No Longer a Fairy Mermaid Princess.. (sort of)

This was my Instagram story (@vivischryst) on 13th May 2017. 

As much as I loved my first creative colouring hair job from before, we had a really short relationship. I’m not too sure why but my hair tends to lose pigments super quickly. And so… my beautiful hair went from fairy to platinum in only 3 weeks.

And I’m naturally brunette, so I had a reverse skunk situation going on and it looked super unprofessional. So I thought that I’ll go get my nice sleek bob back and be dark haired again.

So I thought.

My Scalp Died But Then I Became A Mermaid

UPDATE: The Roots Salon has just kindly offered 20% off for any first timer who tries out their services and mentions my name. You do have to like their Facebook page first though.

Click-bait title again! Sorry, that’s my latest hobby – generating click worthy articles both for work and for my blog. Seems like that’s the only thing that people are interested in reading or sharing nowadays.

I had my last haircut and dye job back in January, just slightly before Chinese New year. My hair was a beautiful greenish-brownish-ashy colour which I loved (and if you didn’t see it, its here and you should really go see it because I spent a long time photoshopping my face) and had intended to ask Stella to do again.

BUT.

If you have read enough of my hair sponsorships posts, you’ll know that my hair actually belongs to my hairstylist and she has been making allllllll the decisions when it comes to “my” hair for more than half my life. So my initial intentions were:

1. Cut my now shoulder length hair back to a bob/chin length something;
2. Colour it the same greenish/brownish colour from before

Almost dying from scalp pain 3 times within an estimated 7 hours later…..

Ombré by The Roots Salon

Black & white teaser first. Coloured image after you’ve been forced to read all my writing.

Okay, so I’m about a few years late to the ombre, dip dye, gradient whatever-you-want-to-call-it train but there’s a very good reason for it.

The person who does my hair has a vendetta against bleaching my locks. If memory serves, this is the only time she’s put those keratin stripping chemicals on me. And boy, was it a long drawn out entertaining process or what.

The Roots Salon At Elias Mall: Mucota Scena

Warning: This post contains images that might scare you if you are in the hair trade, or if you don’t take care of your hair.

I curled my hair recently and while my locks are healthy enough, they’ve suffered like anybody else’s while undergoing intensive temperature treatments. During the process, hair is heated, and the rollers strain and break the hydrogen bonds of each hair’s cortex, which causes the hair to curl. The hydrogen bonds reform after the hair is moistened but there is damage done no matter how “safe” or “organic” or “gentle” treatments like curling or rebonding is cos your hair cuticles are fried off and “safety” only protects the inside core.

And trust me when I say my hair suffered. I looked like Hagrid from behind. I think my hair stylist cried a little when I wasn’t looking. Behold – a head full of hay.

I really didn’t know the condition was this bad until the girls working in the salon exclaimed with dismay at the rubbish growing out from my scalp. In my own defense, I slept with wet hair the night before and didn’t style it before going out. I got use conditioner and some sort of moisturizer thingy hor. If my tresses look like this with some care, imagine what yours looks like without any.

So…… my stylist very tactfully (and quite insistently actually) told me that I should try out her new Mucota Scena treatment. Mind you, I was there only for a hair cut but got psycho-ed into getting treatment. I told you before that nobody cares for my hair like my stylist does.

Mucota established it’s first beauty laboratory in 1984 and since then, their relaxing hair and treatment hair techniques have been the most preferred in Japan and Korea. Anything the Japanese and Korean like should be good right? Just look at them!  Anyway, I had 3 of 5 Mucota Scena products used on me but for the record, here’s what everything is:

Mucota Scena Adel – Moisture Base for Treatment

Mucota Scena Brava – Hair Repair

Mucota Scena Calore – Protection of Cuticle

Mucota Scena Decor – For Chemical Treated Hair: Intensive at-home care to keep the results of Scena treatment. Decor softens dry, rough hair damaged from heat or alkali, and creates supple and lustrous finish.

Mucota Scena Ethos – Aftercare for Chemical Treated Hair: Improves hair condition for chemical treated hair.

My stylist used A, B and C on the atrocity that is my hair. I don’t know how to tell you if the process was anything better than other brands because all I did was sit there and wait to be pretty but I have to say that it took a much shorter time than usual, even though 3 products and 2 hair washes were needed. There wasn’t much of a chemical smell nor typical eye stinging vapors commonly associated with treatments.

Step by step of what A, B, C is and what to expect! (Includes a lot of cheem words because I copy from their website so feel free to skip.)

[Mucota Scena Adel]

Contains 4 kinds of ceramides, cholesterol and phytosphingosine included in natural ceramide to recreate same structure of hair, and improves the repair function. Maltose-based millet jelly (starch syrup element) and ceramide improves hair condition. Adel keeps necessary moisture inside damaged hair and creates best hair condition for treatment. With its internal permeation typed moisture holding elements, this makes hair soft and moist before next treatment.

This will be applied to your hair with focus on the middle to end portion and washed off with warm water after.

[Mucota Scena Brava] 

Brava contains keratin which make up hair’s cortex as repair components for severe damage, and amino acid which is CMC component for mild damage. Also contains silk PPT which has cuticle repairing effect and pearl proteins which handles various damages. Penetrative reactive ceramide acts by binding to net-like structure to prevent repair component from flowing, then set it inside hair.

Applied to the same area as before in a very short comb through process, and we’re on to step three.

[Mucota Scena Calore]

These 3 main elements of CMC reinforce CMC layer, and improve damaged cuticle, control light diffuse reflection, and create lustrous hair base.

