One of the essential part of slaying your #girlboss look daily is to be comfortable in your own style. Style is absolutely subjective, no matter what you wear, you should own it. Frequently asked to me as a hijabi, is it hot and does your head perspire underneath all that layer of fabric? Well these are the 4 proven tips I have used for my head-care and you can easily follow to score your Comfy-Goals in hijab wearing.
1. A cotton viscose inner allows your Hair & Scalp to breathe!
Are you suffering from discomfort, feeling hot, itchy and greasy? No one wants to go around itching their head all day and adjusting shawls every few minutes. Listen to this, your inner matters. No surprise right? The material you select as your inner can be your deal breaker when it comes to Hijab-wearing experience. I have one particular friend that was free-hair all her life, when I introduced her to a viscose inner, she literally hugged me in tears! I remember her telling me that she has finally found the right fabric that she finds comfort in, which she then embarks on her new journey of wearing hijab.
Score 1:
- Try using Cotton Jersey or Viscose Inner under the Hijab to allow the scalp to breathe properly. You will notice a change in your scalp with less perspiration and less development of oil in the scalp area, especially if your scalp tends to get really oily when you sweat. The more elastic your inner is, the more likely for you to find comfort. The elasticity is usually due to the jersey or viscose component of the fabric. Don't go for lycra though as it not as sweat absorbent as Cotton.
2. Choose a Medium-sized scrunchie.
Tying up your hair using the wrong headband can put a tremendous pressure to your scalp and make you feel uncomfy, especially when you have thinning hair! I know some ladies who would want volume for their hijab-look, so they would go the extra mile by using an oversized scrunchie that ends up hurting their scalp and giving them a headache all day. Hey, I am a no hater of oversized scrunchies, by all means if your scalp can handle em, go right ahead. In my experience selling hijabs, I have had so many customers, coming to our shop asking us why they have head pains when they wear hijab. First thing I ask, what headband do you use to secure your hair mam'?!
I'm telling you what works for me because I have long, frizzy hair and the littlest detail like a scrunchie makes a huge different on how my day will go. This photo is the oversized scrunchie that I would absolutely avoid. Pulling your hair up on a daily basis adds tremendous pressure to your overall scalp. I've tried using it back in 2014, the volume it gives for the hijab to stay on is undeniably uh-mazing, but not worth the pain. Well, I know beauty is pain, but in this case I'll pass.
Score 2:
When choosing your hairband, opt for a medium size scrunchie that is super elastic as your go-to hairband to keep your hair up all day long in that hijab. Why medium? It gives enough volume to keep the hijab looking neat without putting too much pressure on the scalp.
If you are experiencing a lot of hair loss and perhaps balding spots at the upper rim of your head, you are wearing your under headband too tight or too heavy. Start by really stretching out your cotton headband.The inner headband should feel comfortable and just fit tight enough that when you add on your daily Hijab, it will not slide off. Here is another tip, if you tend to have very oily scalp, instead of wearing an extra tight headband, try adding a slight amount of extra firm holding hairspray right underneath the inner headband to allow a firmer grip.
Checkout the scrunchie that I use to secure my hair: Velvet Medium Sized Scrunchie
Tips for choosing your perfect scrunchie:
- Determine your Hair Type: Different hair type has different needs!
- Size:
Medium size is relative to your hair volume. Your medium might not be the same as another person with different hair texture. You want to have a firm grip, not a tight grip. Keep your hair feeling strong and beautiful, and invest in a good scrunchie.
- Elasticity:
The scrunchie should have a lot of elasticity, remember ladies the more elasticity, the less resistance on the hair. You want your hair to stay natural, beautiful, and voluptuous. My secret tip is; try the scrunchie on your wrist and if it grips too tight, the scrunchie is not suitable for you. To find your go-to scrunchie, make sure the scrunchie grips your wrist perfectly. That is what I've been doing for the past 10 years and it works!
3. Go Minimal when it comes to Hijab-Styling
For newly hijabis, I strongly recommend to go minimal when it comes to styling. Most of the stylings I do for our campaigns are usually very chic and casual. We never go more than 2 layers over the head.
I personally love the effortless look when it comes to styling as I do practice "Less is More" myself. There was a period of time when I would only wear Loop Shawls (round shawls) that i would typically loop over twice around my neck and over my head to get the casual look. Of course at that time, I was so into cotton viscose. Well, what can I say, I have always been a sucker for Comfy Fabrics. That was practically how I got started with Hijab styling before I moved on to explore premium fabrics like the ones I have produced for sheralee.my!
Back to styling tips: for long hour Hijab-Wearing, styling with many layers can be quite a hassle especially when you need to take off your Hijab for prayers. Keep it light & simple. Look at lofa as one of our style icon. Her hijab is always minimal and effortless. Ah we so have to get her stylist featured on sheralee.my! I love her work on Neelofa, she slays all day everyday. This is an example of a single layered hijab and I personally love it.
Score 3:
- Single or Two Layers the most!
One of the main reasons why we love minimal styling is that, the hijab fabric won't crumple as fast as it would when you style em with multiple layers. This is an important trick to create an effortless look all day long!
- Pair them with matching soft-coloured inner:
The final trick is of course, playing with soft-coloured inners that matches your shawl, allowing you to have a complete minimal look.
4. Give your scalp some TLC (Totes Love & Care) too ladies
In my experience of hijab-styling on models, I often notice that their hair underneath the hijab are not properly taken care of. They are usually dry or super-oily, and guess what, sometimes they even smell. I don't blame them , mine gets dry and oily at times too! We are human ladies! Embrace our stench! Just kidding! Well, for a start, the weather in Malaysia makes it ridiculous not to sweat. I constantly need to wash my hair every day, especially at that one point of time when the temperature actually went up as high at 37 Celsius.
NEWS FLASH ladies! Our scalps ages too, we spend so much on Skincare but neglected that our head needs good products as well.
Score 4:
Start by replenishing the scalp using Scalp serum or Scalp tonic. Bare in mind, there is a difference between Hair serum and scalp serum. Most of the hair serum in the market are not meant to be used on the scalp. It may even clog and damage your scalp! To the ladies with oily scalp you do not want to weigh down the hair with heavy products. It is imperative to use a water-based scalp serum on a daily basis to really see results, remember it's all about consistency. After using your scalp serum, you should be able to notice a difference in your hair texture within a two week period after consistently applying the serum once a day!
Tips for newbies:
- Liquid Scalp Serum: (Personal Fav) It comes with a nozzle, where you spray directly on your scalp and then you rub them into the roots of the hair follicle.
- Gel/Oil-like Scalp Serum: Take a small amount of serum and rub between your hands to gather a warming sensation when applying it to the scalp. This friction from warming up your hands when applying the serum will allow the product to penetrate into the roots deeper for better results.
Results:
When using the serum you will start to notice less hair loss at the root and less frizz for your overall hair leaving it healthier and with a silkier feeling. You will feel that your head is much lighter after you put on your hijab. The best thing is that, scalp serum usually leaves your head with a cool sensation! Try this trick, let me know how it helps and improve your Hijab-wearing experience!
Suggested Scalp Serum:
Matrix Biolage Scalp Soothing Serum & Alken Boosting Serum (Below RM 70)
I have been using these Two Trusted brands for the last 4 years!
