Ever look at celebs at wish you had hair like them?  Wonder how they have a fringe one minute, and layers the next, bob one day and long trestles the next?  The answer is hair-pieces and wigs.  Long gone are the days when a hair piece resembles a drowned dead rat, with new products on the market such as HairDo™, by American celebrity stylist Ken Paves, us ladies can change our hair style daily and be red carpet ready at the clip of a hair! Used by Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, Lady GaGa and of course Jessica Simpson herself.

The Most Popular Pieces

The ‘Pony Wrap.’ One of the most popular Hairdo pieces, the Pony Wrap allows women to create the classic and elegant ponytail with just one clip on piece. The ‘Pony Wrap’ is a long wrap-around pony that helps women at home to create the trend-setting pony in an instant.

Styleable extensions: Quick and easy to apply, the styleable extensions add length and volume for that red-carpet big hair look.

The ‘Fringe (Bangs).’ For many women, a fringe is not for every occasion — think sports —and with HairDo, you can pick and choose whether today is a fringe day or not. Of course, you can also clip on a fringe and try it out for style before asking your stylist to take out the scissors. Available in 9 multi-blended colours to match most hair colours.

The ‘Braided Chignon.’ Another favorite is the ‘Braided Chignon’ and part of the Styleable Collection from Hairdo. This hairpiece is an elegant braided bun, perfect for any formal occasion or simply a night out on the town. Hairdo has created a simple solution to take your hair from boring to glam in a matter of minutes.

Kelly Roland loves her wigs so much that she has names for them!  What would you call yours?

Available from Glow with Ceri Silk, 9f, parker house, 72 queen’s road central, hong kong

www.cerisilk.com

I admit it – Im going grey.  Being a brunette, I cant hide it under a peroxide veil, but as I’ve never regularly died my hair, I am very concerned about getting into the cycle of perpetual hair colour.  Ive always been told I have nice shiny hair, probably due to the fact that it is natural, however once I start colouring it, I cant help but worry about the condition becoming dull and lifeless over time.  With ammonia being one of the main factors of hair colour damage, I was very intrigued when I heard about the ammonia free, Organic Colour Systems colour offered at The Mandarin Salon, so I went to meet Andrea Clark, creative director and salon manager for a treatment and a chin-wag.

Perched on the 24th floor of The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, with unparalleled panoramic views overlooking Victoria Harbour, The Mandarin Salon offers hair treatments, beauty treatments, waxing (you have to see Betty for one of the best Brazilians in town) and mani pedis, not forgetting their famous signature Shanghainese pedicure.  I was met by the lovely Andrea who conducted a hair consultation explaining the benefits or working without ammonia, “Organic Colour Systems is a high performance range of long-lasting, permanent hair colours, containing certified organic extracts and natural ingredients.  This 100% ammonia-free hair colour maintains the hair’s essential moisture and protein levels, so not to damage the hair in the colouring process.   The result is uncompromising quality and performance, whilst providing a safer and more pleasant environment for both the clients and hair-stylist”.

The process began by Andrea choosing the colour closest to my natural hair colour, which I was told is not boring poo brown, but medium warm brown with a touch of toffee.  She then selected the correct shampoo and pre-treatment by completing a hair-strand test to see if the hair is lacking in protein or moisture. My hair was then washed and a treatment (in my case a moisture treatment) was added to ensure the longevity of the colour.  Back in the chair the colour was applied which unlike some other colours I have experienced, was not at all irritating due to the mostly natural ingredients of The Organic Colour System products.

Before and After

Forty minutes later the colour was washed off with a ph balancing shampoo and conditioner, which I was told by Andrea, closes the cuticles which is important not only directly after the colour, but also over the coming months.  This was finished off by the amazing and famous head massage, (which Im told that neighbouring workers come for in their lunch hour) and finally I was treated to a glamorous and sexy blow-dry by one of the top stylists, Daphine.

I am absolutely in love with my new hair.  I entered the salon looking somewhat bedraggled, but left feeling a million dollars, my hair was rich silky, glossy, and full of volume and bounce, and quite honestly better than ever.  I left feeling rather glamorous and fabulous.  If I wasnt feeling smug enough, as I stepped out of the salon I was photographed (see below) by one of Hong Kong’s top fashion bloggers, who seemed to appreciate the whole look thanks to the new hair!

