The future of hair care

Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your long hair," cried Prince Charming in the ever-popular bedtime story about another helpless princess trapped away in a dark tower by an evil witch jealous of her unparalleled beauty. Indeed, the story’s another typical fairy tale but chuck the apple, glass slipper, and spinning wheel. The staple in this saga is hair and lots of it – long, golden, flowing straight to the ground from a 12-storey tower, and strong enough for a wizened old hag and handsome young prince to climb up on.

When I was younger and still believed that stories like "Rapunzel," "Sleeping", "Beauty," and "Cinderella" were true I used to imagine what it would be like to have hair that I could swing out through my second-story window so that my friends could sneak into the house.

I think every young girl at some point in her life believes that women should have long hair and men should have short hair. It’s a weird sort of mentality that falls right in with "semi-formal always means dresses." As you grow, you realize that hair is a personal choice and you should go with a style that suits you and is practical as well.

As for me, well I’ve gone through the full cycle of hairstyles and trends. I’ve had long hair, short hair, shoulder-length hair. I’ve permed my hair, waved my hair, straightened my hair, relaxed my hair (I skipped re-bonding but have definitely considered it). I colored my hair, cellophaned my hair, and gone through countless hot oil sessions. I think I’ve gone through every hair process available on the market and what have I learned after all this? That natural is truly best! I’ve ditched colorants and finally re-grown my natural hair with its natural shade and now I steer clear of trends and stick to quality products that cleanse and beautify my mane naturally.

Certainly, with this new and improved mind frame I’ve become far more discerning with parlor treatments and hair products and select only those I truly believe are good for my tresses. And with that in mind I carefully purchased quality products that have remained in my shower for years and cleanse and strengthen my long thick layers. These products belong to the popular hair care line of Kérastase Paris.

I recommend all the products in this hair care line to anyone who seriously wants to keep their crowning glory healthy, shiny, and beautiful. The brand has been on the market for a while now and is dedicated to hair care maintenance at its best. Kérastase was founded in 1964 when L’Oreal developed a segment of the market that at that time had remained untapped: hair hygiene. They developed a line of products that were sold exclusively in hairdressing salons and had a single slogan: Caring for hair means making it beautiful. Fast forward to 2004 and Kérastase is still a mainstay in parlors and bathrooms all over the city (mine included) and continues making firsts in the hair care industry.

Kérastase launched another first in the salon industry. In collaboration with Franck Provost Manila, L’Oreal Philippines opened the first Kérastase Hair Spa at the Franck Provost salon on Jupiter Street. I went to check out this innovative first and it indeed promises to be a truly great salon experience and the future of high-tech hair care. The Kérastase Hair Spa is equipped with the latest technology including a session with a thorough and informative hair and scalp diagnosis software and the latest hair care techniques from Paris. It’s truly a haven for any salon discriminating client. You can enjoy chromotherapy shampoo chairs by Maletti designed by the famous Philippe Starck, relaxing music and a soothing ambience for your personalized head and scalp massage all conducted by trained Kérastase ambassadors, namely Alvin de Guzman, Zeny Vallano, Edgar Montana, Digna Solis, Marvin Bituin, and Joseph Aballe.

"It’s definitely something new," L’Oreal’s Angelique Villaraza told me when I arrived at the fabulously designed Kérastase Hair Spa last Tuesday. "After your hair and scalp analysis our highly trained staff can give you the personalized treatment that will address your troubles and your hair care needs."

And she hit the nail right on the head. As I marveled at the sleek and avant-garde design, I went through a hair and scalp analysis that magnified my scalp and hair strands and allowed the stylist to see my problem areas thereby helping her determine which products would best help address them. she recommended the Kérastase Oleo-Relax line (Surprise surprise: my hair is just as stressed out as I am!) and Kérastase ambassador Joseph Aballe proceeded to wash, massage, and dry my hair with the sweet smelling Oleo-Relax shampoo, conditioner, and leave-on spray. It was a fabulous and incredibly relaxing experience that left my hair soft, smooth, and sweet-smelling. Something I imagine Rapunzel might have said about her own legendary mane.

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hat’s on your mind? Drop me a line at aquamarine_tranquility@yahoo.com.