Review: Phytobaume Colour Protect Express Conditioner

Phytobaume Colour Protect Express Conditioner 150ml Euro 10.90

Conditioning my hair comes naturally for me after shampooing. I have thick, volumious Asian hair and if I miss this step, my hair goes frizzy and could be quite dry at times. Blow drying my hair is an absolute must for me because my hair would take AGES to be fully dried! It is pretty understandable to see the need to condition my hair as my frequent blow drying could further dry out and damage my hair.

Since I was impressed with the Phyto shampoo range, trying out their hair conditioners was a naturally easy decision.  I zoomed in on this, which offers protection on colour-treated hair.

Dealing With T-Zone and Dry Cheeks

Image from here

When I first started this blog, I was dealing with dry and dehydrated skin. The following year, my skin was fine but the sensitivity increased. Fast forward to present, I am currently dealing with over production of oil on my T-zone area ( forehead, nose and chin ) where else, both my cheeks area are dry.Call it hormonal imbalance or seasonal changes but one gotta deal with it quick to balance up the area or it may get worse.

Make some changes in skincare routine

I am a loyalist and I seldom change my routine or skincare products unless my skin calls for it. Because of the current situation I am facing, I did some tweaking, just so to keep my face balanced.

Previous Routine

Morning : Cleanse ( Tepid water only ) < Toner ( Hyaluronic Based ) < Replenish ( MVO Anti-Aging Oil+ ) < Protect ( MVO Moisturizing Face Screen spf 30 )

Current Routine

Morning : Cleanse ( Mild Cleanser ) < Toner ( Hyaluronic Based ) < Replenish ( Alternate with Day Cream and Face Oil ) < Protect ( MVO Everyday Coverage spf 20 )

Review: Phytopanama Daily Balancing Shampoo ( Oily Scalp )

Phytopanama Daily Balancing Shampoo ( Oily Scalp ) 200ml MYR 88.00

A couple of months back, I was told by a hairdresser that my scalp is prone to oiliness and that is one of the main causes of my 'on off ' dandruff affair. This new revelation has taken me aback because all the while, I thought my scalp was normal! Anyway, I was advised to use a shampoo, specifically for oily hair, and use it alternately with my normal shampoo.

I have decided to go back to Phyto, since their Phytoapaisant Soothing Treatment Shampoo did quite good for me.

Product Description

Rich in quillaja bark extract, PHYTOPANAMA helps regulate excess sebum production. Quillaja bark is rich in saponins and known for its oil absorbing qualities. Recommended to refresh and purify an oily scalp. PHYTOPANAMA is gentle enough for everyday use. Hair is left fuller and softer.

Ingredients
Quillaja saponaria bark extract, water, disodium laureth cocoamphodiacetate, sodium lauryl sarcosinate, disodium ricinoleamido mea-sulfocuccinate, potassium undecylenoyl hydrolyzed soy protein, cocamidopropyl betaine, zanthoxylum alatum fruit extract, xylitol, junipers communis fruit oil, lactitol, polyquaternium-7, glycerin, fragrance, methychloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone citric acid.

Tips for Healthy Scalp to Beautiful Hair

Image from worldsstrangest.com

Chinese New Year is approaching in a weeks time and truth to be told, we want to look great when we meet our relatives and friends. More often than not, many people I know tend to shop for new clothes, store up some CNY goodies and going for a haircut, all done in a week before the new year approaches.  

Well, since we are all set up, let us not forget to look into the health of our hair as well. Below are some tips for a healthy scalp and a good way to prepare before the day approaches.

Secrets to A Glorious Mane

Image taken from limcorp.net

I recently went to a new hairdressing salon for a wash and I got to know one of the senior stylist there. He is very opinionated ( in a good way.. ) and is one of the first stylist that examined my hair scalp in a microscopic manner before washing my hair!

He first asked me how often I wash my hair and what type of shampoo that I use. He gave me a new revelation, that the tiny flakes that I experience is not dandruff...instead it is a accumulation of dirt and oil. He further explained that dandruff are big flakes, where else mine is small. Below are some images that I've  found:

Image from sportsbycolin.com

More often than not, when we experience itchy scalp or dry flakes in the hair, many people believe that they are suffering from dandruff where in actual fact, it is not necessarily the issue. 

Review: Paul Penders Holy Basil Conditioning Scalp Toner

Paul Penders Holy Basil Conditioning Scalp Toner 180ml AUD 38.50

I have the tendency to invest in quite a number of products for my hair because I do have a history of getting itchy scalp and those annoying dandruff. In my previous post, I reviewed a shampoo that worked pretty well for me to counter the 2 problems. As usual, I like to take a step further to improve the condition of my scalp and this brings me to my purchase of the product above.

I came to know about this when I was trying out some products from Paul Penders and when I was surfing through their site, this looked pretty interesting and lead me to purchase this together with some other products.

