Origin Luxe salon’s very classy interior.
Suffering from hair loss is like suffering from acne. It’s the first thing that people notice about you, and it kills any person’s self confidence without sympathy. You can hide it with concealor and wigs, but it wouldn’t work towards solving the problem. Too many people visit hair specialists for hair fall problems but more often than not, they are presented with the sad truth that nothing will get them their hair back. Here’s why and what you can do about it.
The hair on our head has a lifetime of 25 cycles. Each cycle starts when the hair begins to grow and ends when it falls off, and this lasts an average of 6 years (in actual fact, it can be anything from 2 to 9 years). Once the 25 cycles are used up, i.e. that the hair has grown out and fallen 25 times, the follicle can no longer produce hair. You might worry, because 25 is a small number, but if you multiply that by 6, that adds up to more years than what we humans normally live for. The problem for most hair loss sufferers is that we seek treatment too late, when hair can no longer be produced. At that point, no matter what you do, you’ll never get your luscious locks back.
The key to treating hair loss is to seek treatment early, or to take preventive measures to nip the problem in the bud. Some methods include a change in diet, such as staying away from alcohol or caffeine, or using a suitable shampoo.
I was lucky enough to be invited by Origin Luxe, a hair loss treatment facility in Singapore, to give their treatment a try. Do I have hair loss? Yes, albeit minimal. Do I want to wait till it gets worse? No, because wigs and scalp transplants scare the hell out of me.
First, I met Merlyn, my consultant for the day, who gave me a closer look at my scalp. Let me share it with you:
My scalp pre-session. Each follicle only has about 1-2 strands of hair, whereas healthy follicles normally have 3-4 each.
A mere zoom later, I discovered oily, clogged follicles to be my main problem.
Once the issue with my scalp was identified, Merlyn created a customised treatment for me. This was how it looked like in words:
- Combing Massage
- Hair Wash
- Ginger Wine (to open up pores and stimulate the follicles)
- Lemongrass Essential Oil (on hair ends for a softening effect)
- Herbal Mask containing herbs, such as dangui, ginseng and fenugreek (for stronger follicles, slowing the growth of white hair and having the effect of dyeing white hairs brown)
- Hair Steam for half an hour (with the mask on)
- Deep Cleansing Hair Wash
- Tonic on scalp (with vitamins and nutrients to promote hair growth)
- Scalp, Neck and Shoulder Massage (to promote blood circulation)
- Blow Dry
A normal customised session like this costs S$150. Merlyn was nice enough to also let me try two other treatments in addition to this:
- High Frequency Therapy (to detox the scalp and kill bacteria, done at the very beginning of the session)
- Infrared Therapy (to help the tonic penetrate better and stimulate hair growth, done at the very end of the session)
Here’s how the session looked like in pictures:
My little cosy corner!
If you get bored, you can enjoy free movies on their iPads.
Starting with the High Frequency Therapy. I could feel little pricks of electricity on my scalp every now and then.
Next up, the Combing Massage, where Merlyn used two huge wooden combs on my scalp.
After the Hair Wash, Ginger Wine and Lemongrass Essential Oil, it was time for the Herbal Mask!
The mask felt warm when first applied onto my scalp, and Merlyn told me that the masks were individually packed for every customer for sanitary purposes. The mask itself has a brown colour and has a distinct herbal smell, which I only realised after the entire treatment was over.
Now for the steam, while I read some recent fashion magazines. Do I not remind you of Queen Grimhilde?
After all that, and after the rest of the steps followed, I got a nice surprise with the infrared machine!
A take from Aliens?
The whole session lasted about 2 hours, and it was a relaxing 2 hours, if I may so add. There was no hard tugging of my hair, which I quite unfortunately have to sit through most times I visit a hair salon for a cut. The most observable change was the way my hair and scalp felt at the end. To show you how my scalp felt unclogged, here’s some proof:
No more clogged follicles! Deeply cleansed, indeed.
That brown strand you see used to be white.
Before-and-after comparison. Bottom row shows my scalp before the session; Top row shows my scalp post-session. The top and bottom scans on the very left show the most obvious difference.
The reason the oil needed to be removed was that it was blocking and preventing new hair from growing out. And if this occurs too often – or worse, doesn’t stop happening – then the new hair may just decide to never come out. My hair felt lighter overall, was definitely much softer and had a bounce to it. I finally knew what my hair having a life of its own felt like, and I was more confident for a while.
I can’t tell you that this session solved my hair fall problem, or that my hair is now thicker and more voluminous. Usually it takes about 6 to 10 sessions for the effects to be seen, and I only had one. Although it costs S$150 per session, here’s some good news: First timers to the salon get to try what I did for only S$18 instead of S$150! All you have to do is just pop by the salon and say that you read about them on Laced Ivory. This promotion lasts till one month from now.
Make your first appointment for only S$18 instead of S$150.
I do recommend Origin Luxe, if only for a hair pampering treat and the introductory price that not even Chris Brown can beat. If you’ve been there, do share with us your feedback on the service that you received!
FRESH FROM THE STYLE STORE
* This is a sponsored treatment. Nonetheless, my opinions are honest and objective.