Superlipidure makes 7 layered lamellar liquid crystal structure and pseudo-cuticle to protect the hair, and regenerate hydrophobic surface to make hair smooth, silky, and lustrous.

One more wash, and you’ll be ready!

Frankly, I didn’t understand any of that except “smooth, silky, lustrous”. Which is the only thing I care about. Did I end up with what was promised?

*drum roll please*

TADAH! I LOOK LIKE A HUMAN AGAIN!

My hair not only looks soft and smooth(er) to the touch, it is softer and smoother even when compared to before I had my hair curled. Its so soft you can tell I lost about 2 inches of my curls from the middle of my head. Which is a good thing. Cos those curls came from where I bunned up my hair too tightly, and not from the salon curling process hahaha.

Best part? The effects are long lasting. I did this treatment about 6 weeks ago and my hair is still very manageable, reasonably soft, smooth to the touch and infinitely more lustrous. Even though I don’t use conditioner every day. Or apply serum every day. Or mask every week. I hope my stylist doesn’t read this. Or if she reads this, I hope she forgets about this the next time she sees me.

See see see how shiny it is!! And this is my bed head okay. Herine and I were disturbing each other over Whatsapp (she does this to me a lot, she gets sick if she doesn’t torture me) so I popped on my sheep ears and sent her this picture in response to her cat ear hairband.

I had a whole lot of trouble trying to manage the uncontrollable curls before I underwent this treatment but right now, its pretty much wash and go with minimal styling. I’ve avoided curls for close to 10 years because of the control issue but I don’t hate them anymore cos they can be tamed! I’m super excited to try this treatment on short hair next cos I’ve always wanted a structured smooth looking bob.

This treatment isn’t expensive too, prices range from $100 – $180, with the latter being for my hair length. Book an appointment at:

The Roots Salon
Elias Mall
Block 625, Pasir Ris Drive 3, #02-308 (Go up the escalator and keep left.)
Singapore 510625
Tel:65829763 or 65847002 (Do call and make an appointment, they can get very busy!)

Like their Facebook page here.

Click to read all The Roots Salon reviews!

Fiole NP3.1 Neoprocess Hair Repair Treatment System

This is an ad that wasn’t really an ad until I decided that it should be an ad. Confused? What went down was that my hair sponsor and long time nagger passed me these two conditioners to try about a *whispers softly* year ago.

Not totally my fault because when I asked her what’s so special about this and the only thing she said was – “you try you will know already”. Act suspicious only. I have an innate need to disbelief what people claim is their must have so I kinda dumped this into my “review when nothing to review” box.

Here’s a transcript of what happened when I finally used this.

“So mafan to have to towel dry then put this on for 15 minutes then wash off again. Might as well take time to take another picture.”

“Feels and smells like normal conditioner.”

“Not so easy to apply like normal conditioner.”

*washes hair 15 minutes later*

“Hmm… quite soft but my hair ends are OMG SO BABY SOFT SQUEEEEEEEEEE!”

I kid you not. The ends of my hair (where there was the highest concentration of this) were so so so so so so so soft and touchable and silky and strokable. I spent a good part of the night after my shower just brushing my hair over my lips. I suspected that I did something wrongly and thus didn’t get the full benefits from this so I asked Stella when I went for a hair cut a few days later. Apparently one has to really spam this like a mask instead of conditioner. This, was completely not enough for my midback long hair:

I would need about a quarter to a third of the tube everytime I use this. My first thought? Damn expensive. Each tube is $40 and I can only use it for 3 to 4 times? Crazy.

I’m not sure if this should be a daily thing (I’m guessing not) but that’s still a lot of money for hair care, especially for those of us with thick long hair. This is what my hair usually looks like when fan-dried: here. It’s an ad for another brand so I’m not putting it here but yeah… I have hay hair. And then I used it properly the second time around. And then…

O.

M.

G.

Is this my hair!?!? I swear I didn’t do anything special. Only washed and did the whole towel dry leave on for 15 minutes wash off thing.

It looks A LOT better in real life – my mom asked if I rebonded my hair. Excuse the no make up face too, I took this shot before to ask if this should be the effect of NP3.1.

I’m seldom surprised by beauty products anymore but this one blew me away. I began advocating this to the BFFs immediately and one of them told me that she’s already a fan of this range of products. Okay can, good things never share.

But the thing is, she pays an upwards of $200 at a salon for this treatment so my measly $40 per tube doesn’t seem quite so expensive anymore. I am so so so so so in love with this that I’m hoarding it to use only when I have special occasions.

And because Miss Hairstylist had to do the act cute thing and not tell me what this product actually is…. here’s some info from googling:

Used in many salons across Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and extremely effective for damaged hair.

Japan Fiole NP3.1 Neoprocess Hair Repair Treatment System +1 Blue – Suitable for normal hair.

Pink – Suitable for chemically processed and dry/damaged hair.

Remove substances that cause acidity to hair. Moisturises deeply to aid manufacture of hair protein. Strengthens hair, prevents loss of nutrients. Enhances absorption of nutrients, lays protection against elements, over the hair.

I did ask Stella what’s the difference between red and blue but she said no diff. I’m guessing you’ll need a real professional to tell you the benefits of this hair mask because I really don’t have much info other than I fucking love it.

Personally, I use it once a week and it’s good enough to leave my hair softer than normal for the next few washes. This magic must have can be purchased for $40 at Roots Salon.

The Roots Salon
Elias Mall
Block 625, Pasir Ris Drive 3, #02-308 (Go up the escalator and keep left.)
Singapore 510625
Tel:65829763 or 65847002 (Do call and make an appointment, they can get very busy!)

Like their Facebook page here.

Click to read all The Roots Salon reviews!