Make-Over #6: Curls Allowed: The Return of the Hippie Perm

“Hi HairInManila,

I landed on your blog desperately looking for a reliable salon in the city. Unfortunately, my hair got chemically damaged very recently due to a perming treatment. It has gotten very dry, frizzy, unmanageable and in other ways I never imagined. 😦 My hair is medium in length and I would dare chop it off just so I could get rid of it! Is there any chance you know of a treatment for such? Or a makeover that’s looking to transform a hideous hair into something very nice? Hehe. Hope to hear from you very soon for I can no longer have this thing hanging on my head. Thank you very much! – Pam”

How can I say no? As my first-ever reader-volunteer-model, I wanted to give Pam a fantastic make-over! I decided to set her up with one of my favorite salons owned by one of my favorite stylists in town: Philippe’s Salon!

With Becca accompanying her, here’s how Pam’s curls were rescued as well as an inside look at this chic salon that’s hidden away from the metro.

Perms are hard to manage, but with the right cut and products, its beauty can last!

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Becca Rodriguez writes:

During the love and peace era of the late ’60s, Hippie long locks ruled the hairstyles of most women with the bohemian vibe going on. Ah yes, as the Rolling Stone song goes, “You can’t always get what you want/but if you try sometimes, well you might find/you get what you need.”

And this goes for 21-year-old fresh grad Pamela Bringino of St. Scholastica College. This I.T. consultant who works the night shift originally had long straight hair. But then, Pamela decided to get a perm hoping that her ‘do would be a wash and wear, no-frills and low maintenance. With her first perm, her locks were like Nora Jones. On the third go, she noticed that her hair turned frizzy and turned dry on most days.

It was Pamela’s turn to shine! So we headed over to Philippe’s Salon tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Makati’s CBD in Pasong Tamo extension

The salon is owned by Philippe Tordjman, Artistic Ambassador of L’Oréal Professionnel

This modern yet urban retreat salon takes inspiration from the commercial industry of San Francisco ─ its interiors with red accents and loft-type details feature a mini-golf area and flat-screen TV. Basically, everything a man or a woman needs to look his or her best is in this A-list salon without the snob factor, of course.

Reception wall with Kérastase retail products

Modern furniture in the waiting area

As a golf enthusiast, Philippe placed a putting green to keep the men busy

Dig this, Philippe has cut a roster of international celebrities like Melanie Griffith, Antonio Banderas, Meg Ryan, and local licks like Denise Laurel, Angel Jacob and Rachel Alejandro among others. But what is really fascinating is that this Frenchman was the only one who cut and style U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s hair while traveling in Asia.

Philippe’s photo with Hilary proudly displayed on his wall.

A very visible color bar so you can see your color products being prepared for you.

“Perhaps what makes my salon different is everything really,” explains Philippe. “Even if the salon is in a hidden location, it is full everyday. Because we provide high-class hair styling and treatments, we are not at all snobbish and we treat everyone like A-list celebrities.”

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Hair Cut

Aside from Philippe, another hair pro or guru is half-French and half-Italian senior stylist Pascalain Gianello, who was assigned to cut Pamela’s locks. As he led us to the super-serene VIP room with a waterfall wall, the place will send you off to a snooze mode instantly. While you are at it, you can order champagne to go with your treatment as well. Since everyone deserves a good, healthy haircut, Pascalain asked Pamela what her hair desires were from length, texture and even state. All Pamela wanted was to make her hair look shiny, trim out the edges with the hair texture to be soft and moisturized. So, he examined how her hair grows by combing and pushing the hair in different directions.

In this private room, a waterfall wall creates a calming atmosphere

Pascalain starts to reduce the weight of Pam’s lengths so that the curls can become lighter and bouncier.

Straightening out the hair first before cutting for exact precision

So, the cut this hair whiz suggested was to remove an inch or two of the ends in order to make it look healthier with a straight layer underneath and a variation on the sides for volume. As he worked the comb and scissors into her locks, with just a few snips, you could already see the difference with the right cut: Pamela’s hair shape has never looked better.

A digression: Pascalain describes himself as a “contemporary hair artist with more than 30 years of passion, dedication and experience who wants to bring something new and positive in this country.” His philosophy is to work with hair in its natural state, to treat hair as organic material, to shape and balance hair to reflect the individual and reveal their beauty.

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Hair Care

After the cut, it was now time for Pamela’s hair treatment. Philippe and Pascalain suggested the Oléo-Curl Intense masque from Kérastase which is ideal for thick, curly hair. This product has the highest concentration of moisturizing and softening lipids ever in a Kérastase product, and it will breathe life back to the curls and make it smooth, supple, defined and detangled, which is exactly what Pam was looking for.

Intense, but not excessive. This rich masque has all the benefits of nourishing lipids without the heaviness.

The hair technician spends a good amount of time massaging the masque into the hair.

Pam dozes off to la-la land while the treatment takes effect and while having a head and back massage

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Styling

As soon as Pam’s hair was rinsed, its time for Pascalain to apply the finishing touch by using styling products from both Kérastase and L’Oréal Professionnel.

Oléo-Curl leave-in conditioning crème further defines the curls, while Play Ball Motion Gelée gives a flexible hold and a lot of movement to the hair.

Pascalain scrunches the products into her hair while the Rota-ball dryer was turned on.

A little blow-dry to set everything in place

And there you have it! Beautiful, bouncy, light-weight curls!

From a frizz fest, Pamela is now best-tressed. Just like French actress Marion Cotillard ─ in one Dior party earlier this year, she showed up in a playfully chic ‘do, springy, well-moisturized locks. With curls that want to have fun, which were a thing of the Eighties, they are back in glam fashion.

Besides, there is nothing being a femme fatale with a very good hair experience, indeed.

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Photos by Pranz Kaeno-Billones

Philippe’s Salon is located at 2295 Jannov Plaza Building 3, Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City (830-3030 or 864-0658; e-mail philippessalon@gmail.com or info@philippessalon.com)

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BONUS!

As a special surprise, I want to share with you some photos of an event I did in Philippe’s back in 2008 🙂 The salon was very new back then, and I was launching a new product called “Kérastase Noctogenist”, which is an overnight regenerating leave-on treatment. I decided to transform the salon into a bedroom party, and with Rogue magazine as my partner, we created an amazing experience for everyone!

Recognize the waiting area?

We removed the styling chairs and placed sofas! The orange light is really the salon’s light behind their mirrors! Coolness!

The whole salon became a cocktail lounge! And with free-flowing Belvedere vodka, it was a blast!

The private room with the waterfall became a bedroom! This was my photo-op wall with everyone jumping on the bed and having pillow-fights

Some of the guests

Me and little miss bonnie