New wave: Hollywood’s biggest style secret

JACKIE O’FLASH By Bea J. Ledesma

Decode the power structure in any all-female clique and you’ll get what Mean Girls has been saying all along: combine money, a pretty face, a more than adequate sense of confidence and great hair and you’ll have the makings of a monster. When the pretty villain flips her hair and makes a catty remark, it’s game over for her poor prey. If this were a movie set in the ghetto, just change the catty remark to a snap of the fingers and an "Oh no, she didn’t!" and you get the same effect.

Hair, as many of the inane shampoo commercials would like to tell you, is everything. It defines your look each decade (check out a chronological set of photos of Heather Locklear from Dynasty to Melrose to Boston Legal and you’ll get my point) and can transform you from glamour puss to anorexic tabloid fodder (just ask Lindsay Lohan when she went blond).

When Demi Moore shaved off her jet-black mane for G.I Jane, it got her, if not the movie, a serious amount of attention. When Keri Russell lopped off her gorgeously curly hair, the ratings on her show Felicity dropped precipitously – with critics blaming her newly-shorn mane for the lackluster audience share.

So it’s no surprise that every time a starlet makes an unexpected change in hairstyle, all the tabloids bring out their personal celebrity critics to review the marked change: like when Mary-Kate Olsen went auburn (with many a pundit claiming it as a step towards her own identity) or when Paris opted for a ladylike bob (which was definitely a style upgrade).

With their hair and style under constant scrutiny, celebs are always on the lookout for the next healthy alternative. With everyday blow-dry sessions and consistent color updating, hair tends to look fried after a while (hello, Ashlee Simpson). Stars like Hilary Duff and Kerri Russell have discovered a new wave in hair treatments: Biolage therapie solutions. Known for their customized "therapies," this label combines all-natural ingredients with high-tech science.

Every person has his or her own set of hair problems: split ends and dry hair or oily scalp and frizzy, unmanageable hair, whatever. Biolage makes it a point to find a customized solution for your hair. In-salon treatments, created by Matrix, a leading hair care company in the United States, dramatically transform hair, revitalizing tired, weak strands and providing intense repair.

The session begins with Vital Repair, which is available in three variants namely Hydra Therapie (provides moisture and control for dry hair), Colorcare Therapie (which preserves and protects colored hair) and Forte Therapie (which strengthens and deeply conditions wear and overworked hair, ideal for rebonded locks), a highly-concentrated ceramide that fills and repairs weak spots in the hair. This is followed by a Hydra Ceme, which serves to seal in the nutrients from the previous treatment and infuse hair with intense moisture. A Bio-Massage, which consists of an attendant rubbing your scalp to saturate hair with the formula’s botanical extracts like lemongrass, algae and sage, leaves hair shiny and smooth. After the treatment, the strands and smoother and the sealant covers the cuticle for stronger and shinier hair.

Not in the mood to spend hours in the salon? Low-maintenance consumers can purchase the at-home therapies like their Hydra Therapie shampoo and conditioner which automatically smoothens and detangles hair. Also available in three variants, you can customize the products to suit your mane needs.

While these hair care products won’t transform you into a finger-snapping, boy-snatching diva, they make life – and your hair – a whole lot easier to deal with.

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For more information, call Jerry de Leon at 552-9228 (for South Manila customers) or Ellen Malacas at 632-0280 (for North Manila residents).