Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow?
For most men my age, we’ve grown accustomed to our hair, our crowning glory. Unfortunately, n Nature doesn’t often oblige and hair loss, receding hairline, bald spots and a myriad of other issues come into play as the years slip by. While some take the bull by the horns and elect to take on a shaved head look, count me among those who insist on playing the “conserve and preserve” game.
Last year, I would do regular hair treatment sessions but while it would be a relaxing 40 minutes or so, I would also be constantly on the lookout for home regimens and remedies that would help me in the “More is never too much” philosophy when it comes to hair issues.
Courtesy of L’Oréal’s Kérastase line, the Aminexil vials were a dependable go-to solution. So, I was more than eager to try out its new Serioxyl range of products when invited to the new bastion of men’s grooming in Makati — the Back Alley.
From L’Oréal Professionnel, and developed by fellow and expert in Hair Care Biology Dr. Bruno Bernard, Seioxyl is a multi-targeted solution against thinning hair and slowing down hair loss. And take note here that we are talking about thinning hair, not creating something from where there is already nothing. Serioxyl’s product range and regimens effectively combat hair thinning by restoring fiber density, improving resistance to breakage and providing energy and nutrients to help the hair follicles fulfill their role.
How often do we shampoo, towel dry our head, and see strands of hair cascading to our bathroom floor? While several factors are at play — family history, age, diet, stress, hormones and lifestyle habit — it is comforting to note that the Serioxyl line is there to provide vitamins and effective hair follicle protection. Your hair salon or barber shop carrying the Serioxyl line will be able to advise you on which regimen is suitable for your needs: do you need denser hair, thicker hair, a combination of both thicker and denser hair, or to arrest severe hair loss.
On top of the aforementioned Aminexil Advanced that is directed against hair loss, the Serioxyl line is composed of the following products: the Fuller Hair Kit, which has a Clarifying Shampoo, a Bodifying Conditioner and a styling product, the Densifying Mousse. Then, there’s the Serioxyl Thicker Hair Serum, applied in the mornings, after one has showered. The Denser Hair Serum awakens dormant follicles and one applies eight pipettes directly to the scalp in the evening. As with products of this nature, it’s all about consistent and sustained use, following the suggested protocol and not envisioning instant results.
And yes, Serioxyl is here for both men and women. It is one of the more advanced and well-researched product ranges easily available in the industry — well worth the effort before micro-transplant surgery becomes the only solution.
You can call me a sucker for these products and throw in any product with anti-aging on the label, but ultimately, it is how L’Oréal Professionel and Kérastase are also on the labels that give me the kind of trust and assurance I look for before even seriously considering these products for my personal use. Always better to be Hair Today and Still Hair Tomorrow!
The hyper reality of fiction
A common thread running through these three novels is the heightened sense of reality, how fiction can turn a “What if?” notion into a hypothetical reality that teases us into serious contemplation. deWitt uses a fable, while Swarup’s latest brings to mind his source material for Slumdog Millionaire. As for Goodfellow, his mystery thriller would rewrite history.
Undermajordomominor by Patrick deWitt (available on Amazon.com) Author of The Sisters Brothers, a revisionist Western, deWitt now sets his sights on transforming the Gothic fable into a mock-serious contemplation of service, love and tempting fate. Lucien (Lucy) Minor is your typical “man heading nowhere,” prone to lying and self-delusion. When pressed to serving as the assistant to the Majordomo at the mysterious castle Von Aux, Lucy finds himself embroiled in a new lifestyle that demands he turn a blind eye to perverse, degenerate and dark behavior. To top things off, Lucy falls in love with a village girl who “belongs” to a war-mongering villager. Balancing his service to the Baron, courting the “love of his life,” while avoiding the wrath of his rival, make up the often absurd, but enjoyable plot of this wonderful bagatelle.
The Accidental Apprentice by Vikas Swarup (available at National Book Store) As the author of Q&A, which we know better as Slumdog Millionaire, Swarup is known for his particular blend of mystery thriller with social commentary. This new novel lives up to our expectations, based on the premise of one of India’s richest industrialists Vina Acharya, plucking a nobody appliance salesgirl from off the street and subjecting her to seven life tests — with the prize being the CEO position of Acharya’s conglomerate. Is it Pygmalion Bollywood-style or a clear case of perverse manipulation? Along the way, Swarup once again takes potshots at modern India — the fascination with reality television, the illegal trade of body parts that exploits the poor and desperate, and the quest for a new Gandhi in the midst of materialism and corruption. Engrossing story!
The Collector of Secrets by Richard Goodfellow (available on Amazon.com) Part historical thriller mystery, part adventure yarn, this debut novel by Goodfellow has research, attitude and plotting all in the right places. It opens in the Philippines during the sunset of the Japanese occupation; then fast forwards to contemporary times in Tokyo, with a young Gaijin American language teacher as the main protagonist. Tutoring an old, retired Japanese diplomat, Max Travers is soon enmeshed in a storyline that includes the Yakuza, Yamashita’s Treasure, the CIA and a long historical trail of deception, blackmail and slush funds. With an impeccable sense of time and place, Collector is an engrossing and entertaining summer read that does teeter on the edge of incredulity, but manages to keep us turning the page.
