Crowning glory

On bayalage, $350 hairdos, and the ��ٰ쾱��-���ھ������پ��Dz�’ of hair

“A WOMAN who cuts her hair is about to change her life,” once said Coco Chanel, but what happens when a woman changes her hair color?

Last week, over a thousand hairstylists and salon owners went in droves to Okada Manila’s Grand Ballroom for L’Oreal Professionel’s Unleash the Future You: Manila Hair Show 2023. The guests of honor were Raman Bhardwaj, L’Oreal Professionel India Artistic Ambassador, and L’Oréal Professionnel Global Ambassador Min Kim. Both shared their techniques in coloring hair, particularly in the French technique balayage — literally translated, it means sweeping, alluding to the strokes used by a hairstylist to paint subtle highlights on the hair (as opposed to the fuller effect achieved by foils).

Mr. Bhardwaj was presented with a host of models all in black, with their new highlights framing their faces and shimmering their ends. “Isn’t hair the canvas of emotion? You express yourself through hair,” he said. With a mannequin’s head, he demonstrated what he did to the models using a brush and palette on the mannequin’s hair — truly earning his title as an Artistic Ambassador.

Ms. Kim, meanwhile, appeared on stage bringing with her the attitude of a pop star — and considering the location of Butterfly Studio, the salon she works for at New York’s 5^th Avenue, she may have done the hair of more than one already. Her models, in white, came out so she could show what she did to their hair. Also, a screen showed the formula that she used for each one so that the stylists in attendance could do the same at their own salons.

She does take hair seriously: “This is something that’s really important when we’re in the salon, it’s taking a look at the haircut and the shape. That way we’re really creating a customized look that works for each individual.” She showed models with face-framing highlights that looked as if they had just stepped back from the beach, or else had natural light hitting the hair where it should. “I think about what’s going to be best for them, their face shape, their haircut, and their lifestyle.”

When she first started doing balayage, she said she hated it. “I started investing in my education, and I realized: it wasn’t balayage that was terrible. It was me!”

Ms. Kim said that balayage is an add-on service she does to a full color job. “We love add-on services because this is how we make more money. Who likes making money?” she said, and the crowd cheered in response. “I can’t hear enough noise!” she said, egging them on.

“Who wants to know how much I charge?” she asked, noting that she works for a salon in 5th Ave., not to mention her client list and her own prestige as a L’Oreal Ambassador. She charges between $285 to $350. “Yeah, honey,” she said.

While painting the hair of a mannequin, she talked about the years of practice that took her to where she is today. “I took it upon myself to make sure that I practice. When you try something new, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get the result that you want. Every time I do anything, I look at it with a critical eye. That way, instead of beating yourself up, you have to think to yourself: ‘how do I make this better?’”

“Be solution-oriented. It’s not about perfection in the beginning. It’s about progress,” she said.

HAIR TRENDS
Meanwhile, in a group interview prior to the July 25 hair show, L’Oréal Philippines Professional Products Division General Manager Brian Duruin talked about current hair trends.

During the COVID-19 pandemic they noted an increase in treatments for hair fall and loss — a trend that continues today. He said that people are going back to hair salons, and while some are getting routine dye jobs with ashen colors, some are going red.

“In terms of hair treatments, hair fall, for some, continues to be the top concern,” he said. “Our sales reflect that, as to the top concerns.” These concerns include hair fall, oiliness, and dandruff, which derive from scalp issues. Hair treatments from L’Oreal’s Scalp Advanced line, as well as Kerastase’s Genesis line are meant to treat those issues. “Possibly because of stress, possibly because of the environment,” he said of the causes.

This attention to the scalp reflects L’Oreal’s new approach of treating the scalp the same way one cares for the face. “We call it the ��ٰ쾱��-���ھ������پ��Dz�’ of hair. For us, as a company, what we have done is we have brought the very best of skincare technology — you know we have huge skincare brands globally, right? — in the formulations into our scalp solutions,” said Mr. Duruin.

“The foundation of great hair is a healthy scalp,” he said. — Joseph L. Garcia