Hair Thickening and Restructuring Treatment: Instacure by Hareta Hair Salon

Yes a beach holiday is ultimate fun.

So is coloring your hair and have a different hairdo every month.

Combine the two you'll have a nightmare.



I used to have thick luscious dark hair, and was proud of it. Then two years ago I decided to start bleaching my hair. My hair has been thinning drastically which each bleach and color session.


Hair looks nice only after a blow-out. But look how it is.

Then it got almost impossible to comb while its wet because it'll just tangle into a messy bunch, too thin to comb through and too easy to break.

Sunny from Hareta mentioned to me about a special treatment called Instacure a while back that it helps restructure and redefine hair texture, targeted towards very damaged hair or bleached hair. I phoned him up immediately on my return to KL from Redang and declared all hope lost for my hair and asked him to perform his miracle treatment on me.


It's cold ironing.


This is before and after.


Left: Immediately before my Redang trip. Got so damaged couldn't even comb through my hair. (Even washing it with hair conditioner wasn't helping much)
Right: After Instacure treatment. Just normal blow dry. No straightening blow-out.


The treatment cost RM380. You might be able to get a cheaper rate if you sign a package or something. Usually I sign a package there for hair wash and visit it at least twice a week to wash my hair when I have time.

Result: 
Hair felt fuller. I could slide my hand through my hair, which was an achievement.
So far I have washed my hair twice and the texture remains. It didn't go away in one wash. It felt that I was given a renewed hair texture permanently.


On a side note, I think I'll have one more year of hair coloring fun and then I'll head back to being a brunette. What do you think?

Ailshan, Taiwan

The blog started out as a travel blog 11 years ago to document my travels. 6 years down the road I took a step back from travelling to focus on other aspects of my life.

Now and then I do come back here and thought about my younger days.

I still have plenty of travel experience I never share and photos of places I never got the chance to upload.

So every now and then I do want to throw in a throwback post such as this.

My Alishan trip in Taiwan. The walk in the reserve national park early in the morning.
Like a true young traveller I was, I hitched my ride up the mountain.

Checked in to my hotel and spent my day wandering through the misty forest filled with hundreds year old red cypresses.









The rail up the mountain is still present but the track was closed due to a massive typhoon destruction. So the mini red train that used to bring Japanese workers up and down the mountain (harvesting and exporting red cypresses back to Japan) was only operational from the mountain village to the peak to see the sunrise. Though according to wikipedia the track was recently opened but only halfway, so now you can ride from the foot of the mountain to the mid-mountain stop Fenqihu  (奮起湖). 























Hello.. younger days me. 

Reebok Cardio Ultra & Aveda Shampure Body Lotion

Reebok Cardio Ultra



My body combat instructor friend Steven Goh one day called me up and asked if I would like a pair of Reebok.

It was the right timing as my last pair of running shoes split on me.
The shoe came in bright neon yellow. Which I really didn't mind since I've always like neon color trainers. I would imagine this pair to be suitable only for indoor running though. With our rainy weathers, it would get stained permanently too fast too soon. Which is all fine since the rain has not stopped visiting us on a daily basis since the beginning of the year.



The shoes for one were pretty comfortable to wear. Shoe tongue (the flap underneath the shoe lace) is thin but very comfortable and allow easy ankle movement. The Turnzone design at the bottom allow the foot to turn and pivot smoothly. The cushioning is made from a three foam combo that will eliminate impacts during running. Rather light. Overall, a pair of decent kicks.




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Aveda Shampure Body Lotion

I spoke about Aveda before and how I like the concept and idea behind the brand.
Like all Aveda products, the shampure body lotion is made from natural organic ingredients and scented with ylang-ylang and lavender (very herbal zen and classy scent). It's said to be made with 25 pure flower and plant essences, it would be like soaking oneself in a flower haven.



I'm a sucker for body lotions. I have more body lotions in my drawers than I have make-ups.
So this was definitely something I'll use on a daily basis.



The cream texture is soft and light and easily spreadable. Slight stickiness but once spreaded out and massaged, it has a pretty moisturising effect, great on aged skin (such as mine) or for skin under long hours of air-conditioning exposure.

One small dollop (as photo above) could go a long way. I thought I squeezed enough for a hand, but turned out that dollop was enough to spread through my entire arm.


That 200ml bottle can be used for quite a while.

KO Specialist Skincare Review

KO Specialist is coming up strong as a skincare brand in Malaysia. Everywhere you go you see a billboard ad of it. But how do their products fare? Here's my breakdown of it.

I'm reviewing the KO Dermaceutical range (mainly) in this post.
The range targets dry skin, combats dullness and pigmentation and protects from sun exposure.