A month later my hair is still holding the colour.  Andrea chose not to apply permanent colour, as it is more damaging, and I presumed that by now it would have faded.  I am starting to see a little bit of grey shining through, but no-where near what I was expecting.  For you dark haired ladies out there, I sincerely recommend the whole mandarin experience and the Organic Colour by Andrea, who knows you may also be papped coming out of the salon…

What? How much?
Organic Colour System from $1089 depending on length
Blow dry with Daphine from $500 depending on length

Where?
The Mandarin Salon
5 Connaught Road,
Central
Hong Kong.
Tel:+852 2825 4800
Fax: +852 2810 6190
Email: mohkg-salon@mohg.com

Many styles and fashions from yesteryear disappear, never to be seen again for the better, so who would have thought the dip-dye would be de rigueur in 2011.  With the throwback to the 80′s in recent years, it was only a matter of time until we dipped our locks, and took our breath away a la Berlin from Top Gun circa 1986, to match our aviators and boiler suits (maybe that’s just me…)

After appearing on a multitude of S/S2011 catwalks, many celebs are sporting the new dip dye trend, why not try the ‘sharp dip’, where the ends are a completely different colour, like Drew Barrymore, or for the less adventurous Hong Kong massive, why not try the less obvious ‘subtle dip, of which Alexa Chung and Dannie Minogue are recent converts.

The Philip George Salon are bang on trend with this look and are pioneering ‘The Dip’, here in Hong Kong, which is suitable for both Caucasian and Asian hair.  BBHK cant think of a better way for the fake blondies (oh there are so many of you girls…) to update their look for the summer, and relax about their root growth for once, and be fabulous at the same time!

Cost
From $1500.

Where
The Philip George Salon,
23/F, 1 Duddell Street,
Central, Hong Kong.

tel: 25243143

I have dull, lifeless hair, which lacks shine and vitality. I know this because mean hairdressers have a habit of telling me. Lucky for me then, that I got the chance to review the new Organic hair colour treatment at Emmanuel F, a French-owned salon in the Nexus Building in Central.

The salon prides itself on using exclusively green products – so wave goodbye to aluminium foils and ammonia and say hello to organic ingredients that are environmentally friendly and fair trade to boot.

I arrived at the salon laden with shopping bags and in a general mess so was instantly soothed by the calming interiors and friendly reception. An initial consultation confirmed that my current hair colour was draining my face of its youthful glow (what remains of it). What I needed – apparently – was to go ‘warmer’ not lighter as I had suggested. I happily agreed, a decisive hairdresser is a wonderful rarity.

Although I am about to wax lyrical about the entire experience, I really want to stop and make a point about the hair-washing part of the proceedings. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Honestly. Lie-flat beds, starry LED lights in the ceiling and a head massage that was so pleasurable it verged on the inappropriate.

Anyway, I digress. Back to the hot seat, and my stylist gave me a bunch of mags to read as she painted organic hair colour (Organic Color Systems is the brand name) onto my locks. At the end she wrapped my head in clingfilm. I looked like I was wearing a malfunctioning shower hat but what did I care – I was reading up on the joys of Kate Middleton’s wardrobe and Brangelina’s dining habits.

About half an hour later and my head was nicely baked. Off came the shower hat, out came my newly warm hair and down went Hello magazine as I vainly turned my attention to my reflection. XX even gave me a bouncy blow dry so I could go out that evening looking groomed, a possible first since I arrived in Hong Kong.

Was I pleased with the colour? By heck I was. And even more after a few washes when the colour had faded ever-so-slightly. I will definitely be going back for more; after all, I need to retain my new glow.

What?
Color Overall Long Hair: $1,500
Shampoo & Style with Senior Stylist: $400
Time: approx 2h

To welcome you in the world of organic  hair color, Emmanuel F are offering a tailor-made hair treatment aimed at repairing & rebuilding your hair from chemical colors before our organic color application, as well as 10% off on all Organic Care Systems products to maintain your hair at home

Where?
emmanuel f.
nexxus building, level 2, shop 211-213
41 connaught road Central
Hong Kong

+852 2167 8280

For those of you who came past lately for your daily BBHK fix to find us AWOL, we are unhappy to inform you we were hacked.  Well we have removed those pesky vermin from the site, and we are squeaky clean and back online for Christmas.  Thinking of hackers, here is our fab five list of hackers in Hong Kong…. (for your hair of course!)

