I so love to be a woman! Last Thursday, I was invited by Lush to try out their new hair care range. I sat beside Romina Urra, editor of Chalk magazine. While we were getting the treatment of our choice, Anton Huang, executive vice president of Stores Specialists, Inc. passed by to chat with us. His company is the exclusive distributor of Lush here. I was coaxing him to try out the treatment as well. It was just so amusing to see his reaction while Romina and I got so excited with all the products we were testing. We were raving about how good they smelled and how this already made us feel good! He looked at us totally clueless and I understood at that moment why I love to be a woman. We take pleasure in little things. We love to pamper ourselves. We have more versatility in fashion. We get more choices. But mind you, we are more complex. Ask any man and not one would fully understand us. Why do you think the book, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus is such a big hit? Society demands more of us though. We have to be well-groomed and in good shape all the time. Because of this, it is more expensive to be a woman. Imagine how many things we need to keep us in tiptop condition. But although it is more difficult to be a woman, I still wouldn’t have it any other way!
Finally, someone put water into consideration in creating beauty products. I thought about why my shampoo did not lather enough here, compared to when I travel in the US. Manila has hard water conditions. As water seeps to the ground, it collects minerals. If water passes through hard rocks or peat, it maintains its softness. If it passes through soft rocks, it collects calcium and magnesium, making the water hard. In hard water areas, it is more difficult to lather, thus, we have the tendency to use more of the product. This results in drier hair, which is more prone to damage. On the other hand, less product and more rinsing are needed in soft water areas. This may leave hair flat and more difficult to style. Lush has developed specific products for these water conditions. The new shampoo for Manila’s conditions contains natural softeners, which cut down on the amount of detergent needed. This lessens friction and reduces potential hair damage. A soft pink, solid round shampoo, topped with flower petals, works best for our water. It is formulated with sodium sesqui carbonate, a natural water softener, together with protein- rich soya lecithin and eggs to help strengthen and rebuild hair.
For my treatment, retread was massaged and soaked on my wet hair for 15 minutes. This rebuilds chemically treated hair. It conditions and moisturizes abused and neglected hair, leaving it shiny and full of bounce. Then for my fine limp hair, I chose Big for my shampoo. Sea salt in a shampoo? Lush has added 50 percent of sea salt crystals to pump up the volume! Plus it has lemon to cleanse, degrease and keep the hair shiny. Then the seaweed infusion conditions and softens the hair. To top it off, your hair smells so good, with a hint of essential oils of mandarin, neroli, vanilla and orris. After that, American Cream conditioner was applied to my freshly shampooed hair. Gently comb hair through in the direction of growth. Leave for 10 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. The formulation lightly moisturizes, which worked well for my limp hair. It was calming and left my hair soft and oh-so-good-smelling, with vanilla and blends of sage and lavender.
Lush’s new hair care range is handmade and incorporates organic ingredients, from herbs to fresh fruits, vegetables, seaweeds, flower absolutes and essential oils. They are natural and therefore gentle to our hair and scalp. Another great thing is that you can care for your hair at home. You can no longer make the excuse that you have no time to go to the salon for treatment.
The tool of choice for stylists now is made of ceramic. Ceramic irons heat quickly and lessen the damage while giving hair a smooth and silky finish unlike the old metal ones.
Minimize damage to blow-drying or flattening hair with a flat iron by coating towel-dried hair with protective serums or sprays against heat. If you are not aiming for ultra straight hair, use your hands and blow-dry only until hair is 50 percent dry, then finish the job with a brush to reduce damage to your hair. Make sure that your drier has a nozzle to give straight hair more polish. Remember, less is more. Overdoing styling products just removes shine and leaves the hair flat.
Although you may deep-condition at home, there’s nothing like hair treatment in a salon. Go once a month for these specialized treatments. Industrial products are used only by professionals so you may only have them only in professional salons. Kérastase and Tigi have good and specific treatments for our hair and scalp needs.
Go for gloss! Go for a clear gloss at a professional hair salon. This treatment reflects more light and allows your hair color to shine brighter. This lasts from four to six weeks.
Keep hair simple but chic. "The hair is very aggressive, hard and masculine," says Orlando Pita at Gucci.
On the fall/winter 2003 runways, hair was done up, from braided updos to ponytails and french twists with a twist. Reference was taken from the classic hairstyles, but for the mod version, there was the "just out of bed" look. Hair pulled flat and with ruler-straight parts, like prima ballerinas, also showed up on the catwalks. Versions of the updo were seen at Ungaro, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Celine, Viktor and Rolf, Donna Karan, Carolina Herrara and Badgley Mischka.
"I put a romantic feel on the french twist," says Eugene Souleiman on the hair at Narciso Rodriguez. Ponytails are so hip this season. "It’s like English kitchen sink drama with ratty beehives. Not like white trash, more like a street girl – it’s urban," says Guido Palau, on the hair of Marc by Marc Jacobs.
Bangs also made a big bang at many runways – from Yves Saint Laurent to Chloe and Michael Kors. They were long, short or spiky.
Try a loosely gathered ponytail, bun or braid. "Inspiration is Eighties club culture and Christina Aguilera, that kind of dirtiness, sexiness" at D&G while at Dolce & Gabbana, "soft curls that are up say she’s a sexy woman who can do her hair and do it proper," says Eugene Souleiman for both collections.
Get ready for heads to turn! Make them notice your fabulous mane! Find a good, professionally educated stylist who can give you the best cut. Then support your cut with the best hair care products and styling tools. Remember: Achieving the best results involves work. Consistency is also key. Always listen to your body’s needs. It’s the best way to great hair!
Send queries and suggestions to jo@joyceorena.com.