Top 10 hair care tips

Hair is everyone’s crowning glory. They say you can tell one’s age through the thickness of one’s hair. I remember asking Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez if she ever thought of cutting her hair short and her quick reply was it would make her cry if she lost her long, silky hair.

If there is one lady who made being a hairstylist a glamorous job, that would be Cherry Tiosejo Reyes. I met Cherry through my late sister Lupe. At that time, Cherry and Lupe were both college students and very active with the Ateneo College basketball team. But soon after Lupe transferred from Ateneo to UP Diliman, Cherry and I somehow lost touch.

In one of our reunions with college friends years after, we bumped into Cherry, now an established hairstylist for Toni & Guy Philippines. It was then that I learned that she started her career as a hairstylist when she got pregnant in college. She had to stop school while waiting to give birth and to pass time, she learned how to cut hair.

Cherry and Chot Reyes (center) with their children (from left) Josh, Mosh, Rookie and Ice.

Soon after she finished college, Cherry started looking for a job in the corporate world. But she would always not get the job when the company learned that she was married with a child. This was when she decided to go back to the hairdressing industry where she got hired immediately. After 10 years of working for salons, Cherry put up her own local franchised salon and eventually got the master franchise of Toni & Guy.

How does she manage her time being a wife, mom and being a hairdresser? “I don’t balance my time, I’m just mindful of my energy; and I find that when one is passionate about what one does, one finds the energy to do a lot of things — even more than normal. So, I make sure to do things I’m passionate about — my family, my profession, my advocacies. When I do that, time is hardly an issue,” she says.

Her advice to those who want to get into the salon business? “It’s best that the owner should know how to cut hair — we shouldn’t be held hostage by our stylists. If the owner has no knowledge of hairdressing, franchising is the way to go. Continuous training/education is key. Toni & Guy is the perfect example. We are backed up by an academy in London.”

Cherry now has five salons, all in prime locations and her business is fast expanding before the year ends. Quite a feat for a wife and a mom who had a hard time finding a job then.

Cherry with her Toni & Guy family.

Read on as Cherry shares tips on taking good care of one’s hair.

1. Invest on good quality shampoo and conditioner. If you can buy expensive moisturizers/toners for your face, you should also invest on products to take care of your hair because your hair is your crowning glory. With so much choices in the market today, it’s best to get a professional advice from your hairdresser so he or she can recommend the perfect product for your hair type and address specific concerns.

2. Dry Shampoo Brunette refreshes my hair in between my shampoo days. Also, it is specially formulated to camouflage gray hair on the roots with brunette tones and can also work as a texturizer.

3. Use a wide-tooth comb. My hair is prone to tangles, so I leave a wide-tooth comb in the shower. This comb is ideal for smoothening tangles while I still have conditioner in my hair. Because the comb’s teeth have ample gaps, no damage is caused in the hair.

4. I use a microfiber towel as it absorbs excess water and reduces frizz. I never use regular towel to dry my hair because its texture and material is often too coarse and dry for fragile, wet hair. Blow-drying is faster thus preventing heat damage in the process.

5. Before I blow-dry my hair, I use protein spray to protect it. This helps shield my hair from heat damage and UV rays especially during summer. It also evens out porosity of the hair and provides a healthy shine.

6. A scalp serum is also a good investment. Whether it’s for hair loss prevention or to add density to thinning hair, it can be a solution that will bring out all the features of young hair. We just love anything that makes us look young!

Chot and Cherry Reyes.

7. For intense hair care, the in-salon treatment is a miracle worker. It provides concentrated active ingredients capable of resolving all hair concerns. It also treats your hair and immediately delivers lasting results. I super recommend it after a color or any chemical treatment done in the salon.

8. I use a powerful blow-dryer with an “ionic technology.” It  can dry hair quickly with the air power that leaves hair less exposed to the heat and gives it a silky smooth finish.

9. I invest on good straightening or curling irons for my “I woke up like this” waves and my night out volume curls. The barrel should be evenly heated and the consistent temperature makes sure no section of your hair gets burnt. With this, I can get my hair done in 10 to 15 minutes.

10. Choosing what brush to use can make or break a hairstyle. My DIY styling brush is a vented paddle brush. Its extra wide and specially curved head conforms to the natural shape of my head, thus making it easy to use. It is great for detangling, brushing out or for blow-drying large sections of hair quickly. Since the vented design allows warm air from the dryer to circulate quickly to the hair, my blow-drying is quicker and it reduces hair exposure to the heat.

(We welcome your suggestions and comments. Please e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @monsromulo.)