If there is one persistent beauty issue I have it’s the condition of my hair. Born to two parents who had baby-fine textured strands, I have always been conscious of how my (less than) crowning glory was treated. In my early teens I succumbed to the Aqua-Net bandwagon, and even (I cringe) the perm generation. I fell victim to parlorista after parlorista claiming their product would give me volume, bounce and shine. In the end, after a really good blowout (and countless foul-smelling chemicals) my hair would eventually go back to its natural state, which was limp and uneventful. I eventually gave up on the promises of trendy tress treatments and stuck to regular trims and shaping with Victor Ortega of Emphasis Salon and  monthly vitamin-infused meso-hair therapy at The Skin and Laser Clinic. It was the in-between periods wherein I suffered humidity, lazy styling days and change of weather (due to traveling abroad) bad hair days. No matter if it was an overnighter in HK or a month-long sojourn to Europe, my hair behaved while on holiday and just went full-on tantrum once I got home.

Usually, once I have a free weekend, I just coat my hair and scalp with a deep conditioning cream or oil and leave it on overnight; this used to work until a couple of months ago — say late 2011 when work-stress was at an all-time high and the birthday clock ticked another crucial year away. I’m not sure where I developed the rather annoying habit of picking at my scalp, but there was an itchiness and dryness that acted like a magnet and drew my fingers (and sometimes nails) there. It got so bad that I started doing it in public; disgusting, I know, and I am grateful that I had several friends who called it to my attention early on. The flakiness of my scalp was an added beauty insecurity and I refused to slather on dandruff shampoos that looked and smelled like they had been infused with radioactive ingredients. I turned to my beauty blackbook and noticed that The Souq Organics (the home of one of my all-time must-have products, Moroccan Argan Oil) finally opened its own store in Katipunan Ext., near White Plains, and they delivered. What was recommended was their Fushi line of hair products, the Total Repair Herbal Shampoo and the Repair and Soothe Herbal Conditioner, specifically from the range.

Vanity fair: Get your (organic) beauty fix at Souq International.

Fushi hails from the UK and has won an Ethical Award, has no sulphates, parabens, petrochemicals, artificial perfumes and is free from animal-testing. Plus, they are part of ecological project “Tree for Eternity,” as every purchase of a Fushi product allows the corporation to plant trees. Sounded like a company with a heart, so I was praying that the products worked. Over the Christmas break I used the two products consistently. The first thing I noticed? Even if I didn’t take the time out to blowout my hair before leaving in the morning resorting to toweling dry my hair rapidly in the car from house to office, my hair was  far from flyaway and seemed to shine.

Yes, maybe it was all in my imagination (the shine) but the smoothness was real. In fact, when I got home in the evenings, I realized I hardly had to brush my hair to keep it in place the entire day. Second, despite the moisturizing properties of both products my hair didn’t look oily and stringy, it just looked normal, which was a welcome change.

Finger-combing became a new habit of mine instead of picking at my scalp which, after a little over a week’s use had miraculously stopped flaking in that one spot. The shine on my hair is no longer an imaginary one and I firmly believe that the highlights I had put in before Christmas have become deeper and integrated well with my natural hair color.  My hair springs to life once dry and I’m assuming this is because of  all the organic ingredients and the absence of as many harmful chemicals as possible. Needless to say this dynamic hair duo has become my mane squeeze so to speak, and has gotten me so enthusiastic with the results that I’ve even looked into trying their “Really good Cellulite Oil” which is triple-infused with ingredients such as Gota Kola, an Ayurvedic herb known for its circulatory benefits, helping in strengthening the connective tissue in the skin and boost collagen as well as Green Coffee Bean, a well- known stimulant and diuretic that helps smooth the skin and boost the lymphatic system. What is essential to an effective product are great ingredients, not great marketing, and thankfully, The Souq Organics has made the effort to bring in products that don’t just look pretty but can actually help keep you pretty, long term.

Damage control: This shampoo helps your head and hair heal

Soothsayer: Herbal conditioner to help sooth dry hair and scalp

* * *

The Souq Organics is located at Unit B, G/F Bellitudo Lifestyle Strip, 79 Katipunan Ext., White Plains, QC (tel.421-5745). Visit thesouqorganics.com  for more info

There's the rub: A potent cellulite reducing oil