Cut

I get my hair cut by my home-service stylist, who is able to follow pretty much any hair peg I show him. This time, I wanted the “lob” or long bob that many Hollywood celebrities have been wearing. The length would remove my dry ends, but still be long enough to tie into a ponytail.

When you're getting your hair cut and you want a certain style, bring more than one photo to your stylist. Make sure to work with your natural hair texture so you don't damage your hair by having to blow-dry, straighten or curl it everyday.

My stylist cut the back of my hair in a soft U-shape, and gave me a few layers in the front. I also asked for some long bangs since I've been wearing my hair with a side part lately.

Color

I had been coloring my own hair at home with Etude House bubble dye for the past two years. It was cheaper and more convenient than spending hours sitting in a salon chair. I was kind of traumatized from the last time I had my hair professionally colored because the dye stung my scalp so much. But bubble dye, which is just shampooed on, is applied to your entire head at the same time. So my ends were already lighter from previous dye jobs, while the top of my head was darker where my hair had grown. I was getting a strange ombre effect, and my color was fading. I had chosen a dark brown dye the last time I colored it on my own, and yet the ends had lightened almost to blonde.

So I went to Skinzone Skincare with Salon and Spa at i2 in IT Park to let the pros manage my color. I discussed with the colorist what I wanted, which was to even out my color but still be a little lighter than my natural strands. She recommended Organique, a milder dye with less ammonia, and I was relieved that it did not sting my scalp at all. It felt cold and refreshing and took only about 40 minutes. The color was applied towards my scalp first where the hair was darker, and then on the ends where my hair was lighter, so that the color would be even. Despite the dye, my hair feels soft, not dry and almost crunchy like with previous dye jobs.

I definitely recommend Organique hair dye if you want to color your hair with less damage. Plus, it's only P1,000 for long hair, which is really affordable for a professional coloring job.

It's best to get your hair cut first before your color, not the other way around. Definitely do it in this order especially if you're getting highlights, so you know which parts of the cut you want to add dimension to.

If you want to inquire or make an appointment at Skinzone, give them a call at 032-238-2795.

Styling

My hair is a little bit shorter than I would have initially liked it, but I really needed to get rid of those dry ends. I'm happy with how it turned out. My “after” picture was after blow-drying so it looks quite straight, but of course I've shampooed since then. The cut and color are working well with my natural texture, especially when I use mousse and texturizing spray to bring out my waves.

A version of this story was published in my column in SunStar Cebu on Friday, 12 September 2014.