Cebu's Very First Online Hair Portal » Talk to Carrie Hairshaw

Hairstyles and Disposition

Carrie — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:59:59 +0000

Hairstyles can pretty much determine how a person feel about herself. Most often, than not, people tend to judge you by just looking at your hairdo. A loose messy ponytail can aver your sloppiness or your carefree personality. And whether its embracing change after a bad break-up or impressing the interviewer to land a new job – how you style your hair can either lay open that you’ve moved on or you’re confident of your capabilities.

While its true that your hairstyle does not offer any form of physical strength, it does, however, condition emotional and psychological fortitude.

The jagged and choppy hairstyle (the current popular emo hairstyle) body forth a sad emotional state of mind of an individual. On the other hand, people sporting a punk hairstyle are supposed to be rebellious and antagonistic. A shaved head or a baldy is considered to be bold and empowered while men with a layered hairstyle are regarded to be preppy. Women with silky straight hair are perceived to be more serious, polished, and professional while women with curly locks are more bouncy, cheerful, and quirky.

So here is my confession. My hair is semi-wavy and most of the time it’s messy than sexy. I proved that after my boyfriend’s aunt commented on my unkempt tresses. When my mom offered to have my hair rebonded, I grabbed the opportunity and sat at Coco Salon for four hours. After the session, I was at awe. I definitely looked more polished and more grown-up. Thus began my wardrobe update, but that’s another story.

Yes, your hairstyle can affect your state of mind. A quick trip to the salon can either boost your self-confidence or shatter it when a stylist unintentionally gave you a bad haircut. Style your hair the way you want it to be perceived, and you definitely can’t go wrong.

Article by: Carrie Hairshaw

Your Hair is What You Eat

Carrie — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:48:33 +0000

Healthy hair doesn’t result from all the expensive products you put on, what you eat and drink affects your hair much more than you think. Maintaining a healthy diet will not only give you more energy and a slender looking body, your tresses, as well, will look better than ever.

My dad always says, “too much of anything is bad”. The key factor in a healthy diet is balance. Eating the right amount of proteins, grains, fruits and vegetables is essential. For a balanced diet, fruits and vegetables should comprise 40-50% of your daily intake.

Now, let’s hark back the days, when we were young and foolish. Back to the days when our mom would nag us to take our vitamins. Moms do know best, vitamins are very important for a healthy hair growth. Vitamin B is especially important for strong hair which can be found in everyday foods such as bread or eggs. If you’re on a low-carb diet, remember that most of the vitamin B that our body needs comes from grains such as oats, barely and wheat bran. For a vitamin B rich non-grain food, you can have avocados, nuts, salmon and eggs.

Drinking enough fluids on a daily basis is important for flushing out the toxins in your system and to keep you hydrated. 8 glasses of water a day are important for both healthy skin and healthy hair. Although I’m a coffee drinker myself, on our next break, let’s drink tea instead of coffee; the latter will only dehydrate your body and work against the benefits of healthy hair. However if you’d really rather drink coffee, just gulp down 1 to 2 glasses of water to wash down the caffeine and to rehydrate your system.

Protein is essential to healthy hair, as hair itself is 98% protein. Meats are a major source of protein. Fish, especially have Omega 3, a good fat that our body needs. Since the popularity of vegan diet is growing, vegetarians can still get a good source of protein from flax seed. Other protein rich foods like nuts, brown rice, soya, chick peas are all healthy options to maintain good protein intake.

Vitamins, water, and protein filled foods are just some of the ways that you can eat well for healthy hair. Starting a routine of healthy eating will not only make your body feel good, but promises to keep your hair healthy and shinning.

Article by: Carrie Hairshaw

Salon de Rose Ailing in Hair Rebonding?

Carrie — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:11:12 +0000

I am offering this space to our e-mail sender, Jane, who had just rebonded her hair at Salon De Rose.

Dear Carrie,

I have been curly all my life. I had been envy about people who have long
straight hair, and I used to wonder how it felt like and looked like if I
have it.

Around 2 years ago, when hair rebonding started to flourish, I decided to do
it. But then of course, it is quite expensive for my hair since it would
take time for the hair chemicals to be absorbed.

When it all started, I was cautious about how my hair should be and choosy
about how it should be treated, most especially that some friends like me
when I’m curly. Nevertheless, I was tired of the same do. It was time for a
change.

So it has been a routine for me to have it done every five months. I tried
a few hair salons in the quest of finding out which one has the best service
and price, of course. Just lately, I have to do it again. When curl meets
straight, it is quite topsy turvy. If your work requires you to be with
people frequently, looks and impression matters.

When day-off came, it was time. It was my only time, but also had other
errands to do, thus time was limited for me. So I headed to the mall, SM
City, with things juggling in my head. So everything has to be done in the
mall. I headed to Salon de Rose. Usually hair rebonding takes 4 hours or
more with my hair, and that time they offered less. Isn’t that long enough?
But then I agreed and splurged for it. I decided to give it a try. I had
doubts though about the quality of their work based from some friends’
comments, but they deserve the benefit of the doubt. Plus, technology
progresses, so there could be improvements.

Two hair stylists were working with me. They both took each side. They had
different ways in working the hair. So I thought, as long as I get the
result, I’m ok. I had it cellophaned too. They advised that hair after
rebonding would not look alive unless a cellophane is done over it. So I had
it. I looked like bald at that time since hair usually after the process
would look so limp and straight and no volume yet. Only after the third day,
could you notice the texture of a natural straight hair and the outcome of
the job.

