“Your hair is one of your major assets. Take care of it on a daily basis, just the way you take care of your skin.”
Those words came from Beatrice Benezra, a Paris-based hair expert and international training manager of the world famous J.F. Lazartigue, which specializes in hair care. Beatrice’s recent visit to the Philippines was in line with a mission of helping the Filipino people have the most beautiful hair in the world. She came to Manila to train and update the enthusiastic local team of Lazartigue on the company’s new products and techniques.
The Lazartigue Hair Treatment center on the second level of Rockwell Power Plant Mall was a buzzing beehive of exciting activity that day. I walked into a lively crowd of ladies and gentlemen who were waiting for their turn to get their hair analyzed by Beatrice while enjoying chilled French wines and the most delectable Cibo cheese hors d’ oeuvres.
I was warmly met by my dear friend Andie Recto-Montenegro, Lazartigue’s dedicated operations manager, who organized the event and introduced me to her guest of honor.
Beatrice takes great pride in the company she works for. Born in Tours, France, she pursued a management course in Poitiers, Paris. In the past 17 years that she has been with the company, she has only good things to say about its founder and beloved boss, Jean Francois Lazartigue.
She is happiest when she is treating, healing, beautifying and preserving customers’ hair. This is perhaps the same happiness that Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Madonna, Oprah Winfrey, Harrison Ford, Calvin Klein and Robert de Niro feel every time they notice how beautiful their crowning glory is because of J.F. Lazartigue hair care products.
After that particular afternoon with Beatrice, many others flocked to the treatment center at Rockwell in the succeeding days to consult her on their hair problems.
Beatrice commented that Asians are blessed with the most beautiful kind of silky hair. Due to our warm climate, which makes us sweat more than others, Beatrice noted a common concern — that of an oily scalp. “We need oil in our scalp but not too much as it clogs the pores and stagnates growth. This can cause falling hair,” she said. To this problem, she recommended an Intensive Sebum Treatment to help balance out oily secretions. Another common problem was dry hair due to excessive treatments like hair straightening, curling and coloring with ammonia and peroxide. In order to restore moisture to the hair shaft, she prescribed using pre shampoos like Pre-Shampoo Cream with Shea Butter, Deep Action Treatment with Carrot Oil or shampoos like Treatment Cream Shampoo with Collagen, Micro Pearl Shampoo for Dry Hair or conditioners that have vitamins like the Vita Cream with Milk Proteins. I myself have tried this and it has worked wonders on my hair.
Beatrice shared some hair tips. When shampooing, make sure to clean the scalp well. Use the fingertips not nails when scrubbing scalp. Taking care of hair involves more than regular washing. The shampoo is a basic step in hair care routine but your crowning glory also needs products geared to its type. Your hair enemies are excessive sun, pollution, ammonia, peroxide and use of unsuitable products.
“The condition of your hair can tell your state of mind and health. Like the skin, the hair is affected when stress, trauma or sickness is involved,” Beatrice said.
By the way, if you think Lazartigue hair care products are only for women, think again. My husband Benny is one great loyalist when it comes to Lazartigue. As a matter of fact, I laughingly shared with Beatrice that when Andie, who personally attends to his hair needs, told him that Beatrice was coming into town, he was one of the very first to pay her a visit and get his hair analyzed.
Andie shared: “Because our founder J.F. Lazartigue cares so much for his customers, he painstakingly developed the video hair analyzer (VHA).”
The VHA involves the use of a camera which takes a close up of your hair shaft, scalp and root, blowing them up 100 to 160 times, enabling you not only to determine the true nature of your hair, but also to monitor any changes in your hair overtime by examining it once every three months. Each person is chemically different from the other in that some may have an oily scalp but dry hair ends. Others may have both oily or dry scalp and hair shaft. The VHA determines this and a proper use of the correct products will cure whatever problem you may have. The diagnosis is totally free of charge and can be used to specify the subsequent beauty and health program your hair deserves.
People get regular health check ups for their teeth and their bodies. So why not take time out to get a regular check up for your hair and scalp? Good habits make great looking hair.
(For more information please call J.F. Lazartigue Treatment Center, R2 Level, The Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City at 898-0921 or 0906-2985058. Check out their website at www.jflazartigue.com)
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