Let your black head pop

Way too many times, I’ve heard Filipino women say that black is boring, especially in reference to their hair. That it’s blah. Dreary. Normal. Really makes me wonder why. Have they never heard of Zhang Zi Yi? Did they completely miss out on Amy Winehouse and her black beehive ‘do or Liz Taylor in her glory days of seduction? All these women have glorious black hair and absolutely none of them can be described as blah or dreary or (gasp, Amy Winehouse?) normal.

Black is beautiful and it can’t be said of anything more than naturally black hair. For one, it’s elegant. Second, it complements the Asian skin tone and gives Asian women an instant one-up. Third, black reflects light and shine easier and prettier than any hair color. Ask any hairstylist and they’ll be itching to tell you just how versatile black hair can be.

Ask Andy Uffels, the Dutch celebrity hairstylist and global ambassador for Pantene who, recently in Bangkok, proved exactly how beautiful shiny, black hair can be. A major backstage force in Paris and Milan fashion week shows, the engaging hairstylist showed off a few hairstyles, to an audience of Asian press and hairstylists, that would look gorgeous on Asian hair. Uffels, who has been doing hair for the fashion week presentations of big name designers such as Kenzo, Yves St. Laurent, Christian Dior and Chloe among many more, was also in Bangkok to help promote Pantene’s newest breakthrough product, the 3 Minute Miracle conditioning treatment, which he claims is an essential before-and-after-step when creating the fab hair looks he presented.

The sleek pullback

There was the sleek ponytail that he once did for a Balmain show that featured a collaboration with the Queen of Thailand. Tied high up on the head, the elegant style had all the hair pulled tightly back from the face and also featured a curved braided detail hanging over the forehead.

How to do it: In an interview with Manila press, Uffel’s assistant Iham Mestour demonstrated the easiest way to achieve the high ponytail. Just divide the hair cross-wise into two sections. Use a comb to tie the lower half in the same line as the ears with a thin elastic band, making sure to keep the ponytail sleek and clean. Go on to the upper half combing it back over the tied lower portion. Use another elastic band to tie this part together, along with the first ponytail. Spritz on light hairspray for a clean finish.

The braided detail is optional and was understood to be, uh, decorative and, hopefully, just for show purposes.

The new wave

Andy Uffels decided to update the wave when he styled the hair of leading Thai actress Noon Wongsawan, Thailand’s endorser for the 3 Minute Miracle treatment (ours is Judy Ann Santos), for the show. Noon’s hair, jet black and luxuriously glossy, is naturally straight. To give it a bit more bounce, Uffels put in it some waves, only this time effecting a finish that cascaded down diagonally and methodically to one side, instead of the usual non-directional fall that wavy hairstyles usually take.

How to do it: Hairstylist Henry Calayag, also a local ambassador for Pantene, explained how this look was achieved. Instead of starting from the bottom up with the curling iron, Uffels started with curling one section of Noon’s hair in the middle and then wrapping the rest of the hair from mid to bottom around the iron. He would do this to other hair sections, all the time starting at a mid-point just a little bit higher than the last to come up with the diagonal slant effect. All the time, the curling iron is kept at about a 45-degree angle.

These two styles, both classy and relatively simple, were dramatically different and just went to show just how much can be done with shiny black hair. Absolutely nothing was mentioned about it being boring.

The black book

Easy-does-it tips on how to keep your hair shiny and healthy-looking:

• According to Colin D’Silva, Procter & Gamble Asia’s associate director for scientific communications, diet plays a vital part in keeping hair healthy and shiny-looking. Food rich in protein and B vitamins such as beef, brown rice and egg whites are essential in keeping hair healthy and strong. Constantly drinking water also helps in preventing hair from looking dry and dull.

• Load up on these two essential fatty acids (EFAs): omega-3 and omega-6 that help condition hair. Omega-3 fats are found mostly in algae, cold-water fish such as tuna, mackerel and salmon, dark-green vegetables, flaxseed oil, hemp oil and pumpkin seed oil.

• Avoid rubbing your hair with a towel after a shower (practice the pat dry technique instead) or back combing. These cause the hair cuticle to fold, causing shine and dullness.

• For quick, stress-free fixes, make Pantene’s 3 Minute Miracle treatment part of your haircare regimen. A once-a-week treatment, this deep-conditioning formula (which comes in a handy capsule) contains unique ingredients that help mimic hair’s natural protective layer of fatty acid called the F-layer, essentially helping restore the hair cuticle. The result is naturally brilliant, smoother, stronger hair in three minutes. That’s like sitting through a commercial break during primetime hour! Just apply to tips of hair that’s just been shampooed and conditioned, leave in for three minutes and then rinse thoroughly.

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