in Lao Fo Ye, we go provide henna colouring as well. Do not worry, I am just educating you about the benefits of henna today. If you are curious about our henna treatment, you can give us a call at +65 6 3838 333 or view the video below to check out our henna coloruing process. You can see that her colour of her hair is more even as compared to before!

LaoFoYe’s Natural Henna Based coloring consist of a combination of herbs including henna which oxidizes when mixed with water and forms a wrap around the hair stem without changing or damaging the structure of the hair. Colors are usually permanent on those parts that have been treated.

If you are interested in doing henna colouring with Lao Fo Ye, call us now at 6 3838 333 or book an appointment with us! We are located at the Bencoolen (Opposite OG Albert), Bugis.

Alopecia Areata Treatment Testimonial – Mr. Wee

Mr. Wee started his Alopecia Areata (AA) Treatment with Lao Fo Ye since 10 April 2015.

He did receive treatment before when the same condition happened to him when he was younger but he was affected by AA again at 10 years old. However, do you know what exactly is AA and why is it affecting someone as young as Mr. Wee? It is affecting many recently. So, Lao Fo Ye has gathered some information from the web to educate everyone on this autoimmune disease.

What is Alopecia Areata?

Alopecia means hair loss. When a person has a medical condition called alopecia areata, hair falls out in round patches. Hair can fall out on the scalp and elsewhere on the body. Alopecia is not contagious. It is not due to nerves. What happens is that the immune system attacks the hair follicles (structures that contain the roots of the hair), causing hair loss. This disease most often occurs in otherwise healthy people.

What causes it?

In alopecia areata, immune system cells called white blood cells attack the rapidly growing cells in the hair follicles that make the hair. The affected hair follicles become small and drastically slow down hair production. Fortunately, the stem cells that continually supply the follicle with new cells do not seem to be targeted. So the follicle always has the potential to regrow hair.

Source: https://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/diseases-and-treatments/a—d/alopecia-areata

At Lao Fo Ye, we have many successful AA cases that we will share with you as we go along. Mr. Wee will be the first one we are sharing today. Firstly, our consultants will apply AA Detox on the customer’s scalp. The AA Detox can kill bacteria & cleanse your scalp. It can also scatter the killer T cells (lymphocytes) and allow the hair follicle to continue normal hair growth. However, AA can happen again so regular treatments at Lao Fo Ye can help keep the situation under better control.

On 10 April, Mr. Wee seek help from Lao Fo Ye. In 4 consecutive treatments, you can see that there are hair growing out of his scalp.

In one month’s time, there are visible hair strands growing out of the bald spots. New hair grew beginning from and progressing from the outer circle. The bald spot got smaller until the whole patch is covered with new hair. Thus Recovery!

Mr. Wee said,”Thank you. My friends won’t laugh at me in school anymore.”

Mr Wee now continues to receive treatment at Lao Fo Ye to prevent recurrence and to suppress Alopecia Areata (AA).

Don’t fight AA alone… Lao Fo Ye can support you and help you fight AA together.

If you have hair problems similar to Mr. Wee’s, call us now at 6 3838 333 or book an appointment with us! We are located at the Bencoolen (Opposite OG Albert), Bugis.

For more information about the Alopecia Areata Treatment, head over to our website now!

Express Recovery

Lao Fo Ye Express is the hair treatment of choice for people who want effective treatments with an affordable price tag attached to it.

 Did I hear cheers? I bet you will cheer even louder as our therapists start detoxifying your hair with our Scalp Clarifying Formula.

What is Scalp Clarifying treatment you ask? Well, it is made up of  all natural herbs which is essential to kill bacteria in your scalp which is accumulated by the exposure to external factors such as the environment or the chemicals in your shampoo. Although it is not as effective as our Herbal Clarifying treatment,  it is sufficient enough to get rid of the harmful substances that our scalp is exposed to daily.

“So… What is Hair Strengthening then?” Glad you ask. No, I’m really happy you asked. Do you know how brittle and weak your hair can get due to our environment? Nothing can last forever. The same applies to the strength of your hair. Our Hair Strengthening Formula gives your hair the nutrient it needs for you to look good daily.

And the best thing is, NO APPOINTMENT REQUIRED. So you do not have to commit to the treatment package and come by Lao Fo Ye any time! Go on ahead and have more time for a carefree lifestyle without worrying about your hair as it would be maintained by us, the Lao Fo Ye team, if you try out Lao Fo Ye Express today!