No 'Poo Hair Care

My hair and scalp went haywire and this was due to an overabundance of chemical buildup on my scalp from chemical treatments, residues, as well as dirt and sweat. Aside from dry, parchy hair, my scalp was in an embarassing state of flaking and I would see some red, irritated patches. It would also itch and sometimes, I would see rough eczema patches on my left ear and my neck. I planned to color my hair for the Holidays but with my hair in this situation, hair color might make it worse. So just like being supersaturated with the toxicity of social media that we unfollow, my hair had to go on forced detox.

This detox didn't mean that I should stop washing my hair because that would be gross. So what to use to clean my hair? DIY 'poo-free shampoo, meaning a shampoo that's free of sulfates, silicones, and all these chemicals my hair is already quota na with. You can make your own shampoo with a few things. Some of them can even be found in your own kitchen such as apple cider vinegar, olive oil, VCO, water (distilled), baking soda, lemon juice, etc. As natural as it can get with ingredients that are easily pronounced and uncomplicated.

For my DIY chemical-free shampoo, I googled recipes with ingredients that are not hard to find. I found a recipe that uses castile soap. Since castile soap would be too harsh for my colored hair, I found another soap/shampoo base alternative - Coconut Oil soap, which I purchased from Naoe, a local online shop that sells raw materials to make your own DIY home and body care products. Coconut oil soap can both be used as soap/shower gel and shampoo. The ingredients for this soap base are just water, coconut oil, and vegetable glycerin.

Naoe essential oils  for my DIY products, prouldy local

To make my no 'poo shampoo smell better, I use essential oils, which made my hair product (and other things I can make on my own) smell better and more spa-like Even before essential oils became a thing, I've been using them just in my air purifier or burning them in my oil burner (I got one as a wedding favor from a wedding that I did many years ago). It was mostly for aromatherapy really but I didn't know these oils had awesome uses aside from smelling good. Naoe also has essential oils (starting at Php 180) but you can also purchase essential oils from Ilog Maria, which is also the same that they use to make their soaps.

DIY shower gel ingredients

The procedure to make this is simple. All I had to do was combine coconut oil soap base, almond oil (or jojoba oil) for moisture,  lemon EO, rosemary EO, and peppermint EO (peppermint feels so good and soothing on my scalp. Not to mention I smell like a Christmas candy cane after). Topped this with distilled water and gave it a good shake and I'm ready with my shampoo. I sometimes follow up with an ACV rinse (a 1:1 ratio of apple cider vinegar and distilled water) to balance the pH of my scalp. If there's no ACV, a squeeze of lemon or juice from two calamansi would do the trick just fine. I actually prefer the latter because the ACV smell still lingers even though very mildly.

We can purchase bottles to store our DIY care from Beabi, True Value, or The Oil Lifestyle. The Oil Lifestyle also has mini funnels (Php 18 for a pack of 2) if you would want to make small batches of these products. 

going hipster with pastel labels

A little over a week into this and I've noticed that my scalp does not itch even if I didn't wash it in the morning. There's no more eczema on my hairline and ear and the flakes slowly disappeared as the days went on. My hair doesn't have that gross "hasn't been washed" smell or feel. I do not itch after a workout, even a sweaty Corewell session. Also, less hairfall when I brush or blow dry my hair.

a literal I-woke-up-like-this look daily

There's one con to this DIY product though: How my hair feels. It may smell really great and my scalp and ears are so behaved but my hair was in a state of stickiness. I thought I totally murdered my hair at the expense of my scalp but when I googled about it, it was actually a period of my hair detoxing and going through a withdrawal phase from all the chemicals it has been used to -all the silicon coatings, the chemical buildup, and my scalp producing more sebum than it should thinking my hair is so dry. It does go away though.

To make me look less like Professor Snape, I periodically brush my hair to redistribute the oils so they don't get stuck at the roots. This made my hair look smoother and shinier instead of taong grasa waves. Blowdrying in a cool setting also helps it "set" better after a shower. If I still look horrible, I just tie my hair and no one notices my roots.