Review: Phyto Phytoapaisant Soothing Treatment Shampoo

Phyto Phytoapaisant Soothing Treatment Shampoo 200ml MYR 80.00

I am one that have those 'on off ' dandruff issues and I guess I am not alone in this category. I have tried many shampoos, though I am more reliant to natural based ones. Though I love the Paul Pender's Jasmine Shampoo, I thought it might be a good idea to use it alternately with a treatment shampoo...and this is how I came across this shampoo in one of my shopping days at Sephora.

I am quite familiar with this brand as I have used their dandruff shampoo ages ago. I remembered it gave me good results except that I didn't enjoy it being too 'foam-less'. ( Yes, I was naive then as I did not know that foam-less means it is good for the hair ). 

Review: Paul Penders Products

A few months ago, I was given an opportunity to try out some products from Paul Penders. I have heard of Paul Penders two years ago and was rather intrigued but never really gotten the chance to try out their products. Now that these products were sent to me for review purposes, boy, I was glad!

Now, a little background about Paul Penders taken from their site:

Paul Penders skin care solutions combine the purest ingredients from Mother Nature to restore balance, health and vitality to your skin. Each skin care solution contains ourLevensESSENTIE Gold^®, an extract of 22 herbs from the East and West, a traditional recipe passed down from Paul's grandmother. Paul Penders skin care solutions are cold-processed in small batches to preserve the active properties of carefully selected herbal ingredients.

It is safe to know that their products are never tested on animals and their products are made with certified organic ingredients.

Are you washing your hair the proper way?

( Image source from web )

I am sure many of you would say "Hey, that's easy peesy. Just squirt a good amount of shampoo to the hair, add some water and wash away...". The more it lathers, the cleaner your hair will be, right? Errr...well, more suds doesn't mean it's good for you. The greater it foams means the greater SLS agents are in the products.

Ever since I started switching to more organic or natural based products, one thing I noticed is it does not lather as much as normal drug store ones. Drug store brands typically include more "bubble making" agents to create lather because we all like lathers. Foams or lathers somehow give us an assurance that all the dirt and grime are washed away.

Review: Giovanni Vitapro Fusion Leave- In Hair Treatment

Giovanni Vitapro Fusion Leave-In Hair Treatment 147ml RM 35.90

( Discounted price RM 28.72 )

I have heard of this brand through blogs from overseas and was rather surprised to find this selling at Sasa stores. Giovanni, which hails from USA, is relatively new to the market in Malaysia which is skewed towards using natural ingredients and most of the products do not contain SLS, SLES or Parabens. Though they are not certified organic, most of the ingredients that they use in their products are.

I love leave-in conditioners and I find them very suited to my hair. However, for the past years, I have been using conditioners that do not contain natural ingredients and finding one product that is 'natural' base for hair is a rare find. I was delighted when I find that this product DO uses very natural ingredients and the price is fairly reasonable too. So I took this home with me and have been using this product for 2 months now!

Wanna know how does this product fare for me?

DIY: Homemade Hair Serum using Camellia Oil and using it neat for my skin

( Picture taken from Wikipedia )

Recently, my interest in doing my own skincare has grown and to date, I have mixed my own hydrosol and body oil. In this post, I am introducing my own homemade hair serum, which is using camellia oil and lavender essential oil. Apart from using camellia oil for my hair, I also use the oil as a moisturiser for my skin. 

I am fond to mix my own skincare ( mostly oil based ) because by doing that, I am rest assured that the products that I am mixing gets superior quality ( minus all the additional addictives ). Secondly, it is far more cheaper than products on shelf. Thirdly, I can always get fresh products everytime, hence the efficacy of the product.

What is Camellia Oil?

Camellia oil is also known as tea seed oil, which is derived from the seeds of the plant called camellia oleifera or camellia sinensis ( camellia japonica ). The seeds of this plant are cold pressed to extract the oil, which is in pale greenish yellow in colour and has a slight aroma.

It is said that camillia oil is high in omega fatty acids, polyphenols and vitamin E and is traditionally used for healing wound and preventing infections.

Benefits of Camellia Oil

Camellia oil is highly beneficial for hair and skin conditional properties and are mainly used in hair oils, soaps and skin products. Camellia oil benefits the hair as it prevents breakage, promotes hair growth and soothe dry scalp conditions. It is easily absorbed into the hair, without making it greasy.

In skincare, it is an excellent moisturizer as it is easily absorbed to the skin, without making it oily. Camellia oil is good for preventing damage from the sun and reducing the signs of aging like wrinkles and age spots. Not only that it beneficial for wound healing and soothing skin irritations, it is said to be effective to fade scars with long term use.

It is great for sensitive skin as it is not found to cause allergic reactions and is not prone to cause acne.