Brushing up on hair fall

MANILA, Philippines - There was a time I would go into a salon and two people had to blow dry my hair because it was so thick. That was before I hit 20 and my hair started to fall out. Then came the knots of hair clogging the bath drain, hair in my brush, and every other place that strands of my crowning glory migrated to (without my permission). Soon, I only needed to tip one hairdresser.

So I took to the Internet and researched, learning that you lose about 50 to 100 strands each day. If you don’t have a medical condition, stress is one of the main triggers of hair fall. Other lifestyle upsets like poor diet and the dropping of estrogen levels are also main culprits of this crime against looking good. If you’re healthy, the same amount of hair grows back. If not, you shed more rapidly and your scalp becomes more and more visible.

Not many women talk about hair fall. It isn’t one of those topics you sit down with and discuss with girl friends over lunch. You suffer this phenomenon quietly (often alone) trying every hair-fall product on the market. You buy into the illusion of thicker, healthier-looking hair and end up wasting a lot of time and money. Why? Because most of these so-called magic potions only address hair breakage.What you don’t know is that almost 80 percent of hair fall actually happens at the roots.

Dove gets to the root of the problem with the Dove Hair Fall Rescue range. In a “slumber party” held at the presidential suite of the Fairmont Makati, the pillow talk focused on hair fall and its accompaniments. “Dove is different. It is a brand with a strong social mission. We talk to real women and listen to their concerns and I am truly humbled by their experiences,” said Carlo Isla, brand manager of Dove Philippines.

At the event, a few “Dove real women” opened up about their familiarity with the issue. For example, PMAP model and interior decorator Marilen Faustino Montenegro reminisced about her days as a hair model. “After styling my hair into a beehive, attaching a wig and piling on product, I needed to use one bottle of conditioner to take everything out. Kaya pala ang taas ng bayad! When I brushed my hair, clumps of it fell. I also starved myself back then. I had a poor diet and was busy every day, so work took its toll on me.”

Get your own

New mom and Spanish teacher Alexi Alunan-Sarmiento also shared her story. “I’ve experienced hair fall ever since I was a young girl. ‘I’m sick. See, my hair is falling’ was what I told my mom when I didn’t feel like going to school. Later on, I studied in the States and then one day the person sitting behind me said, ‘Excuse me, your hair is falling all over my paper.’ That’s why I tie my hair — to keep it from falling on other people’s things!”

To keep ponytails from thinning further, Dove introduced its newest addition to the Dove Hair Fall Rescue system (which already consists of shampoo, conditioner and daily treatment conditioner) — the Dove Hair Fall Rescue Hair Tonic. According to Ela Dorado, research and development hair specialist of Dove Philippines, the key to the tonic’s effectiveness is the scientifically proven and patented ingredient called Trichazole. “Trichazole strengthens the follicle glue, the white thing you see at the root when you pull out a strand of your hair,” she shared. Dove is not promising hair growth; it promises that hair will be locked in place longer and that results can be seen in as little as two weeks.   

The tonic is the third and final step in the Dove Hair Fall Rescue system. After shampooing and conditioning (for more intensive conditioning, apply Dove Daily Treatment Conditioner at least once a week), towel dry your hair and just directly apply an even amount of tonic on the scalp every other day.

What did I have to lose? Certainly not more hair. In the end, Dove shed some light on the not-so-hairy situation every woman faces. I’m not alone. Help has been sent. Now I  can let my hair down and not worry about it falling.