I didn't have that "detox" period on my skin though as my skin loved the DIY shower gel. It was great for a nighttime bath since I scented it with lavender, ylang ylang, and frankincense. My hair rebelled though when I used it as a shampoo but this is my chemical-dependent hair still undergoing a detox.

The fun part though was making other things from the raw materials. I made my own linen spray when I ran out of linen spray (a mix of witch hazel, lavender, and distilled water) which also served as a dusting spray and since these are so mild ingredients, I used them also to tame my greasy hair.

A DIY spray for home and even hair

I also noticed that my hands do not crack as much with these DIY home care products or do my nails break like crazy from harsh chemicals (I do wear gloves just in case). Since I have pets, I steer clear of EOs that are not good for pets and give a good rinsing on  surfaces and keep my materials away from them. I also make sure that I do not use phototoxic oils on surfaces that would be exposed to sunlight. Caution should always be exercised and if an oil is not safe due to allergies or whatever, it's best to stop using it.

I do would like to continue using DIY skin and home care, even the DIY shampoo. The shampoo though isn't for me to do so forever, but I can use it on the occasion that I would want to go on a detox. I can continue on using my DIY home care, knowing that linen and dusting sprays can cost so much money when I can make something on my own.  I should also remember to make small batches since these, being freshly made in my own kitchen usually do not last longer in storage than commercial products. I can try mixing different blends too, to match my mood. Any blends for me to try out?


Store Directory

Beabi
www.beabi.com.ph; facebook.com/ilovebeabi; instagram.com/ilovebeabi

Ilog Maria
www.ilogmaria.com; 

Naoe
available at Retail lab Glorietta and Ayala at the 30th and The Park, Shangri-La Plaza
www.naoe.ph; facebook.com/naoe.ph; instagram.com/naoe.ph

The Oil Lifestyle
facebook.com/oilifestyle; instagram.com/oilifestyle/

Bouncy Hair with Pantene Nature Care

oh yeah, it rhymes. woord! 

I love my hair and its unruliness. Back then, I used to like wrestle with a blowdryer and an iron to weigh my hair to flat straightness when it's effortless to everyone. Ten years later, I've accepted that it's what it is - long, thick, and wavy and effortlessly that way. I love how it easily curls and I don't need to comb it to get that out-of-bed look. Since I love my hair so much, I take good care of it, the low-maintenance way, that is to keep it clean all the time.

I thank Pantene for sending me over some goodies over the weekend from their latest line, Nature Care, which I'm really excited to try (as soon as I finish the big bottle of Pantene that I bought, the one that has a pump dispenser. See? Told you I love the brand). Thank you Pantene, and my brushes thank you too! Just like our skin, there are different types of shampoos created  for different people, since we all have different hair types and needs. For example, if hair is fine and limp and needs a bit of oomph, bring it back to life with Fullness and Life

"Fullness and life is designed for the Filipina who can't get enough of beautiful hair with volume. Even with volume, she still wants hair that is manageable or no 'buhaghag' ."

Big, beautiful hair, how can we go wrong? I love my big hair. I think it looks great when I do headflips and it's a staple in magazine covers and Victoria's Secret runway shows.  This big hair means big hair with awesomeness, and not hair all over the place that looks matted and dry making me reminiscent of the crazy cat lady in The Simpsons (I know, I am a crazy cat lady but my hair doesn't have to say it). Pantene Nature Care Fullness and Life Shampoo cleanses hair while giving it some nourisihing complex. Just like the name "Nature Care", it takes inspiration from mother nature with elements like avocado oil, grapeseed extract, and bamboo. To prevent frizz, especially for curly girls like me,  the conditioner will make it look prettier and more manageable.

For those who want a little tamer side of life, Smoothness and Life will make hair smooth and sleek without looking dry, flat, and dull, as that sometimes happens when I fry my hair too much. It's the hair ad look without looking flat and dull as it nourishes the hair with Cassia complex, aloe vera, calendula, and ginger. Sleek hair doesn't have to look weighed down and heavy.

