Choosing a good hairdresser

I have been through quite a few hairdressers in my time, and I am really quite fussy about my hair. However, the most recent hairdresser I’ve visited is, in my mind, one of the best I’ve ever been to.The simple reason for liking my current hairdresser is the fact that my hair looks as good out of the salon and after a self wash and air dry, as it does just after he has worked his magic on it.

In my previous experience, I used to notice that whilst my hair looked good right after my hair cut, in a couple of hours, or after I’d washed it the following day, it’d fall back into a previous style of its own. When I asked my then hairdresser how to maintain the style, he told me it was all about using styling products, to keep my style in shape. So, I indulged in these styling products but found they mostly weighed down my hair and I prefer my hair to swing free.

So, when I moved, and subsequently changed hairdressers, I found that my current hairdresser used a minimum of styling products on my hair. In fact, all he’d use would be a little slick of hair gloss and that was it. My hair would swing free and light but remain in its blown out style for at least 2 days so long as I did not wash it. Once I did wash it, I could replicate the blown out style to a degree at home, and my hair would always look just like how it looked the first day it was cut.

This was an eye opener for me. Thus, my personal pointers to watch out for when choosing a hairdresser is:

• It is all about the cut -Â The way he cuts the hair allows it to fall into its desired style even after a hair wash at home and with air-drying. It must therefore be a good cut.
• Whether your style is held up by styling products or because its a good cut - My hair doesn’t feel like a helmet and weighed down with styling products and I feel like a super model walking out of the salon. The only tools of my hairdresser’s styling is a good cut and his hairdryer.
• No hidden charges - My previous hairdresser would charge a basic fee for a cut and wash, then tack on other charges for use of branded shampoos or hair treatments. When I go to my current hairdresser, the price I see is the price I’m charged at the end. RM70 for a wash and cut for women and RM50 for men.

The hair salon I presently go to is De Headline Salon (Tel: 03-2142 0515) at Low Yat Plaza in Kuala Lumpur. It is on the UG floor on a side lane after a money changer and is next to a slimming salon. The decor is quite eclectic but the staff are friendly. My stylist is Thomas who I know I will frequent for a long long time. He is so popular, you need to make an appointment in advance and turn up on time or risk having to wait a long time. If finding a good hairdresser that works for you is like entering into a relationship, I’ve found my prince charming!

In fact, my family and friends are now using him too based on my recommendations and everyone loves his touch. Awesome!

Can ingredients in hair products cause acne?

I’d been battling a losing battle with blemishes and acne for the past month and a half. I’d never really had perfect smooth skin but I’d stopped getting breakouts too. I’m getting too old for having a face full of acne! So, I was at quite a loss last month when my whole face inexplicably broke out. Not only was I getting hard painful acne, I was also getting lots and lots of bumps under my skin which were horrid. My forehead, where I don’t get many spots, was a mess as were my cheeks.

I initially thought it was a skin product I was trying out so I stopped using it. Instead of going away, I kept getting one bump after another on my skin and it really bugged me.

That was until I was reading some reviews online and came across a user of Tresemme hair conditioner who loved how soft the conditioner made her hair, but said that it caused her to get body acne. That got me thinking. What if the skin problems I was facing was not to do with skincare but with the Tresemme conditioner I was using? I gave it a rave review previously, but I’d never thought it might affect the skin.

My hair conditioner was finishing, so I decided to stop instead of restocking, just to see if my gut feeling was right. I went instead for Himalaya Herbals Protein Conditioner which I have also reviewed.

Within 3 days of stopping my Tresemme conditioner, I realised I was not getting any new spots. Within a week, and with a little help from my trusty apple cider vinegar toner, my skin is now almost back to the way it was i.e. relatively smooth, with no new blemishes or spots. I’m very happy about that.

However, it got me wondering about why the Tresemme conditioner would cause my skin to break out. I’ve never had a hair product do this to me before. It could be because I wash my hair everyday so I am exposed to the product a lot and something in it did not agree with me.

Either way, I seem to have isolated the hair conditioner as the cause of my traumatic month-long battle with problem skin and I’m working on clearing it up now, with great success.

Have you had a hair product break you out before?

Review: Himalaya Herbals Protein Conditioner

I was wanting for a hair conditioner again after my last one (Tresemme) finished. Hair conditioner is always one of the fastest things to finish in my experience especially in relation to shampoo.

Anyway, for all the goodness of Tresemme, I wanted a change as I suspected that the conditioner might be causing some unwanted acne, so I thought to try another brand so I could test my theory out.

I settled for Himalaya Herbals Protein Conditioner for normal hair. According to their sites (there are 2 sites Himalaya Herbals and Himalaya Herbal Healthcare) is a range of 100% natural and safe products with rare herbs collected from the foothills of the Himalayas hence the name. They have been around since 1930 and that’s a really long time.

This Protein promises to condition hair and nourish with natural proteins from Chickpea for the nourishment and health of your hair, Jasmine for the nourishment of hair and Thistle which promotes hair growth and prevents premature graying of hair.

I found the texture thick and creamy which is nice as it coats the hair well after washing. You don’t have to use very much unlike other conditioners. After leaving it on for a few minutes and then rinsing it out, my hair feels light and soft. It doesn’t tangle when I comb through and when it dries, it doesn’t feel heavy.

All in all, as a drugstore hair conditioner, I think it works amazingly well. I only have one gripe. The smell.

The hair conditioner smells of jasmine. I know of people who like the smell of jasmine so this won’t bother them. But for those who don’t like the smell, it can be a bit strong. It does wear off when it gets dry though. The smell lingers for a bit, but it gets less bothersome.

This brand can be found at most pharmacies and also at supermarkets and standalone Himalaya Herbals stores in selected locations. This bottle cost RM17.90 for400ml.

Pros: Leaves hair soft and smooth, Cheap

Cons: Strong Jasmine smell

Rating:

Losing sleep over hair loss?

I read in a magazine article once, that hair loss may not only be linked to the food you eat, but may be hereditary. So, your genes, or rather, your parents’ genes will determine if you are prone to losing your hair early.

So, everyone who’s ever been warned against eating too much instant noodles because it will cause you to lose your hair may now rest easy. There might be something in there though, because instant noodles aren’t the healthiest of food, and eating it exclusively will not give you much nutrition, thereby causing your hair to lose its lustre and to get weak and fall out or break easily. Pay notice the next time you fall sick. You will notice that when your body needs the nutrition, your skin and hair will be the first to go.

If you are worried about your hair, or going bald, take a look first at your parents. If they don’t bald or lose hair early, chances are, you won’t too. But if they are balding or losing hair early then take note. But there’s no need to suffer in silence these days with technology allowing for hair treatments or Hair Transplant . If you feel worried, check with a trichologist. Unlike a psychologist that messes around with your head, the trichologist only messes with your hair.