Manila's celebrity hair stylist in Cebu

Louvin' the Male Touch

Picture a guy at his late 20's - lean, with a deep voice and spiky, well-styled and light-colored hair plus tattooed arms. You might think he's an artist, musician or working in any other masculine occupation, right? My thoughts exactly the first time I saw Jhovy Ibañez.

What seems odd about it was when I saw him in a place dominated by women - a salon! I had this niggling urge of getting adventurous with my hairstyle last month and decided to have this done at a place relatively new to me at the time but was highly recommended by friends. You can say that I got tired of the old salons and thought that none of them can give me the drastic change I badly wanted. "Go to XSalon in Banilad and look for Jovy. He's really good!" were words by a friend that hummed in my head for quite sometime before I finally decided to make a go of it.

And that was exactly what I did. Xsalon's ambiance was better than I expected. As soon as I stepped in, charming ladies including the manager of the hair, facial, day spa and slimming center, Ms. Joan Abellana, warmly greeted me. The place had such a classy feel to it that it made me check on the prices for the services I wanted. Such slight differences on prices that I had been used to in other salons made me smile even more. Then came the request for the "infamous" Jhovy.

My eyes scanned for the conventional hair stylist image, but was very much surprised to have been introduced to such a masculine figure. I actually thought he was one of their clients! You could just imagine my facial expression at the moment. However, after a short chat with him on hairstyles and color, I somehow felt I could trust this stylist from Manila. "Akong bahala sa 'yo," were his reassuring words to me before we both waltzed into the salon from the receiving area. The next hour or so was filled with anticipation as Jhovy did his work. After stroking my hair and giving preparation instructions to his junior assistant, I was convinced the guy had skills! He looked at my hair as if he was about to complete a masterpiece - and he did. How amazed I was with the results! The change was dramatic!

Loung List of Celebrity Clients

I began interviewing him and learned that he had been a hair stylist in Manila since 1997. Jhovy had been trained under one of the foremost masters of hairstyling, Henry Calayan. Think of Gretchen Barretto's simple yet classic hairstyles, and Angel Jacob and Pia Guanio's chic and fashionable dos. Yup! He had been doing their hairstyles prior to his recent move to Cebu. His reasons for transfer? "Ayokong makipagsabayan sa ibang hairstylists doon. I want to make a name for myself at sa dami ng stylists sa Manila, I'm sure matagalan bago ako makilala," he explained.

Showbiz is not new to this 27-year-old stylist from Samar and father of two kids. Fans of the Streetboys would easily recognize him as a member of one of the most popular dance groups back in the 90's. This background had given him the ease he needed to deal with other stars in his recently chosen profession. Pops Fernandez, Jaya and Rica Paralejo have been added to his long list of regular celebrity clients, which he shared, were no different from his other common clients in terms of treatment. He had to admit, though, that there were some who were more painstaking, fussy and meticulous; requesting to have their hair redone a different style after he had worked on them for hours.

When asked for reasons in choosing such a peculiar career, he answered, "Happy lang ako. I'm at ease with what I do. My friends understand naman. I love the art and the challenge of making women look their best."

Look and Feel Like A Star!

According to Ms. Joan, Jhovy has gained a large and continually growing array of satisfied clients in Cebu. I have added myself to that circle. He takes so much pride in what he is doing. Being all man, he knows exactly what men's idea of beauty is. That's what makes him different! With the explosive combination of talent, skill and passion in what he's doing, I am certain that the rave reviews and good reputation he so aspires to gain in Cebu will come to him in no time!

Now, it's my turn to say this: To my female readers, just strut to XSalon and look for Jhovy. Go and get that celebrity hairstyle and look your best only from this expert. I definitely guarantee it!

Special thanks to Ms. Lalaine Espiritu, owner of XSalon, Ms. May Joan Abellana and everyone at XSalon for the wonderful smiles and tremendous pampering I've been getting at the center.