What's great too about Pantene Nature Care is that they smell really nice and fresh, with that clean scent that lingers in the bathroom post-shower. I like clean scents and even my brushes smell nice and fresh when they're finished cleaning. I actually like Smoothness and Life with my brushes and will probably use that too with them and also my hair. Fullness and Life, if I want those big bombastic headflips or bounce and then drop to superman drop.

SRP for Pantene Nature Care shampoo and conditioner is Php 120 for the 170 mL shampoo and it's also Php 120 for the 165 mL conditioner. For once-a-week deep conditioning, the tub is awesome during rest days when there's no shoot going on or after doing a few laps in the pool.

One Shampoo For Him, One Shampoo For Her

Last Wednesday, I found out that even in the hair department the rule of “Men are From Mars and Women Are From Venus still apply.” Not that it’s a sexist thing or anything, it just simply means that although both men and women still experience similar hair problems (i.e. hairfall, breakage, dandruff), they need special formulations in their shampoo. Head and Shoulders, a household name I have known since I was a kid tells us that.

I arrived at Mandarin Hotel for a scrumptious lunch before the event started. When I got there, a little game was in store for us. We had to answer the question, How do you know when you have found the one? My answer was simple, “You’ll just know!” Oh, part of the activity was to pose beside dioramas of either H&S endorsers, Angel Locsin or John Lloyd Cruz:

I chose Angel because she’s a polekitten too like me! Just a trivia, Angel took a 3-month pole dancing bootcamp with the Polecats for her movie where she had to do a pole number. So yay!

My OOTD:

• Dress: Pia Gladys Perey
• Bag: Aldo
• Shoes: SM

She finished her movie where she had to undergo a 3-month pole dance bootcamp with Polecats since she had a pole number there. And lookie! I’m wearing the same shoes as her cardboard version.

Head and Shoulders Shampoo bottles for him and for her. The guys get the black while the ladies get orange. I took a whiff of the shampoo scents and found the guy version has a stronger scent than the ladies. General guy preference perhaps? The event showed though that there’s a whole lot more difference than just scent or color-coded bottles.

Sam YG hosted the event, which of course featured Head and Shoulders endorsers Angel Locsin and John Lloyd Cruz. Raise your hand if you’ve seen their Romeo-and-Juliet-like tandem in Imortal. They make a great team too as endorsers, minus the fangs, prosthetics, and red contact lenses.

Anyway, going back to the products. For guys, since they tend to wear their hair short, there’s a higher chance of it getting oily and later on limp since sebum reaches hair tips faster. So the result? Hair that’s limp, oily, greasy, and yucky coupled with itchy and flaky scalp. Head and Shoulders for him cuts out the grease as it targets dandruff so guys have cleaner hair sans the limp noodle effect. I remember making the mistake of using shampoo for men, thinking shampoo is shampoo. Not that my hair fell off in clumps (thank God that didn't happen) but I felt that it was drier than usual. It's not that the shampoo was no good. It just wasn't for me.

The case for girls and our tendency to wear our hair long (like I do!) calls for extra effort with styling. We have our guns, i.e. our styling tools, blow dryer, brushes, name it. Let’s admit it, bob cut or waist-length, we have high-maintenance hair that’s dependent on at least a comb and clip. Aside from the dandruff-zapping ingredients H&S has, we have extra-conditioning bonus points so we don’t get any much breakage from weak, overprocessed hair. Result? Pretty, healthy, dandruff-free hair and the confidence to go ahead and wear that black dress without the fear of having any chismis flakes.

As I had a picture taken of me with the cardboard Angel Locsin, I was thrilled that I had a picture taken with the real Angel Locsin too. Yay! Me and a celebrity Polekitten!

And a photo-op with Sam YG before I kicked off my heels to wear flats as by this time my feet were killing me like crazy.

