Hello!
Thanks for taking the time to come to this page. If you are reading this, chances are that there is something you don't like about your hair. Is it because you've joined in the ash or crazy colour trend and your bleached hair is now brittle, massive tangled, dry and dull? Or do you dream to have beautiful straight hair or curls just like your favourite Korean Superstar, and now your hair is feeling tired from all those chemicals?
Read on for the next 3 to 5 minutes and I'm sure this article can help!
There are many many types and brands of hair treatments out there, and even more various types of technologies and ingredients.
But the main question is, which one really works? And more importantly, which is for you?
Truth is, our hair is a complex structure that is made up of many components. But fret not! By the end of this post, you will be equipped with all the important facts you need to know about hair and hair treatments!
About Our Hair
Our hair is made up mainly of proteins, which is about 70-80% of the entire composition, which means Proteins are the main building blocks of hair! (Just like bricks in a wall)
The pursuit of achieving our desired hairstyle, chemical services (bleaching, colouring, perms and rebonding) will inevitably damage our hair. The outer layer (cuticle) of hair is forced open, and inner proteins are lost in the process. The sad thing is, the outer layer is initially glued together by a natural lipid called CMC, which once lost does not replace by itself. Over time, the inner proteins and moisture will continue to slowly flow out. Without the protection, The inner body is now exposed to the external environment, which explains why usually a few weeks after a chemical service, hair will become dry, and perhaps brittle.
Curls are visibly gone leaving wavy, unruly hair.
The ends are dry, coarse and tangling is common.
For extreme damage cases, a normal hair treatment would not help much. Why? This is because, traditionally, there are only 2 broad types of hair treatments either Strengthening or Smoothing.
Strengthening Treatment
On one hand, a Strengthening Treatment consists of proteins which can be in various forms and sizes (Amino acids, PPT, Collagen, Keratin, etc). The treatment generally will attempt to fill in the empty spaces inside the hair, and then seal it with a coating (usually silicone).
This type of treatment will strengthen your hair and increase elasticity, however it usually lacks a good touch. The softness, smoothness etc would not be impressive.
Smoothing Treatment
On the other hand, the conventional Smoothing Treatment (if you're following you would've guessed) provides smoothness, softness, shine, etc but not really strength and elasticity. The common key ingredients in this treatment are argan oil, whatever oils, silicones, etc.
These types of treatments will provide you with lustre hair, but unfortunately the results usually does not last very long. Once the silicone coating wears off, the hair loses these nutrients and gradually becomes bad again.
The Discovery of TOKIO
As my work requires me to study and analyse hair products, I have had the privilege to understand and appreciate the Science behind many great brands and products. As a product importer and distributor that believes in quality as our top priority, we compare and test several brands every year, and finally decide on the one product that we believe has the best formula and winning strategy to bring the best value to both consumers and hairdressers.
In 2016, we decided to bring in TOKIO INKARAMI, now the hottest Professional Hair-care brand in Japan, and finally had a successful launch in May 2016.
It was simply love at first sight; this brand first caught our attention because it contains the Nobel Prize Winning Ingredient Fullerene, a novelty anti-oxidant that is up to 175x stronger than Vitamin C!
My sister-in-law, an Aesthetics Doctor, immediately got very excited and told me: "This is like the Dream Ingredient to put into skin-care products, and WOW! The Japanese already have them in hair-care!"
The First of its Kind
We then proceeded to study much deeper into INKARAMI's technology, and realised that it is works entirely differently from conventional treatments.
INKARAMI, patented in Japan, is able to strengthen hair and smoothen all at the same time. Alight, I know some disagreements might surface from here. But, a Patent is a Patent, okay ... Look at it this way, imagine mobile phones and CPUs 10 years ago, now you get both in one device.
A little chemistry here, putting proteins into hair is like laying brick walls without cement in between, the bricks doesn't just glue together. They require a chemical reaction to be bonded together (di-sulphide bonds, covalent bonds, etc). INKARAMI is a Patented (again) treatment to fill proteins into your hair, and then BOND them together. The result, is stronger, softer and smoother hair which stays that way for a longer time. Your hair is truly repaired from inside to outside.
INKARAMI + Perm, INKARAMI + Straight
To top it off, you know what's best? 2 years ago, the Japanese managed to incorporate INKARAMI into perms and straight perms! Have you ever heard of a treatment perm/rebonding, that can repair your hair during the process, and provide the strength, softness, smoothness and shine?
Bouncy curls appear stronger, smoother and shines beautifully.
This post is authored by the Director of Urban Haircare, a leading professional hair-care distributor based in Singapore. The above are solely his observations, opinions and experience from years of research and experiments. He wishes to share his expertise with interested readers and value-add to the hairdressing industry.
Interested to find out more about INKARAMI? Find how adding INKARAMI + while colouring, perming or rebonding benefits your hair here!