MANILA, Philippines - Back when I was still blissfully unaware of hair oils, sculpting waxes and smoothness-boosting shampoo ingredients like keratin, I kept my hair shiny and seemingly soft by keeping it tied in a bun until it dried — releasing it in all its bouncy glory a couple of hours later. The downside of this method? It never lasts. It’s one gust of unfriendly wind away from becoming a disaster, which is why I just kept it in a bun most of the time.
The recent launch of Sunsilk Pink in Greenfield District was a throwback to those high school days. Set in a field, like a fair setting, with the wind and humidity plus man-made factors like trampolines and other hair-whipping activities going against me, it was a bad-hair day waiting to happen. But that was the point — it was about trampoline-proofing your hair, so to speak; that’s the brand’s end goal.
The maze starts with a salon set-up booth, where guests can have their hair pampered, styled and prepare for the “torture tests†ahead. These included the music booth, where whipping hair back and forth is required; an adventure booth equipped with a trampoline; and a fashion booth for DIY accessories — all designed to offer a fun day of bonding. I’ve never been around so much pink.
Such activities are in sync with the lifestyle of three young stars who make up the #SunsilkHairkada — Sarah Geronimo, Jasmin Curtis-Smith, and Julia Montes. Sarah, for instance, likes to hike mountains with her friends when she’s not belting songs at the top of her lungs. Jasmine is a city girl on-the-go, watching concerts and movies and being fit. Julia juggles her time between taping her hit TV shows and being a foodie, hunting for new restaurants about town — to each her own adventure. And judging from their Instagram accounts, it seems they manage to do all these with not a hair out of place.
“Sunsilk’s Smooth and Manageable contains five natural oils that deeply nourish each strand leaving your hair smooth and fragrant from day to night. So now, hairkadas like Sarah, Jasmine and Julia can stay out under the sun, go to crowded places, even venture out to new locales without worrying about how their hair will look or smell every minute,†says Sunsilk brand manager Ann Esteves.
At the end of the night, we were asked to write down our ultimate dream adventure, attach the piece of paper to a balloon (pink, of course), and release it into the night sky. When it comes to dreams, I was taught to go big or go home, so I wrote: Date night with Jared Leto in Iceland. That would be an adventure I will need lasting great hair for. My balloon must be caught in a call center building window somewhere in Ortigas, but I still hope the universe will work its magic. Meanwhile, like everyone else, it’s business as usual, one great-hair day at a time.