So what I learned? The next time I grab my bottle of shampoo in my next grocery trip, I go for the one that's for girls, after all, I need shampoo made just for me. Hopefully, this won't make my hair hay-like since I'll definitely choose shampoo that's got those conditioning products for my overprocessed hair's TLC. Oh, and I'll remember to rinse really really well too.

Hair Care that Cares

As The Body Shop cares for our skin and body with its yummy bath and body lines, home care, skin care, and makeup, the care also extends to our crowning glory that is our tresses. The Rainforest Hair Care comes shampoos and conditioners that care for our hair without any sticky residue while caring for the environiment by not including chemicals that could be harsh to our ecosystem.

Call it Christmas that came early for me or a happy grocery shopping trip, but here are some of what Rainforest Care has for each and everyone of us, depending on our hair condition. Why I chose the sun as the shape to arrange the products? Uhhhmm... nothing I just feel like it.

Oily hair could be yucky and greasy. Although the obvious would be to nix out conditioner or load up on sudsers to decrease the oil, what we really need is shampoo and conditioner (yes, we still need a bit of moisturizer here) that's made for oily hair. Rainforest Balance Shampoo cleans our locks without stripping it of much-needed moisture while Rainforest Balance Conditioner lightly conditions the hair without weighing it down. Instead of harmful colourants and fragrances, natural ingredients like pracaxi oil, Community Trade aloe vera, white nettle, and seaweed are used.

On the other end of the hair woe spectrum, and most of our problems is dry hair. Since we all love to process our hair to blowouts and hair straightening and curling. Just as too much of cooking the hair leaves our hair dry as the Sahara Desert, hair needs extra moisturizing power that would bring it back to its lush state.

Rainforest Moisture is manna for the hair. This is the one I'm currently using and I love the blueberry scent. It's not itchy on the hair and I like how it makes my hair soft and silky. Here's one thing I like about it too. It doesn't interfere much with my hairstyling since even if I shampoo, my hair still holds its shape. It doesn't weigh my hair down so I still have a bit of volume in me.

The tub there is hair butter. Hair butter is like intense conditioner for the hair, the conditioner which you leave on your hair before you rinse it out with warm water. My hair loves this product. A little dollop does the trick and I really don't like to pile on too much of this on the hair because that weighs the hair down. It smells like blueberries too! The pracaxi oil, manketti nut oil and Community Trade honey and sugar are the ingredients behind this product. If you don't want too much, you could dilute the shampoo and conditioner in water as well.

Rainforest Shine (included in the photo) are for the lucky girls and boys who just need a tad of tune up on their already excellent hair condition with an oomph of shine. Keep the luck flowing with this fruity-smelling baby that contains pracaxi oil, caméline seed oil and Community Trade olive oil, sugar, and aloe vera. The thought of having olive oil as an ingredient is just love, since it reminds me of those ancient days when olive oil's so precious to the skin and hair.

If you're the type who loves to experiment with style, trends, and color, I guess you already know that care for coloured hair is much more specialized. To begin with, coloured hair is already processed with chemicals. We need shampoos and conditioners that give the hair its much needed dose of TLC without stripping or interfering with the color. A good coloring job doesn't come in cheap, right?

To preserve a coloring job well done, The Body Shop's Rainforest Radiance cleanses to remove the color residue which causes the hair to look dull and dry in due time after a color job and keeps the color looking vibrant. There's also UV filter to block UV rays, which could fade color. We all know the job of shampoo and conditioner but there's also a third spray bottle of Detangling Spray for combing and brushing ease.

The price range of The Body Shop Rainforest Hair Care products are of course a tad more expensive than those bought over the grocery due to the materials sourced of course. It's not the type that you'd use to clean brushes though and I prefer that it stick to its job of cleaning my hair. A special gift to someone who's OC and concious with hair care, you could give the full-size bottles already, especially if she's a fan of the line already. If you have a friend who would want to try it out, then starter kits in fun sizes plus a detangler comb are also available.

