Review - Sabai-arom Kaffir Lime & Thai Grapefruit Shampoo

As requested by foxy, I am now doing the review for the shampoo that my sister bought from her bangkok trip. This is a brand called Sabai-arom, which is quite well-known in Thailand, their products can be found in the famous Boots store.

When I first saw the package, I saw the lime picture on the label. I thought this shampoo must be very drying, as lime is acidic. But, after using it, the shampoo is not as drying as I thought. I think this is because of the Grapefruit oil it uses. I love this shampoo! I like everything that is in citrus-flavour. The Kaffir Lime ( or limau kasturi in Malay) has a refreshing effect that I like a lot. It reminds me that during the Chinese New Year, my mum will buy Kaffir Limes and chuck them into the bath tub. It symbolises a new beginning or something like that in Chinese tradition.

The aroma therapy benefits of the shampoo.

You would thought that it would smell something like the dishwasher, but it doesnt, haha! It is a mixture of grapefruit and lime, a very refreshing smell. As you shampoo, the bubbles on your hair will diminish and then the hair is kinda like tangled-up, but once you rinse it, the hair becomes smooth again. I like this shampoo because it is not drying and the scent is great!

The colour of the shampoo doesnt look very nice.

According to my sister, the shampoo costs her about RM30 something for 200ml. For me, I think it is slightly expensive, but I guess it is reasonable because the ingredients are 95% natural as written on the package. And for the de-stress factor, I think it is still a very good shampoo.

Goodies from Thailand

Wow, my sis is so good, she bought me lotsa stuffs when she was in Bangkok for vacation.

Here are the souvenirs:

Super spicy Squid Strips, they are really spicy, but I couldnt stop eating!

Boots Cleansing Gel with Beads

Boots Moisturising Deep Clean Foam. Wow, I have so much cleanser now, haha..

Sabai Arom Lime Hair Shampoo

Naraya Bag, oh, so cute!

DIY Hair Rebonding

My sister and me share the same problem - Curly fringe.

Even though rebonding treatment has gone quite cheap nowadays, but you still need a hundred to get it done. So, this time we DIY.

I have my model - Jessie, my sister. with curly hair.

The tools:

1. Straightening Flat Iron (picture is stolen from here.)

Note: The straightening iron should have an adjustable temperature control, make sure it can go up to at least 180 degree Celsius.

2. Hair Clips (picture is stolen from here.)

3. The thing that does the magic -Straightening Creams

The straightening creams that I bought from a local hair store. RM20 for cream 1 and cream 2. Damn cheap.

This is cream 1 - Strong Straightening Cream

Instruction for cream 1:

Texture of Cream 1.

This is cream 2 - Neutralizing Cream

Instruction for cream 2

Texture of cream 2.

The Steps:

The steps are actually shown at back of the creams. But here I will elaborate more.

1. On dry hair, apply cream 1 all over the hair. Cream 1 is for breaking the bond of the hair. After the bond of the hair is broken, then we can sculpt the hair to what we want it to be. Cream 1 stinks. It would be good if you use a glove during application of Cream 1. But I didnt, daring eh?

2. After applying cream 1 we need to wait for the hair to "soften". It says wait for 30 minutes at the back of cream 1. There is a tip to check whether the hair has "soften" or not. It is to take a pinch of hair, then tie the pinch of hair into a knot. If the knot does not loosen, then it means the hair has "soften". This is because if the bonds are broken, then the hair will loose its elasticity.

After application of cream 1.

3. Rinse off cream 1 (if hair has soften) without using a shampoo. Then, apply cream 2. Cream 2 is a straigthening cream that will "mold" our hair straight. In another word, Cream 2 is a super strong glue to hold the bonds of the hair.

4. After 10 minutes. Rinse off cream 2, without shampooing again.

5. Blow dry hair, and then use a straightening iron to straighten the hair. The process of straightening will be a time consuming, cos we need to flat iron the hair bit by bit. I sprayed some water-based heat protector (MP Italy's, will be reviewed later) to protect the hair from extreme heat.

Voila. Done.

According to the salon, we should not wash our hair for 3 days after the rebonding.

The Result:

Sis's fringe is straight. But the hair behind is not that straight because we didnt wait long enough for the cream 1 to develop. However, this DIY rebonding session definitely tidy up sis's hair a bit. Not that fluffy and stuff.

Vince & Co's Promotion RM1 Hair Clips

Bought two of these hair clips from Vince & Co for RM1 each. They have nice stuffs there, but only available in Penang though..

 

Review - MP Italy Power Hair Treatment

A hair treatment cream that I bought from a local saloon. It came in a set of shampoo, conditioner, ionic leave-in solution and also this hair treatment. The retail price for this treatment cream is RM38. But I guess it is cheaper than that.

The direction says:
Shampoo and towel dry. Apply Power Hair treatment evenly on hair Comb thoroughly with a wide-tooth comb for more even distribution. Apply heat with steamer or infrared for 15-20 minutes to assist penetration. Rinse with water and set style as desired.

I dont have a steamer, so I just apply it and wait for half an hour. You dont need a lot of it, the amount that I use:

After application, I feel my hair is softer and tamed a bit. but my hair is still frizzy though (I guess it is the texture of my hair). Overall, it works. I will review the other products from this brand later.