The Mandarin Salon (pictured above)
Nowhere in Hong Kong exudes elegance and glamour for your hair like the Mandarin Salon.  Top choice of the Hong Kong Tai-Tais and Glitterati, The Mandarin Salon is perched on the 24th Floor of the original Mandarin Oriental hotel. With unparalleled panoramic harbour views, and the best head massage and wash in town, you will definitely swank out of this joint looking a million dollars.
The Mandarin Salon, 5 Connaught Road, Central, +852 2825 4800, mohkg-salon@mohg.com

Stuck in a style rut and don’t know what to do?  Have a friend that you think is in need of a little TLC?  Well The Retreat have teamed up with Toni & Guy and Colour Me Beautiful to create the ultimate makeover day to create a brand new you for the new year.

The prize includes:

• A top to toe makeover from certified Colour Me Beautiful image consultant, Ms Veena Dansinghani (worth HKD$3500)
• Hair style,  colour consultation and hair treatment mask from Toni & Guy and eyebrow shaping and express manicure from The Retreat (worth HK$3160)
• A before and after photoshoot with Digital Thinking (worth HKD$1000)
• An interview with Beauty Buzz Hong Kong (priceless!)

You can nominate a friend in need, or enter yourself by emailing win@beautybuzzhk.com before 24th December with your name or your friend’s name and contact details to be in included in the drawer. Good luck!

The lucky winner will be notified in the new year.

The Retreat Details here.

For Terms and Conditions click here.

How much do you want that comb? We totally love Shocantelle and her style..not sure if the ‘look’ will take off here in Hong Kong.  More comedy beauty videos to come…

Is the Hong Kong humidity playing havoc with your hair?  Having a bad hair day?.. or bad hair year?  Then BBHK may have the cure for you.  The Brazilian Blowout is the latest craze from Hollywood and has just hit the shores of Hong Kong.

As a lifetime sufferer of frizzy puffy hair, the idea of a magic potion that could tame my messy locks obviously got me whooping with joy, and trotting off to The Retreat in Repulse Bay to try the treatment, but does it work and does it harm the hair?

The Brazilian Blowout is a brand of the popular Brazilian keratin treatments, only this one takes as little as 60 minutes and you can wash your hair right away and can last as long as 12 weeks. (other brands require you to wait 1-3 days to let the product take hold).

Some salons have been known to falsely advertise the “Brazilian Blowout” when they are actually using something else, then you don’t even know what you’re getting. Some products contain much harsher chemicals than others, while some stylists claim their product is “chemical-free.”So it was good to know that The Retreat have the one-and-only original product.

How does it work?
Gaps in the hair structure causes it to bend and coil, creating curls and frizz.  These gaps also cause hair to absorb moisture, so those of us who were not blessed with naturally super straight and sleek hair have little gaps in our hair structure that suck up all that lovely Hong Kong humidity.  Lucky girls.  The keratin formula in the Brazilian treatments coat each hair with protein, filling the gaps, creating a more sleek, smooth, solid strand that says noooo to humidity.

Doin’ it and Doin’ it and Doin’ it well

Even though the idea of super sleek and basically tidy hair every day was enough to get me all giddy, the idea of putting chemicals on my hair always scares me.  Quite frankly I quite like having hair on my head, and the possibitity that something can go wrong and I end up bald isnt too appealing.  But when I heard that the guru of sleek, Jenniffer Aniston has this treatment regularly, along with other hollywood stars such as Nicole Richie, Halle Berry and  Lindsay Lohan, I decided I was in safe hands.  It also contains no formaldehyde which is a major culprit ingredient for hair product offenders.
I booked my appointment at The Retreat, and said goodbye to my frizzy hair forever.  The treatment was surprisingly simple.  My hair was washed properly to remove any products, then the solution was applied.  It was then blow-dried and flat-ironed to ‘seal in’ the keratin to the cuticle.  My only problem with the process was when the flat iron was being used, the heat on the product caused my eyes to water like crazy, so I would possibly advise bringing a pair of sunglasses (yes i know you will look like an idiot, but who wants to smudge their mascara!).

Much to my dismay my hair was washed again.  It looked so beautiful and straight, the thought of runing it brought a lump to my throat, but I was assured this was all part of the bonding process.  I was then passed over to the master hairstylist who snipped my locks to perfection.  Another blow-dry later, I stepped out of The Retreat looking like a million dollars.

