All about Hair!

I seldom do much for my hair. Shampoo and conditioner. Sometimes I am so lazy that I will skip conditioner. Once every three days, I will try to put hair treatment oil after my wash but as usual there are times when I will either forget or lazy on and off. Every morning I will try to use at least Kao's Premier Rich Essential Damage Care Hair Treatment water and/or apply Kiehl's Leave-In Hair Conditioner, which contains UV filter to protect hair from sun damage.

More information about Kiehl's Leave-In Hair Conditioner on its website:

This product contains a UV filter to facilitate the protection of the hair from damage by the sun. Suitable for thick, frizzy, dry, or damaged hair that tends to be difficult to manage and tangled. The nurturing treatment restores shine and suppleness to dry hair, detangles, and creates a revitalized hair appearance as it conditions. Since this treatment remains in the hair, it continues to nurture between shampoos.

Direction for using: Shampoo with the Kiehl's shampoo appropriate for your hair type. Gently remove excess water and apply conditioner throughout hair , as needed. Hair may be combed with a wide-tooth comb or left as is. Allow conditioner to remain in hair for a full-bodied lustrous and protected hair condition. This product may also be applied to very dry or exceptionally thick hair without shampooing beforehand.
Key ingredients:

Avocado Oil, derived from the fruit of a tropical American tree, is a rich, fatty-acid emollient. Avocado Oil is known to be the most moisturizing of any fruit oil. It is also a natural source of Amino Acid proteins, Vitamins A, D, E, and potassium. Helps to restore the natural moisture of the skin.

Coconut oil is an off-white, semi-solid, highly saturated fat expressed from the kernels of the coconut. It is stable when exposed to air. It lathers quickly and is a good skin cleanser commonly used in many skin care formulations. Lathers readily and softens skin.

Panthenol is a penetrating moisturizer which absorbs into the skin and hair and is converted into Pantothenic Acid, a B complex vitamin. Assists skin care products in retaining water and also absorbs water from the air, aiding in skin and hair moisturization.

Texture: Cream-gel like
Aroma: Not much smell
Colour: Off-white
Verdict: Hair will be slightly smoother after applying but every after wash, hair will remain more or less the same. Still I think it helps my hair by not getting from bad to worse as my hair texture has been always dry and coarse. I don't think I will not buy again as I find it a bit too expensive. 125ml for SGD49.

Other major issues such as styles, cuts etc, I will just leave my hair's fate in the hands of my hair stylist. The most I will tell her is my BUDGET!!!. And keep reminding her that I need a style that requires no spacial care and not easily get out of shape. Actually she seldom cuts my hair real short as she finds that ladies should have long, silky hair. So last year, don't know what got to my mind, I went to somewhere else and had my hair cut till really short. Now I have to go through the process of keeping my messy hair long again.

Early of 2009, my hair was in such a bad state that I have to always tied them back. Not to risk my hair again, I went back to my hair stylist to have a minor trim as it is really in a bad shape. Once my hair stylist saw my hair she almost fainted and after half an hour of nagging, I rebonded my hair. I don't really like hair rebonding but it is the only way to keep my hair neat. After half a year has gone, my hair still looks quite fine and now is over my shoulders. Hope by end of the year, it is long enough to be perm. At least when it is perm, the hair is meant to be messy!!!!

Hmm, what sort of perm? I don't know. Previously, I have perm my hair once. Think it is digital perm. I am quite happy with the effect as I prefer my hair to be a bit mess up. Found an article on different types of perms (maybe after reading this, I will have a better understanding on perms).

1. Classic Perm
Look: Depending on the size of the curlers (and your technician's expertise), this can be anything from soft, loose waves to tight, spingy curls
Technique: Hair is wrapped in cold paper - the term for the tear-resistant paper used - then wrapped around curlers. Curlers of a small diameter are used to create tighter, more defined curls while larger curlers create larger, loose waves
Duration: Three hours
Best suited for: All hair types
Price range (most important to me): From SGD80


2. Ceramic Perm
Look: Bouncy, well-defined curls
Technique: Hair is wrapped around ceramic curlers and heated. As ceramic is able to heat up to a higher temperature compared to the plastic curlers used in a digital perm, curls tend to last longer. It is not advisable to perm your hair too often if you do a ceramic perm as your hair may not be able to withstand the intense heat.
Duration: Three to four hours
Best suited for: Hair of at least medium length of a coarse, wiry texture
Price range: From SGD150


3. Body Perm
Look: Soft waves that give volume
Technique: Hair is wrapped around large curlers to create waves but not curls
Duration: Three hours
Best suited for: Short-to-medium length hair
Price range: From SGD80


4. Twist Perm
Look: Tight, springy and small spirals
Technique: Individual sections of hair are twisted tightly before being wrapped around small curlers
Duration: Five to six hours
Best suited for: Medium length hair
Price range: From SGD80


5. Pin Curl
Look: Subtle, looser curls compared to a ceramic perm to give texture and body to hair Technique: Cold paper is wrapped around small sections of hair to hold it in place. Each section is then twisted into a single loop and clipped up
Duration: Two to 2 1/2 hours
Best suited for: Short, limp and flat hair
Price range: From SGD80


6. Digital Perm
Look: Softer curls compared to those from a ceramic perm
Technique: Hair is rolled around heat-resistant plastic curlers and then heated. The temperature varies, depending on how much heat is needed to set the curls. The size of the curls will depend on the size of the curlers
Duration: Up to four hours
Best suited for: Hair of at least medium length of a coarse, wiry texture
Price range: From SGD150

Generally there are two basic techniques for perms, either the hot or cold perms. With a hot perm, a perm solution is applied to the hair to break its naturally occurring bonds. Then hair is set in curlers and by applying heat, this reforms the structural bonds and creates those coveted curls. A neutraliser is also added to make these newly-formed bonds last.

The two main forms of hot perms are ceramic and digital perms, giving bouncy and looser curls respectively. For Brazilian-style waves, go for digital perm. As for cold perms, chemical are added to hair to both break and reform bonds instead of using heat. It is kinder to the hair because there is no heat to damage them. Beside less damage, a wider range of curl styles can be achieve. The main styles that result from cold perms are the pin curl, twist perm, body perm and classic perm. However, the downside of cold perm is that it is not that lasting as hot perm. With proper care and maintenance, hot perms can last for up to six months or longer. Whereas cold perms can be straighten out after about three months. Wow so much information... Think better leave it to my hair stylist to decide and I just must mentally prepare to sit there for half a day!!! ;P