Artists show the simple way to fight bad hair days

By Agni Amorita

JAKARTA (JP): Actress, model and singer Desy Ratnasari always steals the show. As usual, all eyes are on her. This time, however, for a different reason. The shocking news that she filed for divorce from her husband of only 13 months, has put her continuously in the glare of the media. She sent messages to her fans as she cried on the news, begging for understanding and singing a new song.

But as one chapter in her glitzy life ends, another duly opens, and Desy has the look -- and the zesty, cropped hairstyle -- to prove it.

Desy was once known for her waist-length hair. "It was her long hair that prompted me to give her an adult part in her first screen appearance, although at that time she was only fifteen, a third year student in junior high," recalled movie director Dedi Setiadi, who introduced Desy Ratnasari to the red carpet of fame in the TV series Jendela Rumah Kita (The Window of Our House).

"With her new look, she appears fresher now," he added.

Dedi is not the only one who thinks so. Many others share his belief as many thousands of young girls have been copying Desy's new hairdo.

"I have about 10 girls asking for Desy's haircut everyday," said Annie, a hair stylist at the Johnny Andrean hair salon in Blok M.

While many follow celebrities' hairdos, others are inspired by TV commercials.

"One girl asked for a shorter cut, like the soap detergent girl named Dewi, Si Mantu Bijak (Dewi, the Wise Daughter-in-law) from a television commercial advertisement," Annie added.

The hairdo is not as short as Demi Moore's in Ghost, or the one popularized by Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia. It is trimmed under the ear, covering the length of the nape.

"Short hair is becoming popular again," added Annie, "you can check it out by looking at the rising number of our celebrities who have new shorter haircuts."

Some young female stars who used to have long hair have cut it very short. Singers Dewi Sandra and Kirey are two examples. "It's so practical to have such short hair because I can just comb it with my fingers," Dewi giggled. While Kirey, who has just broken up with her actor boyfriend, Reynaldi, claimed that she needed a fresh look to celebrate the new millennium.

"It also helps me to fight frequent bad hair days," she said. This benefit comes about due to the flexibility of short hair as it is easier to manage.

Senior hairstylist at the famous Sugi Salon Wawa Totty confirms this rising trend. "Nowadays, most of Jakarta's dynamic girls prefer short hair," she explained. "They want short hair because they find it hard to take care lengthy hair."

However, it is possible to rid yourself of those horrible bad hair days in simple ways. In a hot, dry city like Jakarta, you need to shampoo your hair everyday to protect it from the polluted atmosphere around us. What needs to be cleaned is your scalp. Make sure, though, that your choice of shampoo is based on the condition of your scalp.

"To avoid the damage caused by hairdryers, dry your hair thoroughly with a towel before using it," Wawa said.

It is also important to have the perfect shampoo. But, according to Stephen Knoll, owner of the Stephen Knoll salon in New York, there is no such magical shampoo that can bring highlights to the color of your hair, change its thickness, turn straight hair into curly or vice versa. Shampoo will only maintain hair color, and its added conditioning element can loosen up tousled hair. And because shampoo can't change hair texture permanently, naturally curly hair will stay the same.

In order to make their hair look beautiful, some women have their straight hair curled. "It helped me by adding extra volume to my very fine hair," recalled singer Cici Faramida who climbed to fame with her salon curls. But being aware of the chemical effect, Cici later bid farewell to the hairdo and was confident with her natural look.

In fact, curly hairstyles are not trendy today, mainly because of the demand of hair maintenance. If you still want to have your hair curled, Wawa Totty has the tips. She said a hair salon can make curly hair stay for between three to 6 months if it is taken care of properly, such as not washing it within 24 hours of treatment. And once the curls have set, you are not supposed to brush it. Use a comb with big teeth instead. Another important factor is not to believe the myth that curly hair should not be brushed frequently in order to get shiny hair. The fact is that if you don't brush your hair often enough, the roots will become oily and it will be more fragile at the end. It is necessary to brush your hair both frequently and properly.