With this particular Brazilian keratin treatment you can wash your hair immediately, (unlike others that you have to wait 3 days without tying up your hair), I did actually wait 3 days to wash my hair because it looked so incredible.  Living in Hong Kong, I have resigned to the fact that as soon as I leave a salon, I puff up like a poodle, and look bedragged within about 45minures, but three days later, I still looked like I just stepped out of the hairdressers.

I finally washed my hair, and let it dry naturally to see if the familiar fuzz ball would be staring back at me in the mirror, and I was amazed at what I saw, my hair actually looked like I had already blow-dried it! It was super straight, super sleep and super shiny.  Result!  I ended up dancing around my bedroom doing my happy dance.

Three weeks later
In the height of Hong Kong summer my hair is still sleak and smooth, but not quite as smooth as day one.   In fact I think I like it more.  Even though I love the idea of really straight hair, being a girl with volume and oomph in her hair, I sometimes feel like I have lost a bit of my charachter when it is too straight.  The best thing is there is no frizz at all in my hair, and it is still super shiny, but with movement and very loose waves that people spend ages trying to tease into their hair.  They advise you to buy the Brazilian Blowout own brand shampoo and conditioner to extend the life of the treatment, which contains acai berry among other products to zap life into your hair. I just ended up buying the conditioner, as at $450 dollars each is quite a lot, but  you can use any brand,as long as it doesn’t contain  sodium chloride (salt, which breaks down the keratin treatment).  I love the smell and the texture of the conditoner, and if it is helping to maintain my hair, then I will carry on buying it, but next time with the shampoo too.  2010 will go down in history as my summer of love with the Brazilian Blowout.

Where?
The Retreat
1st Floor, 33 Beach Road
Repulse Bay,
+852 2803 1860

How Much?

$2,500 – $3,500 with complimentary shampoo & conditioner. worth $450 each

After months of speculation a new hairdressers has opened in the Repulse Bay Sense of Touch.  Set along side the recently launched Sense of Touch day-spa, Capelli overlooks the Moroccan themed gazebo garden.  This small but beautifully designed salon will be a welcome addition to the ever growing spa and beauty scene in the area, and an unwelcome rival to the Tony & Guy in The Retreat spa down the road.

Bubbly Creative Director Curt comes with a wealth of experience.  After being trained in Tony & Guy London, and a running a hairdressing academy in Shanghai, he has returned to his roots in Hong Kong, and now is extremely excited about his new salon, “It’s such a beautiful location, and we are so busy already…my clients have followed me and once the local clientele come here, they will not want to go anywhere else ever again”.

Curt tells me he is notorious for his love of long hair, and his ability to help his clients achieve long, thick healthy hair, no matter their age.  Being a scissor-phobic Rapunzel myself, this is music to my ears. Curt kept me entertained with his stories of globe-trekking whilst expertly sniping my long locks.  An hour later, my hair looked healthy, lush and happy with its beautiful new style.  My only gripe was the hair wash took far too long, but I will gladly put this down to teething problems of the first few days of business.

An exclusive deal with L’Oreal Professionnel and Kérastase, great haircuts and excellent customer reward packages should see this new salon a successful and permanent fixture in the area.

Haircuts start at $300 for a stylist and go up to $800 for the creative director.

Click here for Capelli details.

2009 will be known as the year that Mini Mouse became a fashion icon.  We’re not talking about polka dot dresses and red shiny shoes.  We’re talking about ears. The fashion press went loopy when Madonna wore Louis Vuitton ‘Bunny Ears’, the Olsen twins have been seen sporting ‘Mouse Ears’, Lada Gaga has been putting just about anything on her head(see below) and generally on the catwalks and rouge carpets its all about headwear, statement hair (think Amy Winehouse), and fantasy.  Before running to Lane Crawford, check out the collection from fab new hair accessories brand ‘Sereni & Shentel’.  

Brainchild of fabulous Borneo based fashionistas and Malaysian socialites, Sereni Linggi and Shentel Lee, the brand was concieved after they made some headbands for themselves to wear for the Lady Gaga concert.  The press and public went mad, leading Tatler to commission a personal collection.  The girls soon realised they were onto a good thing, and Voila! The brand was born.

‘Decoration without Explaination’ is their moto and with product names such as ‘Bow Down Bitches Strawberry Kisses’, and ‘OMG WTF!’, the collection is loud, bold, in-your-face, and we love it!  Their first collection has already appeared in Tatler, and if our Magic 8 ball is right, we will be seeing a lot more from this talented duo.

www.sereniandshentel.com

Lada Gaga aka 'Hello Kitty'