Tress-ful developments
More and more new products are cropping up to add excitement to the hair segment.
SKINCARE companies always seem to have one launch after another, touting new creams and lotions that will do wonders for your skin. But there’s hardly enough buzz going on in the hair scene. Well, that’s about to change, judging from the many new hair care products which have been introduced of late.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. You know how it is ... those with curly locks long for straight, manageable hair while those with straight hair look at those with curls in envy.
For years, I struggled with my own waves and curls. Hairstylists were always surprised when I told them, no, I’ve never permed my hair in my life. They think my curls are a charm as they are not too tightly wound and it’s so easy to style them into soft waves.
On good days, they behave themselves and fall nicely into place, but on bad days, I look like I’ve just stepped in from a typhoon.
A few years ago, I was finally convinced to straighten my hair. Thanks to advances in the hair industry, chemicals used in the straightening process are not so harsh or damaging. Procedures such as “hair relaxing” and “soft rebonding” ensure that straight hair looks soft and natural, and not like it’s just been pressed flat!
On the other hand, it can be hard maintaining your hairstyle if gentler products are used. I found my curls straining against the grain within three months and short of going for another treament, I went back to my tousled “wind-blown” look.
Recently, L’oreal Professionnel launched the X-tenso Care ProKeratin Straightening care range that’s designed to specifically care for hair that’s undergone chemical straightening, to protect and reconstruct hair fibre.
Members of the media were invited to “test drive” the products at Cu’s and Do’s, a hair salon located at Solaris Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. Scott, head stylist and owner of the salon, explained that chemically treated hair could become sensitised over time. When this happens, hair becomes coarse, fragile, dull, lacking in density and difficult to shape.
After the X-tenso treatment, my hair was soft and voluminous, without any of the limp, lifeless feel normally associated with a straight hairstyle. Instead, it looked healthy, glossy and well-hydrated.
The new range is said to work best when paired with the X-tenso Moisturist (a straightening product from the same range) which is intensely nourishing (Nutri Cationic).
Hair straightened with Thioglycolate needs customised professional care to look into volume control, hair breakage and hydrated fibres.
The Care Straight range has a fusion of two reconstructive technologies – Pro-keratine and Incell – that looks into the interior as well as exterior of hair fibres. The ProKeratin Extra Cuticular Reparation contains three amino acids that help strengthen hair fibres, while Incell Intra Cuticular Reinforcement contains ceramide cement that penetrates deep into the hair cuticle to fill fragile areas and promote reparation.
The X-tenso Care NutriReconstructor Pre-treatment helps to protect chemically treated hair before application of chemical straightening products. The X-tenso Care Nutri-reconstructor Shampoo with anti-dryness action gently cleans chemically treated hair. Hair lipid levels are restored, giving maximum shine and deep nutrition.
The hair masque serves to repair and nourish the hair, while the serum gives long lasting glossy shine and prevents external damage. For home care maintenance, the shampoo and serum are recommended.
Hungry hair
Imagine yummy hot fudge trickling down your throat and tantalising your senses. Except it’s not for your consumption, it’s for your hair.
In another “hair-tonishing” event, media members were pampered with a colour treatment at A Cut Above in KL, owned by hair maestro Winnie Loo. Deft hands from the salon worked expertly to bring life to dull and listless tresses.
The stylists used the new L’oreal Professionnel Serie Nature sulfatefree Rich Macadamia Shampoo which is said to preserve the lipidic film of the hair. The fudge in question was Macadamia Masque, mixed with cataplasme to create an ultra nourishing airy fudge, used to moisturise the hair and nurture it back to a healthier state. The macadamia range contains macadamia oil that’s easily absorbed, said to have a restructuring effect, strengthening the film formed by lipids on the skin and hair, and improving hair hydration.
The highlight of the treatment was a hot towel treatment which included a Shiatsu massage aimed at inducing a relaxed state of mind.
Another star product that day was the L’oreal Professionnnel Mythic Oil, a lightweight intensely nourishing oil said to be packed with vitamins and essential acids for the hair, found in a blend of ingredients such as grape seed and avovado oil.
What was unique about the oil was that it could be mixed with the colour of choice, to enhance the hue and nourish the hair.
After shampooing and drying, the Mythic Oil was applied from the ends to the crown so that it penetrated to the cuticles. Hair dyeing tends to dry out hair follicles but for once, I didn’t get that dry and coarse feeling that normally happens after a colouring session.
Look out also for a new name that’s making waves in the hair market called Matrix. It offers Sensoria Care, a unique spa collection claimed to restore nutrients to dry and damaged hair, which can be used together with massage techniques to release stress and tension. Enriched with apricot oil and antioxidants, Sensoria has a fruity floral fragrance, and is touted to leave hair feeling light, soft and shiny.
The brand also offers Opti. Straight, an easy-two-step conditioning straightening system that is said to leave hair silky straight and healthier-looking. It contains Anionic Smoothing Cream which has a lower ph level compared with ordinary hair care products, said to reduce hair damage. The key ingredient, Ammonium Thioglycolate, gives hair a permanent smoothing effect.
Then there’s the Cationic Neutralizer, a cationic agent containing silicone that’s supposed to add suppleness to hair and protect it from heat. Together, the products work to soften hair and reduce frizziness.
Matrix was founded in 1980 by Arnie Miller, one of the favourite hairdressers among Hollywood celebrities such Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly, Farah Fawcett, Al Pacino, Cher and Barbara Streisand.
The brand first started in the United States with the launch of its first hair colouration products, So.color, which became the favourite choice of hair colourists in the United States.
In 2000, the L’oreal Group took over Matrix and further strengthened the group’s professional product division in the salon industry along with its stable that includes brands like Kerastase, L’oreal Professional and Redken.
Today, Matrix is available in more than 57 countries and used in more than 250,000 salons worldwide.