Review - Loreal Elseve Smooth-Intense Ultra Rich Leave-in Mask

This orange cube is really adorable, on top of that, it says "For VERY DRY & UNTAMABLE Hair" on its label. I have very dry and untamable hair. So I bought this.

This is a leave-in conditioner, which means you dont need to rinse it off after applying it. Besides that, it also claims that it is "anti-frizz" and "anti-volume". The cream is orange-color and apricot scented.

Though there are a lot of feedback saying how good this product is, I hate to say it doesnt suit me. I guess Loreal products just do not suit me. I have tried its hydrafresh series and also its cleansing milk, but they did not work on me. For this leave-in mask, it does not tame my hair. I still have fluffy hair after using it. I also get itchy scalp when I use this. Maybe it is just my hair.

Review - Go Care Matte Look POWER Molding Clay

This is my secret for nice and neater fringe. Actually, I dont mind my hair to be naturally curly, but I really hate my fringe! I can not have those cute straight fringe that covers my forehead. And, can you imagine a curly side fringe? It will look so retro, like this picture!


This is a molding clay that I bought from a hair saloon, I think 2 years ago. And I am still using it. I guess I will never finish it. You only need a tiny little clay (see below picture) for ur fringe and to tame the frizz. The texture of the product is a very thick mud, way thicker than any mud masks.

To use the clay, use finger to "stick" up a little bit of clay, then apply it on hair. Press and style the fringe as you wish. I use it to style my side fringe. It works to make my fringe tidier, and stay nicely on my forehead.


What to do, why dont I have straight hair :(

Cheap and Effect Way to have Less-Dry Hair

During this global recession period, we might not be able to afford expensive shampoos and other beauty products. During recession, we switch our Shiseido to Loreal, Body Shop to Shokobutsu, Schwarkoft to Pantene, etc..

Anyway, we still can have good hair without these branded shampoos! The secret is COCONUT OIL. Coconut oil is another big hit nowadays, it is no longer the oily and fatty coconut oil that we used to think. Recent studies found that coconut contains 99% of fat, and 1% of linolin. Thought it has 99% of fat, but this 1% of linolin helps to break down the fats into unsaturated ones (Please correct me, I could be wrong). And many beauty products now uses coconut oil.

So, in this method, coconut oil serves as a pre-conditioner when we shampoo. First, we need coconut oil, any coconut oil will do. I bought this 200ml of coconut oil from an Indian Grocery shop near where I stay, the price is RM3.40. Damn Cheap. Then we need a shower cap, it is okay if you dont have one.

The steps:

1. Apply the coconut oil on ur hair, and ur scalp too.

2. Massage ur scalp with the oil.

It is very important to massage our scalp. So that we can remove some of the dead cells and dandruff on our scalp. This also helps my dandruff problem. Usually my head/scalp will start itching the same day I wash my hair. After the coconut oil treatment, my scalp can "tahan" not itchy at the same day.

3. Put on the shower cap

Once the massaging is done. Put on the shower cap to let the oil absorbs into our hair. If I have time, I would let it sit for half an hour. But if I am in a rush, I skip the waiting time. Time to wait before shampooing is depends on individuals, some people even sleep with the shower cap on.

4. Wash off with shampoo

Lastly, wash the hair with shampoo. When shampooing, make sure you wash ur hair cleanly, dont forget to massage the scalp also. To end with a conditioner or not, it is depends on ur hair is moisturised enough or not. If your hair still feel dry after shampoo, apply conditioner. Yes, I do apply conditioner, my hair damn dry.

My hair feels softer every times I use coconut oil on it.

Before I end, a little tip from the hair dresser: Blow at your scalp while blow-drying ur hair, it will helps to control the oil at your scalp.

Review - Magicboo One Minute Treatment

Got these Magicboo trial packets as free gifts from Magicboo Penang. The Magicboo shop is located at Krsytal Point, Bayan Lepas. The shop sells a wide range of product, from face, body, hair to beauty appliances such as facial steamer, spa bath tub, etc. I bought a blackhead mask which I will be reviewing later.

This Magicboo One minute Treatment is a hair conditioner. This hair treatment received a lot of good reviews from the online users. The users love this product.

It says "offered by Opal" at the back of the packet, I guess they got the lisence from the famous Opal in Hong Kong.

On the back of the packet says:

To use: After shampoo apply Magicboo One Minute Hot Oil Treatment evenly on hair. Gently massage and leave on for one minute. Rinse thoroughly. Recommended for Daily use.

I have very dry, and frizzy hair. My hair is naturally curly, which I hate it. I envy those girls who have deadly straight hair. So, every time before I wash my hair, I will have a coconut oil bath on my hair first. For this treatment conditioner, I find it not bad. It does give shine on my hair. And make my hair soft. But, I still find it not mosturise enough. I tried once without the coconut oil hair bath, it is not mosturise enough, my hair got tangled up easily. So, the key is coconut oil!

I found this product quite smelly. I dont like the smell. It smells like amonia, I dont understand why the people in the forum says the scent of this product is nice. Maybe I am weird, haha..

I might probably buy this product again, for my family to try-on. It is selling at RM18.90 for a tube in Magicboo. In the mean time, I am interested in Guardian's One Minute treatment as well. I might be buying one when my hair conditioner finishes.