[disclaimer: product provided for review]

Ready.. Set... Start with my very own 14-Day Challenge

For weeks, we've been intrigued by these "mystery shampoo bottles" that we've seen flashing on TV, print, and in several websites. When I saw it on the newspaper one morning, I was intrigued as to what could this new shampoo line would be.

It promises amazing hair transformation in fourteen days and even challenged women to use the shampoo for 14 days and see the results. Hmmmm.....this indeed was intriguing.

Just a few hours ago, I was sitting at a dinner at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel where the brand was finally revealed. Braving traffic, Arpee, Noreen, and I dashed to the venue apologizing for the tardiness due to the rainpour and rush hour causing Metro Manila to be converted to an instant parking lot. We arrived just in time for the program and the mystery brand was revealed to be this one....



Pantene, nonetheless. Aside from launching this new line, the event hosted by Issa Litton also introduced the celebrities who have tried the mystery shampoo given their hair concerns plus their very positive testimonials on the product. Among these celebrities are actresses Carla Abellana, Angel Aquino, Claudine Barretto, and Erich Gonzales to name some. Tapings, shoots, and TV appearances have exposed their hair to harsh lights, chemicals, and frequent heat styling so their frequently processed hair needs special attention at the same time keeping it in top condition.

Being a Pantene user for quite some time now, I could say that it's one of the shampoos I've stuck to once I've been hooked. It's been kind to my hair pampering it after its default state of high entrophy of that messy bun or scraggly ponytail held in place to by an elastic. Aside from manual damage, there's also UV rays, heat damage, and of course, free radicals in the air due to my active lifestyle. A little tweaking in its formula got my interest of course.

The variant above shows the Hair Fall Control line, which takes my attention the most. Not that I have a history of baldness or anything. Really, it's pretty normal for a few hair sheds each day. Sometimes though when I look at the bathroom floor and see the hair strands, it sometimes gets me quite concerned. Actually, I found out that it's not that I'm balding. The hair "fall" referred to is actually due to breaking (this I found out when I checked the end of my hair. It didn't have a bulb). Causes of breaking could be roughness and cuticle damage due to again, my hair being abused. In fact, being quite rough on my hair by pulling out my hair elastic after it's been tortured to a tight bun, brushing hair when wet, and substituting a rubber band instead of a hair elastic to tie my hair are perfect weapons of massive hair breakage. If I should start a habit, I should also be more gentle with my hair. By the way, before I forget, there's also the Total Care line and Glossy Shine.

While on the topic, here's something to get me started to getting the habit of taking better care of my hair. Parked these babies up the bathroom counter.

I just started Day 1 of my own fourteen-day challenge when I got home. Obviously, it's too early to give immediate results. For now, I'm currently raving on the scent, which is one of the things I really love about Pantene. It's not too warm or floral but more of fresh. It's easy to rinse though and right now as my hair dries, it doesn't leave my hair looking frizzy or something that remembers sheep wool. My hair's quite long actually, it lands up to almost my waist so I've got a lot to shampoo. However, a nickel-size amount is just right for my hair and it lathers up quite well and rinses quite easily too, if done properly.

Oh, and did I mention that it's not only me who'll be up to the 14-day challenge?
My brushes would be Pantene users too and would be undertaking the 14-day challenge along with yours truly. Of course, they deserve a bit of TLC as well.

I'll let you in when my 14-day challenge is over. Till then, it's off to bed for us all!

Decoding Sunsilk's Co-Creation Variants

I guess everyone, if not, at least most of us has a bit of hair concern one way or the other. Whether short, long, thick, thin, chemically processed, dried to a crisp, heavy and oily, or very sensitive, we all have our own concerns. Just when we think that beautiful and healthy hair could only be achieved by the thousands of pesos plunked in high-end salons or that the hair seen in that advertorial could only be achieved by lighting and tweaking of photo-editing, a popular shampoo brand seems to have heard our pleas and created different shampoos to address our specific needs.

