The philosophy behind beautiful hair

Face it. We can’t all be like Natalie Portman, who, even after shaving off all her hair for a movie role, will still land a spot on anyone’s "Most Beautiful" roster. For most of us, hair is an essential part of being. It is our 24/7 ally in looking good, the crowning glory that differentiates us from everybody else. When our hair looks awful, we feel awful. The term "bad hair day" has a lot to answer for; the mere thought of it sends us into panic-driven spates of hysterics.

One thing worse than a "bad hair day" is a bad haircut. If you’re devoid of quick-fix treatments, a "bad hair day" lasts 24 hours; a bad haircut can hover over you like a curse for a few months. Perceptibly odious cuts may be remedied by another trip to the salon and, hopefully, a better haircut from a different stylist. But some haircuts can be deceiving. Sometimes, we don’t realize that we’ve experienced bad hairstyling until a few months later when our hair grows out into a limp, shapeless, split-end-besieged rag. The standard of a good haircut is measured by time. Expert hairstyling assures that your hair still looks good and retains the shape and body you want even a few months later. This is what differentiates mere haircutters from real hairstylists. This standard is what prestigious salon Essensuals Toni&Guy Manila promises.

Essensuals Toni&Guy Manila has been making a buzz in the local beauty scene since it first opened in 2002. Owned by husband-and-wife team Chot and Cherry Reyes – the latter an accomplished hairstylist with more than 15 years of experience under her belt – Toni&Guy Manila brings in the cut-and-color pizzazz of London’s famous hairstyling brand. Its globally recognized reputation has preceded the local franchise, and it’s a rep that managing and creative director Cherry Reyes has successfully lived up to. She has done this by making sure that Essensuals Toni&Guy Manila avoids the kind of random hairstyling that can lead to botched hairdos and erratic hair growth.

The Toni&Guy system is backed up by a philosophy that believes that the path to beautiful hair lies in extensive, updated training in the various techniques of hairstyling. All Essensuals stylists are required to undergo training in the prestigious Toni&Guy Academy in Central London’s Oxford Street. Cherry Reyes studied at the Academy before putting up the Manila franchise and regularly jets back to London to train for each Toni&Guy collection and to advance her knowledge. The London education is not autocratic. The rest of the Essensuals Toni&Guy Manila creative team initially went through an extensive six-week course at London’s premier hairstyling locale, and also regularly take advanced courses in hairstyling. This June, four stylists and two technicians from Toni& Guy Manila are due to travel to London to attend advanced training classes at the Toni&Guy Academy. They will train for a total of six weeks in advanced Cut and Color, aside from attending the Color Specialists courses at the Wella studio in London.

And if the local staff can’t make it to London, London will come to them. In August of this year, Christian Mascolo, educational director and son of Toni&Guy founder Toni Mascolo, and Eammon Boreham, international creative director of Essensuals Toni&Guy, are slated to visit Manila to personally train and infuse a bit more Brit creativity into the local Toni&Guy staff, and to grace the opening of the country’s second Essensuals Toni&Guy salon in Alabang. The visit has another, more exciting reason behind it. Christian Mascolo and Eammon Boreham will topbill a hair show to be produced by the Essensuals Toni&Guy creative team. The show, apart from highlighting the newest collection of the salon chain, is bound to affirm Essensuals Toni&Guy’s position as one of the most innovative salons in Manila.

In a pre-show allusion to Essensual Toni&Guy’s ingenuity, creative directors Cherry Reyes and Nelson Cruz, along with technical director Ali Tiongson and makeup artist Leo Posadas, give their interpretation of Toni&Guy’s spring/summer offering for 2005. Called "Vigour," the new trends collection is playful, fun, and vibrant. Toni&Guy combines precision cutting – heavy and blunt fringes with underlying internal textured layers – with rich reds, warm brunette shades, and powdery-blonde tones. Hair moves freely and is not hampered by overstyling. Color is used to soften layers and to create depth and contrast to hair. And, as befits all Toni&Guy salons, your hair is set to bring out the best in your appearance.

Keeping steadfast in its commitment to provide "Seriously Educated Hairdressing," Toni&Guy Manila is putting up "Training Days," its own version of the London academy. Classes offer Basic and Advanced Cutting Intensives, and will have as instructors Essensuals Toni&Guy Manila’s creative team, headed by Cherry Reyes. Interested applicants may call Jenny or Marj at 812-8559 and 812-8002.

Toni&Guy is located at 6750 Ayala Avenue, Makati.

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E-mail author at ana_kalaw@pldtdsl.net.