If clothes make the man, then hair crowns his image.

Mr Tak Matsuda, Asia-Pacific education manager for haircare range System Professional, said: 'Hair is our body's biggest accessory and can greatly influence the way we appear to others.'

Whether you want to dress it down or vamp it up, having healthy hair is key to a good hair day.

Hair is made of keratin, which are fibrous structural proteins.

The outer layer of the hair which protects the inner core is called the cuticle and intact cuticle cells are smooth, glossy and reflect light from their surfaces, bestowing healthy hair that much-sought-after shine. When the cuticle is damaged, hair looks dull and frizzy.

A person has on average about 100,000 strands of scalp hair and normally loses 50 strands a day.

There are three phases in the life cycle of hair. The first is the growing period called the anagen phase, which lasts between two and six years for scalp hair. After this, the hair enters the catagen phase where the hair follicle starts to regress. This lasts two to three weeks.

Finally, the hair follicle prepares itself to be shed in what is known as the telogen phase or resting phase. After three months the old hair is shed and the hair follicle re-enters the anagen phase.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet and keeping a healthy lifestyle is the best way to maintain a beautiful crown of hair.

Protein is important

Dr Joyce Lee, consultant dermatologist and consultant-in-charge of the Hair and Nail Clinic at National Skin Centre, said that it is important to take enough protein like fish, meat and beans.

While processes like hair dyeing, perming and rebonding have become de rigeur in modern beauty routines, Dr Lee cautioned: 'One bad perm is enough to cause brittleness and damage to the hair or hair loss. The damage to hair is cumulative.'

Hair should be permed every three to six months only. Hair should be dyed or rebonded every six to eight weeks or four to six months only respectively.

With the professional haircare market here estimated to be worth $44 million, haircare brands are vying to lavish hair-proud consumers with newer and ever more efficient products designed to lick hair problems at the root.

Many like Kerastase and System Professional also provide hair and scalp treatment in salons (read AsiaOne's review of the System Professional Ceremony Treatment).

Asked if such treatment really improve the appearance and texture of hair, Dr Lee said: 'Some do help to improve hair texture.

'Patients with dry hair may lack the normal balance of lipids coating the surface of the hair, and products in hair masks containing lipids like olive or avocado may help to improve the sheen and texture of the hair shaft.'