Redefining Hair Care: Why Your Current Routine Is Leaving Your Hair Behind

For most of us, we tend to treat our hair reactively.

We notice it feels like straw, so we buy a heavy mask.

We see flakes, so we scrub harder.

By the time you notice the damage in your mirror, your hair has already been struggling under stress for quite some time.

To get past the marketing noise and the panic-buying, we sat down with hair expert Fatima . Owner and Master Colourist and all-round Hair technician and Stylist of Hijabella Hair and Beauty Salon.

Instagram: @hijabella_hair_and_beauty 

With years of hands-on experience dealing with complex hair and scalp concerns behind closed doors, Fatima sees what is actually happening to our hair—and what we need to start doing differently before the damage even starts.

Q: Looking back at clients who sit in your chair month after month, what is the biggest long-term change you’ve noticed in how our local climate affects hair? What’s happening to our hair, that we completely miss daily in our mirrors?

Fatima: One of the biggest things we fail to realise is how much our hair has to constantly adapt to our environment, especially recently. In South Africa specifically, we can go from very dry, cold weather to very warm days & back to the cold, often within a week. This impacts our lifestyle which directly impacts our hair health.

We experience more ongoing dryness, frizz & breakage. Our hair can become more porous so it doesn’t hold moisture as well as it used to.

What we often don’t see in the mirror is that the damage is happening slowly in the background while we are running through our busy days. By the time the ends look dry or the hair starts feeling rough, the hair has usually been under stress for quite some time.

We live very busy lifestyles & juggle a lot. That’s why I always encourage clients to think about hair health throughout the year, rather than only treating the problem when it becomes visible. Regular trims, in-salon treatments & good aftercare can make a huge difference to keeping your hair healthy long-term.

Q: When the temperature drops and our styling habits change, what is the one specific type of weather-driven damage clients bring to you that they are completely blind to?

Fatima: We naturally tend to use more heat & start blow-drying more frequently.

We also become a bit lazy & wash hair less often or pull washing days longer because it’s colder.

On the opposite side, when it’s warmer, we tend to tie our hair wet and apply a hijab over which also causes damage & breakage. We also use a hair iron more often in summer & without any heat protection. All contributing to damaged hair, poor scalp conditions and split ends.

Q: As we head into the warmer, brighter months, what is the first thing you spot on a client's hair that tells you exactly how harsh they were on it during winter?

Fatima: We notice dryness and lack of moisture. Spring is a great time to reassess the hair and do a good treatment in salon to restore moisture, improve the condition and get the hair ready for the warmer months ahead.

It’s the best time to also do a straightening treatment which will add the moisture needed as well as reduce styling time.

Q: As you provide a completely private space for women, what is the number one frustration clients may confide about managing their hair health, especially under a hijab or headcovering as the humidity and heat start to change?

Fatima: It's the lack of time to take out for themselves.

Managing hair with a hijab for ie. whilst maintaining work/life balance and taking care of everything else can be a lot.

It’s the “Between school runs, cooking & work I just don’t have the time”
It’s the “I know I’m supposed to come months ago, I just didn’t get the chance to”
The most common one being “I am in hijab so no one sees my hair”

More often than not, as women we forget about ourselves and so neglect ourselves.

I think it’s important for us to remember that, by taking care of our health and hair now, we will grow older with healthier hair. The salon is also a space for women to let go, feel heard, share a burden or a story, feel good and we all need the reminder that it’s ok to put ourselves first now and then.

A lady once told me, our body is an amaanat from Allah, make intention when visiting the salon to take care of the amaanat and your salon visit becomes ibaadah.

Q: As a master colorist, what are clients most common requests when they want a dramatic color swap for the new season, but you can see their hair is structurally screaming for care?

Fatima: They generally request for a dramatic change in spring or summer or before a holiday.

Most ladies want to go lighter and blonde.

My job isn’t just to create the colour they have in their head. It’s firstly to understand whether the hair can handle that transformation.

In terms of hair health, sometimes that means changing the plan, doing the transformation in stages, or first concentrating on rebuilding the condition of the hair.

I would much rather have a client leave with beautiful, healthy hair and work towards their dream colour than give them an immediate result that their hair simply isn’t ready to handle. It is important to make sure we get to an amazing color without compromising the integrity of their hair.

