Leave it to hairstyle guru Ricky Reyes or “Mother Ricky” to innovate hair technology. This time, it’s about saying goodbye to hair rebonding, and welcome to Str8 Xpress.

 

“After long and extensive research and development with my hair science partners abroad,” Reyes says. “I am now ready to give my clients another dream solution to their hair problems.”

 

Reyes adds he’s bidding  farewell to brittle-looking, broom-like, chemically dried and lifeless rebonded tresses. And he’s introducing Str8 Xpress, a hair-straightening alternative that will make one’s mane silky straight, healthy, strong, soft  and, most important, bouncy.

 

Str8 Xpress is the result of a seven-year experiment and collaboration with Reyes’s hair expert-friends from Hong Kong, South Korea and China. A major component of the new treatment is rice, combined with other protein-rich ingredients.

 

“When my friends and I were working on this product,” Reyes recalls, “they said that during ancient times, when people needed to relax or soften their hair, they used congee and applied it on their hair. Somehow, it worked.”

 

 

Chemical treatment

 

Hair rebonding is a chemical treatment that tames down naturally curly, wavy and frizzy hair. Too often, the chemicals used are too strong and can damage the natural bond of the hair, and if not done in a reputable salon, it can also burn the scalp.

 

In some cases, Reyes says, rebonding can also lead to hair fall and even baldness.

 

“Believe it or not, Str8 Xpress is safe to use,” says Reyes. “It’s mild, and has no scary toxic chemicals. In fact, it’s so mild that you can actually touch it with your bare hands.”

 

In short, Str8 Xpress is safe for both clients and hairdressers.

 

“If the hairdresser uses gloves to rebond your hair, then the chemicals being used on you are dangerous,” says Reyes. “If it’s not safe for the hands, it’s definitely not safe for the hair.”

 

He adds: “Our hair is very delicate. I always say, whatever you do to your hair, whether you perm it, color it, rebond it, you damage it more than 80 percent. To restore its nourishment, it requires lots of hair care treatment and maintenance.”

 

Reyes’ new-generation hair treatment is safe even for children and pregnant women.

 

“Our youngest client is a 4-year-old girl who came with her mom. They both sported frizzy hair,” he says.

 

 

Quick and affordable

 

Another plus of Str8 Xpress is that it cuts the usual four to six hours of hair rebonding to just an hour.

 

“That’s why it’s called express,” says Reyes. “I understand how busy women are. They get weary sitting through a five-hour treatment.”

 

Normally, after the rebonding procedure, clients are often advised not to wet their hair for the next three days.

 

“Not with Str8 Xpress,” he says. “You can wash your hair  the next day.”

 

Str8 Xpress treatment, available soon at all Gandang Ricky Reyes Salons, is priced at P1,500 for shoulder-length hair and P1,800 for beyond shoulder length—lower than the usual rebond price of P4,000 to P6,000 in Metro Manila salons.

 

“My staff have been asking me why my new discovery treatment is so cheap,” Reyes says. “I always tell them that I am already past my prime and I don’t need to make much money anymore. What I always want is to make women very happy and more confident about themselves.”

 

Reyes will also open seven outlets around Metro Manila dedicated only to Str8 Xpress.

 

“I’ve been in the beauty industry for 48 years,” he says. “I’ve seen, tried and studied all these things. I will not go out of my way to introduce Str8 Xpress if I don’t believe in it, because I cannot put my name or reputation at stake.”

 

Tel. 0975-3939608, 0921-4424581