Starting with the KO Dermaceutical Perfect Cleanser 1.





I have the habit of double cleansing my face so this was my second step in cleansing. It has a gel-lish texture and requires massaging on a wet face in circular motion to emulsify the solution. Some people who are used to foam cleansing might not be used to this but it is VERY gentle on your skin, suitable for dry and traumatized skin. Made with botanical extracts and the lavender essential oil gives it a very fragrant scent.


If you have make up on and like me, likes to use cleanser with make-up removing properties, then I would suggest using the KO Dermacare Purifying Cleansing Gel, which is under the Dermacare range (which focuses on intensive rehydration). I use this as a Step 1 in cleansing.



This is a thicker gel texture and can be rather sticky if face isn't wet enough. Works better with warm water. It is gentler to the eyes when applied around the eye area to remove eye make ups compared to other brands I've used which is a bonus point. However, it is still against advice to rub too hard around the eye and can take a bit of effort to 'massage' off heavier make ups.




On to the KO Dermaceutical Perfect Radiance Toner 21.



The bottle, same as cleanser 1, comes in a squirt dispenser which I think it's rather apt for a toner that has a texture similar to products rich in Hyaluronic Acid (but is not). Perhaps comes from all the botanical extracts such as cactus pear extract, cucumber extract, witch hazel extract, etc.



The 'full body' texture gives a better grasps on the skin upon application. I like to apply toner with my hands instead of using cotton pads so this is my favourite item among the range. Bonus points added to the fact that it's free from alcohol, colourant and preservatives.


The KO Dermaceutical Perfect Moist 69 is a moisturiser I'd like to rave about.



First of all, it doesn't have the smooth texture or application. And it feels rather sticky when you apply it on BUT it gets absorbed fairly fast and sets your face VERY WELL. Make up application after this product feels like a BREEZE. It is the perfect moisturiser to use in the morning before you apply your make up. It is also safe for sensitive skin and eczema.



Infused with 7 types of plant extracts organically grown in the Swiss Alps, it diminishes pigmentation, binds moisture and renews skin for a smoother complexion.






The KO Dermaceutical Perfect Wake-up Eye 28 has similar texture as the moisturiser and similar effect. Sticky application initially but very well set under-eye area surface to apply concealer on after. Fairly gentle on the eye area but still require careful application .



It's said to decrease puffiness, dark circles and smooths out wrinkles. Can be used on neck lines and other age lines as well. I haven't used long enough to experience these but I rather like this product because I do feel the moisturising effect around my eyes.




Finally the KO Series Multi-Protection SPF41++ PA. It's not shown in the website but you can see it on their facebook page. See it as a all-in-one sunscreen that can be used alone as make up base, concealer, foundation and finishing powder.





You will find that it's a shade lighter than your skin but after smoothing out the cream, it will blend in quite well with your natural skin.




It's not easy to see in photo but you'll see less pigment on left hand (with KO Multi-Protection) than the right hand (without KO Multi-Protection) where there's more sun spots.



Here's the list of product prices for your reference:
KO Dermaceutical Perfect Cleanser 1                          120ml    RM198
KO Dermaceutical Perfect Radiance Toner 21            120ml    RM198
KO Dermaceutical Perfect Moist 69                                  50g    RM380
KO Dermaceutical Perfect Wake-up Eye 28                     30g    RM380
KO Dermacare Purifying Cleansing Gel                      220ml    RM198    
KO Series Multi-Protection SPF41++ PA                         25g    RM120

Cat Watches - Big, Bold and Rugged

Cat Watches came from the brand Caterpillar. Yes, the brand that produces tractors.

Much of their watches are inspired by tractors and the construction field. Such as watch box that resembles a tool box and dial that looks like a bolt.

They started out as a very manly watch brand but now caters to unisex watches. Price ranging from RM350-1000.




ICON
Brown leather - RM369
Black leather - RM433




T7 Multi - RM581

I've always been a fan of bigger watches but never had a worn superiorly manly watches before. Turns out manly watches rather suit me.

Swiss Brand Manager Olivier Jeanbourquin flew down to give us a private briefing about the watches and helped us understand more about the concept and R&D behind the brand. To prove that the watches were hardy and made for outdoor usage, he even threw the watch onto the ground 2 meters away, which shocked us and clearly made his point. LOL.


JQ and I watch shopping for the day.



I also get to pick one out of the selection and I narrowed it down to these three. Which do you think suit me most?






Operate Date (black canvas straps) - RM475



Operator Multi - RM603





Operator Multi - RM603




ps// I picked the last one.