When it comes to hair inspo — the kind you want to screenshot and take to your next hairdresser appointment — Anisa Sojka is a must-know name. Since starting her hair journey in lockdown, the content creator has amassed over half a million Instagram followers (this writer included), and with good reason. Her feed is brimming with chic styling ideas, achievable tutorials, plus, tips for improving hair health and length.
Now, she’s just released her very own hair oil brand, Celui, showing she’s showing no signs of slowing down. So, we caught up with Anisa to chat about everything from holy grail products to hair care advice.
Tell us about your journey to hair content creation
I have always been interested in hair and beauty but I would say my passion truly developed during the first lockdown in 2020. My content used to be fashion focused and I used to have shorter hair between my chin and shoulders. However, when lockdown hit, I missed having long hair and started to grow it out. There was a lot of spare time and my interest shifted to taking care of my hair in the best and most natural possible way. I began getting so many questions and comments on my hair which made me wonder if this was what my followers really want to see and hear more on. So gradually and very organically, my content became more hair focused. Once Instagram Reels were introduced in the summer of 2020, I dove right into sharing haircare tips, hairstyle tricks and everything in between.
What are the most common hair challenges your followers ask you about?
Tips on hair growth, how to prevent breakage and split ends, tips to recover damaged hair and how to tame frizz.
What hair care tips do you swear by?
There are a few tips that I have been consistent with over the years that I feel have really helped maintain the health of my hair:
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1. Oiling your lengths daily. This helps keep the hair nourished and hydrated, preventing breakage, split ends and adding shine. Oiling daily might not be possible for all hair types but I recommend doing it as often as your hair type will allow. I have been applying the ‘Nourishing Hair Oil’ from my new haircare brand CELUI daily for 1.5 years and have seen such an improvement in strength, shine and softness. It is a 100% natural oil for all hair types, vegan and cruelty-free too.
2. Sleep with a silk cap to help tame frizz. Less friction equals less breakage and a cap locks in moisture which leaves hair softer.
3. Exfoliate your scalp once a week. Semi-regular exfoliation gets rid of product build-up and hard water, encouraging healthy growth. Use a scalp massager to help product absorption, and the right scalp oil to stimulate growth.
4. Always use heat protection. Quality heat tools also make a big difference. Use heat once a week maximum.
5. Find the right products for your hair type. This so important to help your hair be the best version of itself & a mask once a week is essential to help keep the hair moisturized and nourished = softer, smoother, silkier.
6. Use a shower filter to help avoid hard water. The filter I have reduces the amount of chlorine and heavy metals. Hard water can lead to dullness, flat hair, dry scalp, weakened hair, frizziness, and breakage.
7. Shampoo your hair twice. Here’s why I swear by it:
> I only wash my hair once a week so by the time it’s wash day my hair needs a thorough cleanse. If you wash your hair daily there is no need for double shampoo.
> The first wash clarifies your scalp and hair by removing dirt, oil, pollution, product build-up, dead skin cells, and creates a better surface for the second wash. Your hair can then benefit better from the shampoo’s nourishing properties during the second wash.
> Double cleansing helps you lengthen the days until you need to shampoo your hair again.
> Shampooing twice can help the hair from feeling dull and flat.
> Focus on the scalp – it is the sweat, oil and skin-cell-producing tissue. This will clean away the build-up of sebum which leads to a healthier scalp and hair.
What’s your go-to hairstyle for a quick and easy everyday look?
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What advice would you give someone wanting to grow their hair fast?
Many things contribute to quicker hair growth – here are the ones I recommend:
1. Eat healthy hair foods – protein, zinc, iron, biotin, omega-3, vitamins ABCE and don’t forget to drink enough water!
2. Oiling your scalp with oils that stimulate growth; rosemary oil worked well for me.
3. Trim your hair when you notice it is splitting. To avoid splitting, use a weekly mask and oil lengths to help strength and keep ends healthy.
4. Massaging your scalp when you wash your hair to stimulate growth.
5. Avoid too much heat styling and always protect when you do.
6. Starting at the scalp, brush your hair regularly to help distribute your scalp’s oils.
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