Rowena Wendy's posts with tag: hair
Yes, it's officially day 2 of my haircut and wouldn't you know... it withstood the shampoo test. Usually I'd come out of a salon looking perfect because of the blowdrying and styling that occurs after the cut, well I also told Alex that when I go home and wash my hair it instantly reverts back into an unmanageable mess. Well, this particular cut actually became more tame and manageable AFTER I shampooed and dried my hair on my own -- and my hair LOOKS like hair, not the rebonding nightmare from a few years back. Will wonders never cease... 
 Last November 2006, I was lucky enough to be chosen for Girlfriend magazine makeover -- which entailed a cut and full coloring service from Nikki Bacay of Traffic Salon using Schwarzkopf products. The results were amazing, and after several months, I wanted more color but wasn't quite ready to cough out 5k for it. I got a L'oreal Feria Color 3D kit in Pear Blossom from Preview magazine and decided to try it out for myself. Since I had given up rebonding a few years back, my hair wasn't chemically treated anymore and I could actually use those L'oreal home coloring kits. I followed the package directions and ended up with the nice color which was quite evident in my Yummy Magazine appearance. Not bad for a DYI job! If I can do it, so can anyone... haha. I did read somewhere before though that Feria isn't recommended for chemically treated (i.e. permed, relaxed, straightened, rebonded) hair. 
left picture: haircut by Kaori Yokoi of Shuji Kida Salon last July 29, 2007 right picture: haircut by Alex Carbonell of Propaganda Salon yesterday, Sept. 24, 2007 I've found a great hair cutter / stylist in Nikki Bacay of Traffic Salon, but the kikay in me still wants to experiment and test various waters. Last year Summit stylist Pia Rojas recommended I go to Alex Carbonell of Propaganda -- and yes, it's been on my to-do-list since. Alas I met Kaori Yokoi of Shuji Kida Salon earlier on because of my hubby's quest for a Japanese hairstyle so I had my hair cut by her first. My take on the two cuts? On Kaori: Hmmm, I was kind of disappointed since she only cut the very edges and tips of my hair. She said she was fixing the extreme layering of my last cut (which incidentally is by Nikki Bacay of Traffic Salon). She said though that since the rough edges are gone, my hair should feel better. I was impressed with her blowdrying style, she used her fingers for most part and didn't stretch my hair taut as is the usual practice in most salons (yes, she did everything herself except shampooing!). She also didn't skimp on the conditioning products she used on my hair. Kaori said she can do more to my hair if I have the back part magnetically straightened by her. After my cut, it looked as if I didn't really have a cut... and I paid a hefty 2.5k pesos for it too. On Alex: As I've mentioned earlier, Alex comes highly recommended by Ms. Pia Rojas and Pia has seen firsthand how difficult to style and unmanageable my hair can be. "Kayang-kaya ni Alex yan!" Okay, that sounded promising. Don't know why it took me almost a year to finally pay Alex a visit. Anyways Alex saw my hair and was perfectly calm (unlike many other stylists in the past who would go into a panic). He's such a nice, accomodating guy -- very easy to talk to. Anyways Alex chopped off about 4-5 inches of bone dry hair and gave me bangs! Wow, I haven't worn bangs in more than a decade. Blowdrying is a science here too -- not the usual pull your hair taut method. Alex gave me pointers on how to blowdry so that my hair wouldn't look buhaghag. Anyways the above picture is the result... and it set me back 1.2k pesos. Both Shuji Kida and Propaganda salons are immaculately clean and have excellent service. Shuji Kida Hair Salon
G/F City Center Bldg.
338 Ortigas Ave., Greenhills, San Juan
7269928
Propaganda Salon
3/F Greenbelt Mall 1
Paseo de Roxas, Makati City
8934098
 I use a wide array of hair products -- everything from daily conditioners, leave-in treatments, and anti-frizz serums. Even if some of them claim to leave no residue, using them on a daily basis really weighs down my hair. Without using a clarifying shampoo at least once a week, my hair feels like it's thickly coated with something. It becomes lackluster and no longer responsive to my daily rituals.