Hair is not also allowed to be wet for 3 days, to allow the chemicals to
work on the hair. So as not to waste money, instructions have to be
followed. After 3 days, it was time to wash hair. So I did with the regular
shampoo and a hair conditioner. I wasn’t happy about the outcome. There were
sections on the hair that wasn’t properly done. It was the on the right
side, near the cheek. So it was on a very obvious area. A week after, I had
to go back to Salon de Rose do a back job.
Upon reaching the salon, I presented the receipt. Fortunately, they agreed
to have it re-done.

In contrast with other salons, when a back job is done, their hair staffs
would recover, and I would be pleased in the end. With their second session,
it made my hair worse. I was not a happy camper. Lesson learned. Be cautious
about salons which already have specific downbeat reputation. Just follow
friends’ advice, before regret comes.

I guess this is more like a rant rather than asking for an advice. But I feel that it’s my duty to inform the rest of Cebu what services are worth for the taking and what’s not. To Salon de Rose, touché.

All the best,

Jane

To Jane,

I feel your pain. My hair, too, was once butchered by some stylist. How? Let’s just say my cousin called me “helmet head” for the rest of the evening until I had the chance to have it redone at another salon early the next day. The lesson of our story is fairly simple, don’t trust your tresses to anybody. Before you step into a salon, be sure that the people who’ll be working with your hair have all the right credentials. It would also be more convenient if you can get recommendations from friends or family even before you have booked for a hair appointment. After all, hair is not just hair, it is our crowning glory and through it – we make our statement.

I hope through Jane’s story and my “helmet head” tale, we all have learned our lesson, and possibly save ourselves from another set of anguish and remorse.

Always,

Carrie

Growing Head Lice?

Carrie — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:20:55 +0000

Dear Carrie,

I am Teresita; I was wandering around the net to find a simple yet affordable solution for my problem.

There was a time when my daughter (she is 8 years old) complained and swore that she could feel something menacingly crawling on her head. As I examined her hair, I found crowded nits (eggs) stuck to each of hair strands. I was told that after a while these nasty nits would hatch and become head lice. I tried chemical shampoos for treating her lice problem but it did not work, unfortunately the shampooing reduces oil from the hair, and it has became brittle so haircuts were needed to remove split ends shortly after.

This would have been tolerable if it only solved the problem but the thing is, it only cut down the population for a few weeks, and then their numbers came back. Every now and then, I could feel something crawling on top of my head. I would have to repeat the treatment again and it can really strain my budget at some point if this condition continues. Is there an inexpensive way to get rid of these contagious and pesky creatures?

Please help,

Teresita

Hello Teresita,

Most kids pass this phase, and for moms, this is the most vexatious condition, since head lice infect the scalp and will require extensive measures to eradicate.

I have known some tips on how to get rid of these creatures from a friend who has undergone this problem. She also first turned to Head Lice Treatment shampoo but it didn’t work. Treating head lice with medicated shampoo are often ineffective. After she scoured Google, she did her fair share of experiment and apparently it worked.

She believes that, like humans, these lice needs to breathe, so in order to destroy them, she suffocated them with mayonnaise. First is to make sure to grease the hair, wrap it with a shower cap and then wrap it with a towel for one to two hours. Shampoo hair thoroughly, after, rinse it with vinegar, and then rinse clean with water.

It is also important to change pillow cases, sheets, blankets, towels, even clothes that has in contact with any lice infected hair.

Try this. It may work wonders for you and your daughter.

Always,

Carrie

Darn Split Ends

Carrie — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:36:00 +0000

Hi Carrie,

Kate here, first and foremost congratulations on the new blog. Anyway my dilemma is that I always wanted to wear my hair long, but its always seem to be in vain since I regularly snip it off to get rid of these ugly split ends. My hair will always be an inch below my shoulder and could no longer grow beyond that if I can’t find solutions for these nasty split ends. Tell me what to do Carrie.

Thanks,

Kate

Hello Kate,

Thank you for the question and for the warm greeting. I find that a lot of people can relate to your hair problem since I myself was a victim before. Split ends can be an annoying nightmare if its not treated right down to its cause. So let’s get to know more about our hair villain for the hour before I continue to discuss the cure.

Well, basically, split ends happen when the cuticle of your hair is damaged and the fibers of the cortex unravel. It nonetheless makes the hair dry, brittle and prone to tangling. I am sorry to say that whenever you get split ends, the only cure is to cut your hair off. Yes, snip – snip – snip.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways to control or prevent split ends before it starts to occur. If you shampoo daily, reduce the frequency since this is stressful to the hair. Always use a conditioner when washing your hair to avoid dryness. You may also try to get the tangles out by combing your hair after you have finished showering. In our everyday life, especially when we ride a jeepney on the way to work, the glorious wind and dust will usually tangle our hair stiff. To undo the mess, I pat a leave-on conditioner on my hair and comb the tangles out using a wide-toothed comb. If you like to use the hair blower, flat or curling iron to dry your damp hair, avoid not to do this everyday since this can really cause serious damage to your hair. I usually comb my wet hair with my trusty electric fan on instead of using the hair blower. However when you really need to use these hot styling tools, it’s ideal that use a hair serum to protect your main from drying out.

Always,

Carrie