Gentle on your hair
One of the best things you could get anyone—including yourself—is a ticket to truly healthy hair.
And at the heart of this is a brand that espouses the knowledge of the distinct line between the hair and the scalp. “It’s like the hair is the plant and the scalp is the soil. How can you have a beautiful plant if you do not have good soil?” asks Dominique Vedy, technical director of Phyto, a French brand that has dedicated itself to maintaining both healthy hair and scalp for the past 40 years. Delineating the needs of the hair and the scalp, Phyto has developed a plethora of products that pulls together the best of botanical goodness.
“Patrick Ales [Phyto’s founder] has been totally dedicated to using plants. He and his wife are very much involved in the protection of forests,” Vedy enthuses as he asserts that Phyto has been eco-friendly even before the green movement and healthy living became the trend, though the goal was pure and healthy hair and scalp care rather than saving the planet. “That is why we use metal bottles, so that we only need a few preservatives. Plastic bottles are porous so they need more preservatives,” he explains.
It’s not uncommon to peruse the ingredient lists on their bottles and come across extracts from burdock, sage, willow, cinchona bark, and the skin and hair care staple jojoba. “The key is to always read the ingredient list,” advises Vedy. “Whatever you see on the top of the list is what is used the most in that product.”
“Hair is always last among beauty priorities,” laments Vedy. “Like dermatologists, for example, they are experts about skin, but they know little about the scalp and hair.” This is where Phyto’s heavily researched and clinically trialed concoctions step in. “Phyto recognizes that there are ingredients that are used for itchy scalps that actually damage the hair or ingredients that nourish the hair that affects the scalp. So we tell our customers, use this product only on the tips or that this other product cannot be used every day. For example dandruff shampoo should not be used every day,” Vedy says.
“Filipinos are correct in washing their hair every day, especially since the weather is so humid,” he furthers. “Filipinos often complain of oily hair, but most of the time it’s the sweat from their scalp that is making the hair seem oily.” He suggests balancing the frequent washing with a gentle shampoo, which cleans just as well as any other shampoo, but is gentler on the hair. “I suggest the Phytolactum shampoo, since it is a gentle shampoo especially made to be used frequently,” Vedy says.
Phytomiel, a hypoallergenic shampoo formulated for babies, is also apt for everyday use. “But it’s also important to take care of the hair, since you are taking care of the scalp with everyday cleaning. So conditioner should also be used, not every day, but maybe every other day,” he further instructs.
An international best seller is the Phyto7, a daily hydrating cream made from seven different plant extracts. Even those who are beginning to thin on top can find a solution at Phyto, with its PhytoLium concentrate that harnesses different essential oils that slow the loss of hair and boost the follicles to produce thicker growth.
To complete the perfect hair, one can book an appointment at Univers Phyto Salon, located on Heaven on the 5th of Rustans Makati and under the supervision of the renowned duo Jude Hipolito and Rose Mariñas-Velasco. Velasco, who is the chief color specialist and technical director of the salon, swears by the Phyto Color dyes. “It’s nice to have a product that is suited for sensitive scalps that usually cannot take the harsh chemicals in other dyes. This gives me and my clients more options as well,” she attests.
Phyto products are available in Rustans Essences in Makati, Shangri-La Plaza, Alabang, Gateway, Robinson’s Place Manila and Cebu. – Article courtesy of Manila Bulletin
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