I bought Thermasilk Clarifying Shampoo from Hi-Top Supermarket several months ago and really felt the difference after using it. My hair felt so clean and fresh, ready to take on anything again. I ran out of it some time ago and it took me around a month before I could buy a bottle again -- just yesterday. My hair felt so icky until last night when I was finally able to shampoo away all the residue. There is a down side though, this shampoo is so effective it can leave your hair on the dry side so I bought a Thermasilk Moisture-Infusing Conditioner to counteract that.
Thermasilk Clarifiying Shampoo comes in a 400ml bottle and costs around 196 pesos at Hi-Top Supermarket.
 My hubby decided to get a haircut at Shuji Kida Hair Salon at the City Center Bldg. on Ortigas Ave. (where Bench's Fix Salon is also located). He's somewhat obsessed with the Japanese look for his hair, and he told me to get a cut from the Creative Director Kaori Yokoi who used to be based at Shuji Kida's Beverly Hills outlet. Kaori charges 2.5k pesos for women's cuts and 2k pesos for men's cut. What the hell. I decided to take the plunge.
But wait, it wasn't that simple. Being the true professional that she is, Kaori first took a good look at my hair -- analyzing the texture, shape, condition... everything. That was a first for me. When I went to Propaganda Salon before and got Jing Monis to make my hair over it ended in disaster since he completely disregarded my hair's texture and gave me his signature layered cut which works only for naturally straight hair. Sure enough after I shampooed and the effects of Propaganda's blow-drying wore off, I was stuck with an unrecognizable fluff which was supposed to be my hair.
Kaori asked me questions like when my last haircut was, if I wanted to get my hair straightened, etc. After much thought Kaori told me I had two choices: either I grow my hair out for the next 5-6 months (she needed more hair to work with a new style for me) or partially undergo Shuji Kida's exclusive magnetic hair straightening procedure (just for the back portion of my hair) to give her the length she needs. She said that with my present hair she can't do anything style-wise. She told me to think it over and give her a call when I decide. Kaori's there everyday except Tuesday.
I was really impressed by Ms. Yokoi's professionalism. She was completely honest with me, she didn't jump the gun nor promise the moon and stars just so the salon would have some business... and she knew I was ready to spring for her 2.5k peso haircut.
Anyways I'm still thinking it over, but whatever I decide I'm definitely getting my next haircut from Ms. Kaori Yokoi of Shuji Kida Hair Salon. You can call Shuji Kida Hair Salon at 7269928. The place is so immaculate and sports this totally zen atmosphere to boot. Regular cuts from their Shuji Kida-trained Filipino staff costs 400 pesos for men and 600 pesos for women. A cut from Shuji Kida himself will set you back 6k pesos.
For more on Shuji Kida the man, visit http://www.kidacollage.com/shuji_kida.html
I'll definitely review this salon when I finally get my cut!
 I've long since abandoned hair rebonding because I can't stand having it done 2-3 times a year just so I can let my hair down. I really, really hate it when the wavy roots grow out and the rest of your hair is stick straight.
I got a good cut from Nikki Bacay of Traffic Salon and just let my hair be with its natural texture -- which is thick, coarse, and a bit wavy (the waves got tamer after having two kids though for some reason). But I still need to use a bit of styling products to make it fit for letting down, and L'oreal Studio Line Hot Straight is one of those I've tried (the bottle on the left).
L'oreal Studio Line Hot Straight is a cream that you're supposed to use when you want to iron or blow-dry your hair straight. I'm not into doing those either since I don't have the time nor patience. I just want something that will help me tame my mane. Many online reviews already affirm that Hot Straight will make your hair poker straight until your next shampoo when used with a straightening iron or hair dryer. I wanted to try it for a different purpose.
The Hot Straight cream smells fruity and has a rich lotion-like consistency. The instructions say to use a nut-sized amount for your whole head, and I say a chestnut-sized amount to be exact. You work it through your damp hair from roots to tips and then blow dry. When hair is fully dry, that's when you iron or do whatever it takes to heat-straighten it. That's how you're supposed to use Hot Straight.
For my purposes, I work in a chestnut-size amount through my hair and then brush it to the direction I want while drying it with a blower. The result? Behaved hair with body. That's the marvel of this product -- it's actually non-sticky and non-greasy unlike most anti-frizz, hair-taming products. It's like not putting anything on your hair -- incredible!
**Note: My hair is color-treated and has loose natural waves and underwent no chemical straightening procedure whatsoever. I can't vouch for how this product will work on rebonded, relaxed, or straightened hair.