The different Sunsilk bottles on the picture sure does remind me of a rainbow, doesn't it? Actually, the colors pertain to different formulations that address to different hair needs. What Sunsilk did though this time was to collaborate with international hair experts who know hair more than we do. Hence, the Best Ever Sunsilk Range was born.

Smooth and Manageable (Pink), co-created with Yuko Yamashita: This formula is enriched with Keratin Yogurt Nutri-Complex to cleanse (i.e. remove the dirt) and coat hair strands to avoid fluffy hair (unless that's the peg of course, if you're doing a shoot). Fluffy hair seems to be the problem of most of us naturally-wavy girls. It also works as a fantastic brush cleanser. My brushes are softer after.

Strong and Long (Green), co-created with Teddy Charles: We all know how runway model's hair is forever blow-dried, processed, fried, teased, crimped, and bathed in hairspray. As a result, hair can dry up, split, and break (the falling strands at the backstage floor would be enough proof that hair can break with endless abuse). This one has Active Fruitamin Complex, penetrating the hair and fortifying hair fibers to strengthen and smoothen hair, so hair could grow longer and stronger.

Damage Repair (Orange), co created with Bobsoho Salon: With the talk on damaged hair, Sunsilk teamed up with Bobsoho Salon of London founded by Thomas Taw. This one has Olive Serum Nutri-Complex to give SOS to damaged hair. Instead of just coating the surface, it reconstructs the hair beneath the surface, filling damaged cracks and gaps layer by layer, so the effect is more long-term.

Straight and Sway (Purple), co-created with Teddy Charles: I know two out of five people who are addicted to chemical straightening treatments in order to achieve the low-maintenance straight hair we all see. The problem though with chemically straightened hair, though is the infamous witchbroom look which makes hair look stiff and wire-like. This purple bottle contains Amino Collagen Complex (collagen, as we know, is important in elasticity), which gently relaxes hair bonds so chemically-straightened hair has now soft movement instead of stick-like and stiff.

Soft and Smooth (Yellow), co-created with Bobsoho Salon: Dry and rough hair's rescue would be the Ceramide Macadamia Complex, which acts as a softening agent.

Anti-Dandruff (Blue), co-created with Dr. Francesca Fusco: Dandruff is actually due to a fungal infection, so aside from treating the infection, we should also treat the scalp and hair from the effects of dandruff as well as giving nourishment back. Enriched ZPT Citrus Complex cleanses, refreshes, and purifies the scalp. At the same time, it also protects the hair from dryness (as hair could get dry). This shampoo not only adresses skin care but also hair care.

Hairfall Solution (Gold), co-created with Dr. Francesca Fusco: Has Soya Vitamin Complex for visibly less hair fall, for those with problems with hair that's weak, brittle, and easily broken.

Priced at Php89.00 for a 200mL bottle, they're quite affordable and the bottle lasts long, depending on how much the user uses. For me, a bottle like this usually lasts me a month and a half. If there's more, I just dilute it a bit with water to clean my makeup brushes. They're already available in leading groceries, department stores, and drug stores so feel free to check them out.

Just In Time for Summer

Look what I saw at the supermarket shelves when I went grocery shopping! With the cold weather drifting away, we know summer is fast approaching now and Sunsilk has released its limited edition Summer Fresh Shampoo, which hits the market when summertime comes. This time,. it's got a new companion... Creme Silk Summer Shine conditioner, so our tresses stay fry-free during the summer heat when we're basking under the sun getting our tans

Okay, so I'm not hitting the beach (yet) but going out with that kind of heat intensity, I could feel my hair strands turning into tempura-like consistency (heeheehee), so the UV protectors they promise could help.

I'm on my second day of trying this so far (my first time to use the conditioner, since it just came out this year). I love the smell, it's very light and sweet and it reminds me of a favorite fragrance I bought off Macy's a few years ago that I really miss. I'm glad that there's no more of that heady and heavy scent in this edition.

So that signals that summer is about to come. Gotta get ready for beach season!