Hair Ye, Hair Ye!
I have a love-hate relationship with my hair. I love to hate it, hwek-hwek-hwek. For the longest time I never really liked my hair. My hair lies somewhere between curly and kinky. That’s why I often wear it short. Growing up I used to part it on the side and I used a lot of pomade, Tancho first, then 3 Flowers. Ironically it was at the beginning of the gel-and-spraynet decade that I stopped using pomade or any other hair product. During the 80s I wanted to wear a cowlick to hang over my forehead, but I didn’t have the patience to endure several bad hair weeks. When Richard Gomez came out in that Bench TV commercial (jeez, that was sooo looong agooo, it deserves all the “o”s!) wearing a buzz-cut, everyone went semi-kal. Everyone except me. When the craze died down, that’s when I had a buzz-cut. I maintained it for the longest time.
It was a year ago that Ipe, my friend and hairdresser from the land of buko pies, espasol, and hot springs, Calamba, Laguna! convinced me to fool around with my hair. How did he do it? He guaranteed that he could do something with it; it was a challenge too good to resist.
The first thing he made me realize was as simple as it was revolutionary for me. Before even cutting a strand of hair, Ipe told me: “You should accept your curls.”
Oo nga naman! Tinanggap ko nga na bakla ako, pero hindi ko pa matanggap na kulot ako? Hello?!
Another revolutionary change in my haircare regimen: Ipe convinced me to use product. I now use this L’Oreal stuff which for the life of me I can’t remember now the name. It’s not as hard as wax or clay, but it’s not as liquid as gel. In fact Ipe told me to stay clear from gel. “Very 80s” he said.
Since I started using product I had to shampoo every day to clean my hair. But I was also told that every day shampooing and conditioning is bad for the hair. So now I’m faced with a conundrum. Hey, it isn’t every day that one uses the word “conundrum” while discussing hair.
I had to call Leigh and Marlon, two friends whom I trust with my life and my locks. Both were in agreement. Yes, I can use product everyday. Yes, I can shampoo every day. Marlon said shampooing will benefit the scalp more, while conditioning will take care of the hair. Leigh even recommended that I shampoo and condition every day, provided I use a light conditioner. Marlon said I’m lucky I have strong and sturdy hair. I said it’s hair on Viagara. Both recommended that every two weeks I should use a stripping shampoo (Marlon suggests Nutragena) to get rid of build-up. Marlon said I can use the stripper Sunday mornings after Bed.
I like the idea that my friends want me to buy a stripper I can use after a weekend of debauchery in Malate.
It was a year ago that Ipe, my friend and hairdresser from the land of buko pies, espasol, and hot springs, Calamba, Laguna! convinced me to fool around with my hair. How did he do it? He guaranteed that he could do something with it; it was a challenge too good to resist.
The first thing he made me realize was as simple as it was revolutionary for me. Before even cutting a strand of hair, Ipe told me: “You should accept your curls.”
Oo nga naman! Tinanggap ko nga na bakla ako, pero hindi ko pa matanggap na kulot ako? Hello?!
Another revolutionary change in my haircare regimen: Ipe convinced me to use product. I now use this L’Oreal stuff which for the life of me I can’t remember now the name. It’s not as hard as wax or clay, but it’s not as liquid as gel. In fact Ipe told me to stay clear from gel. “Very 80s” he said.
Since I started using product I had to shampoo every day to clean my hair. But I was also told that every day shampooing and conditioning is bad for the hair. So now I’m faced with a conundrum. Hey, it isn’t every day that one uses the word “conundrum” while discussing hair.
I had to call Leigh and Marlon, two friends whom I trust with my life and my locks. Both were in agreement. Yes, I can use product everyday. Yes, I can shampoo every day. Marlon said shampooing will benefit the scalp more, while conditioning will take care of the hair. Leigh even recommended that I shampoo and condition every day, provided I use a light conditioner. Marlon said I’m lucky I have strong and sturdy hair. I said it’s hair on Viagara. Both recommended that every two weeks I should use a stripping shampoo (Marlon suggests Nutragena) to get rid of build-up. Marlon said I can use the stripper Sunday mornings after Bed.
I like the idea that my friends want me to buy a stripper I can use after a weekend of debauchery in Malate.
posted by joelmcvie at 2:25 PM
13 Comments:
yes, gel is so 80's even if we have bench fix stuff around. i use a leave-on to tame my wild locks. people identify me as "yung kulot."
damn hair fascists.
yay!
one of the benefits of reading mcvie! am learning via osmosis!
what's a light conditioner?
xanderKhan! (aka too much coffee man!)
SKY: Accept your curls, my young padawan-learner. ;-)
XANDER: I'll let Leigh do the talking: "Extra body or volume variants. Less conditioning agents so you don't worry about build-up. I recommend the VMV hypoallergenics skin-saving conditioner, or the Bench Fix leave-in!"
And there we have it folks, expert advise!
any suggestions on a good hairdresser for men here in manila? bf can't make the drive this weekend to ipe's. :(
OLIVE: Uh-oh. I'm not an expert on who's who among hairstylists. Kasi naman before Ipe I was a Bruno's boy (semi-kal, remember?) And one of the things I realized with men is that their definition of a "good hairdresser" depends on how they feel about their hair after. Di ba ang uber-subjective?
Having said that, my friend Marlon has Propaganda (sa Greenbelt 1 sila). Mahusay sila, at hindi lang dahil friendivas ko sila. You can try them out--if your BF is adventurous enough. Otherwise, wait til next week siya na lang para kay Ipe. :-)
Pramis! Buti na lang binasa ko na ng buo ang entry mo. Kaninang nag-skim lang ako, ang pagkakaintindi ko eh bibili ka ng stripper sa malate. :)
Hahaha! Look (closely) befor you leap (to conclusions). :-)
Although I'm sure meron akong mabibili na Nutragena stripper sa Robinson's Manila.
Hello Mcvie,
And I thought I knew a lot about hair!
What's a light conditioner? Ergo, what would be a heavy conditioner? I use conditioner everyday so I'm a bit concerned. Any products your friend recommends?
Thanks!
PS: parang phone-in question hehe
If you watch carefully the earlier comments on this episode (think of it as instant replay), you'll have the answers to your questions. But since we have lots of airtime, I'll answer your questions.
According to my friend Leigh, a "light" conditioner is one that has less conditioning agents. Ergo, a "heavy" conditioner is the opposite. Light conditioners are the variants that claim to give "extra body or volume". Leigh recommends the VMV hypoallergenics skin-saving conditioner, or the Bench Fix leave-in.
All right? Thanks for the phone-in question. :-)
Reminder folks, I'm not the hair expert here. But I can always forward your questions to our panel of experts. :-)
oops, sorry you had to repeat yourself.
Thanks! =)
No problem, it's so easy for me to repeat myself, hehehe. Call it cut-and-paste hosting, hahaha! :-)
I'm so glad I'm sporting the semikal look
XP: You still need to shampoo to clean and massage your scalp. But at least no need for other hair products. :-)
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