 I've always wondered what it's like to get a hair treatment from a spa, since my hubby and son are still away and my little girl takes afternoon naps I decided to do it Easter Sunday afternoon. I went to The Spa at the Podium and decided to try the Moor Spa Hair and Scalp Treatment. It costs 1k pesos, about the same price as hair treatments from reputable salons. Moor Spa is a brand of spa products derived from Austrian black mud, you can check it out at http://www.moorspa.com. The treatment started with the therapist asking me to sit on one of the lazy boy recliners with a towel under my head. She then massaged the back of my neck and shoulders. Then she put what she called "complete oil" on my hair and massaged my scalp and forehead. The oil would keep the mud from sticking to my scalp later on. She also massaged my head with something she called a "tension balm", it was mentholated and felt very cool and refreshing. Then she also put another kind of oil called "hair revitalizer" (or was it "hair vitality" -- I can't recall exactly) and massaged again. After all the oils, she combed in the Moor Spa black mud and covered every strand with it. My hair was then exposed to steam for the next 15 minutes. After steaming, she made sit up and once again massaged my shoulders and a bit of my back. She then handed me two small vials of Moor Spa shampoo and conditioner (both of which smelled exotic). I was asked to take a shower to remove all the oils and mud from my hair. It was a nice experience overall, The Spa branch at Podium is immaculate -- spotlessly clean and very well-designed. The staff are extremely helpful and courteous. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I not been stressed by all the scampering back and forth from Podium to Megamall due to Powerbooks' Easter Egg Decoration Contest... Did it do anything to improve my hair? Well my hair does feel more moisturized, but I think the effect will last a few days tops. You can call The Spa in Podium at 6388588.
 The last time I got my hair done was back in November 28, 2006, when Girlfriend magazine had me made over at Traffic Salon by it's creative director/chief stylist Nikki Bacay. My hair was cut, colored, and highlighted and for the first time I could actually wear it down without getting it rebonded. I was very happy with the results but not so much with the pics that came out in the magazine and so you're not going to see any of those posted here any time soon.
It's been 3 months since then and well my hair had gotten very dry, to the point that it was crunchy. Yes, crunchy. I set an appt. with Nikki at Traffic Salon (he's harder to schedule these days because he's getting popular, he did Pia Guanio's hair for Marie Claire's Feb 07 cover and Teresa Herrera's hair for Mega's March 07 cover among many other magazine jobs). He recommended some sort of treatment for my crunchy hair which involved sitting under a digital machine with hot air for the first part and cold air to seal it all in during the last part. Then he took out his magic scissors and cut away. And voila... my hair is alive again!!!
Traffic Salon's Nikki Bacay is the ONLY stylist who has ever worked with my hair's natural texture. I've been to the so-called best of them -- Jing Monis himself of Propaganda, Cut by Rodger Craig (now known as Symmetria, I also went in and tried Symmetria), Basement Salon in Rockwell...
One of these days I'll have to give a full review of Traffic Salon. This pic here was taken as soon as I got home.
I had my Girlfriend Magazine Beauty Makeover at Traffic Salon last night, and Lord knows I really needed it having been stuck with the same ponytail for the last 3-4 years. I wanted a change.
Anyways I submitted myself to chief stylist Nikki Bacay of Traffic Salon and gave him free reign on my hair. I admit I felt scared when he started chopping off long strands of hair but what the hell, I was really sick of having my hair rebonded for several hours only to have the wavy roots grow back after a few months. I postively abhor the wavy-root-straight-ends look, ewww. And so I just ended up tying everything back into a ponytail.
Nikki wanted to work with what I had, which is good, so he gave me a super layered cut which works with the waves -- I didn't think it was possible I swear. He also colored and highlighted my hair in about 3-4 different shades using Schwarzkopf products. Wheee! I was a new creature! I love it. So easy light and easy to maintain. Too bad I forgot my camera. I'll just post the pics from the Dec-Jan issue of Girlfriend some time later.
Oh and another thing I loved was meeting the staff! They are such a nice group of people -- even head honcho Gina Abuyuan was there, talk about hands-on! I met Gina, Nikki, Diona, Janis, and Bev so they are no longer just names on the mag but actual people I know. I just hope Girlfriend comes out on time by 2007. I hate having to wait until the third week of the month just to get a copy.
| |