Q: What is the specific scalp issue that clients are usually too embarrassed to bring up, but you see so often that you wish we’d just start talking about it openly?

Fatima: A dry, flaky, eczema or psoriasis flare-up.

Most people struggle to deal with this at home, which can be compounded by neglecting themselves too—because “we are so busy with kids and life” etc.

Scalp health is just as important as hair health. Scalp issues mostly arrive from stress, auto-immune related issues and in general not taking time out for self-care like for eg. a quick wash and then tying it wet.

It is important for us to take the time out to care for ourselves when our body is showing us it needs some TLC.

A healthy scalp creates healthy hair.

What I always remind my clients is that covering the hair itself isn’t the problem. It’s about creating the right balance between scalp health, moisture, cleansing and allowing the hair to be completely dry before covering it.

Q: If we were to put just one single, non-negotiable hair appointment or care ritual into our calendars right now to prepare for the weather changing, what should it be?

Fatima: In my opinion, the one single non-negotiable hair appointment would be a good cut.

We all want long luscious hair but that won’t happen if we hold onto length and don’t cut off what is split & damaged.

A good cut twice to thrice a year is a must for long-term healthier length.

Q: When the weather flips, women tend to panic-buy products. What is the one thing we should actually stop doing or remove from our routine immediately as it warms up?

Fatima: Do not follow social media trends. A new product or treatment launches and all of a sudden we all want to do it. These may not be right for us.

A lot of companies also advertise treatments as halaal when they are actually not. They contain ingredients which coat the hair giving the illusion of healthy hair when in fact all it did was “hide” the problem.

These also nullify wudhu and ghusl which is a huge concern.

Rather do your research properly and ask advice from your stylist on what you need for your hair, what is halaal and what will benefit you and your needs best.

Q: When a client walks in feeling like the weather has left their hair completely unmanageable, flat, or brittle, what specific, specialized in-salon service should they ask you for?

Fatima: There is no one-size-treats-all kind of treatment. Every single person is different, everyone’s hair is different. Book a consultation if you're not sure what your hair needs and we can assess your hair and advise you accordingly.

Q: For clients struggling with specific extremes—like a dry, flaky scalp in the cold, or intense frizz and moisture loss in the heat—what distinct treatments do you perform that actually fix these crises at a structural level, rather than just masking them?

Fatima: For frizz we recommend our in-house straightening treatment. We would of course first assess the hair to see if this treatment would be the best. If the hair is not healthy enough, we would focus on building hair health first with other nourishing in-salon treatments.

We treat every person's needs and hair individually and all treatments are customized based on that.

Q: Which particular type of service do you find is an absolute game-changer for reviving dull, tired hair, and exactly what results does it deliver?

Fatima: A game-changing treatment for hair for many would definitely be our straightening treatment. It reduces frizz, nourishes dry hair, adds moisture as well as eases maintenance. It’s easy to dry and keep healthy with a hijab.

Our very own unique formula of Sunnah-inspired treatments have also helped many clients struggling with scalp issues.

Q: If we are going to bypass the internet noise and invest our money in just one specific product type to protect our hair structure year-round, what type of formulation should we actually look for?

Fatima: Some of the best products that everyone should have at home is:

1.  a good nourishing mask,
2. a good leave-in treatment oil &
3. a heat protector.

Just adding these to your home routine can instantly change your hair health.

 

Q: Many product options pass through your hands. Which specific formulations do you personally trust above all others to save compromised hair, and what makes them vastly superior to the mainstream alternatives we see all over social media?

Fatima: In terms of product options, I feel like every type has something special that fills a gap, but we do have our favorites in-salon.

Our preferred in-house hair butter and oils are magic in a bottle. They really support home care by keeping a premium, deeply restorative routine accessible and straightforward.

Our in-house detox range is wonderful for scalp conditions, and our targeted fiber infusion formulas are great for hair that’s breaking.

Hair care isn't about chasing viral internet trends or panic-buying products when your ends start to feel like straw. Your hair and scalp are constantly adapting to intense climate and environment changes behind the scenes, and waiting for the damage to become visible, means you're already behind.

True hair health requires a proactive shift. By treating your hair care as an essential act of self-care and an investment in your future self—rather than just an afterthought—you protect its structural integrity for the long haul. Avoid hiding the issues behind quick fixes, step away from the social media noise, and start listening to what your hair actually needs.