|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Socialites in outrageous wigs stroked their manes and clinked crystal at the launch of the country’s first hair care handbook last week. All those who entered the Lizard Lounge, venue for the party to launch Hair Colour and Style by India’s bestknown hair stylist Jawed Habib, had oversized wigs in crazy colours put on them. "Great fun, hair like this would be interesting," said Suneet Tandon, popular TV news anchor and theatre personality. "Though I don’t think I can read the news with this," laughed Tandon as he fingered his shoulder-length pink wing placed uneasily on short black hair. The 104-page book, of the size of an appointment diary, dishes out quick tips for mane fixing. From ancient recipes like using neem oil 46 times a month makes hair "as black as bees" and applying hot mud in circles to give the hair a natural curl to the importance of sleep and relaxation - the book is aimed to be a quick browse for anyone to dip in and find inexpensive hair care. "Like people read magazines for fashion tips and take out trends, I want this book to be a ready, easy-to-read guidebook," said Jawed Habib. Mane master of Bollywood actors and media tycoons, Habib comes from India’s first family of barbers. His father Ahmed Habib has worked on the tresses of Indian President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and former prime minister Indira Gandhi. His grandfather Nazir Ahmed was coiffeur to the country’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the last viceroy Lord Mountbatten. The book asks hair lovers to stay away from tea, coffee and alcohol, gives advice on mousses, gels, shampoos and soaps and dyeing and colouring. "If you can wear your hair with panache, you can dazzle people with it," said Habib. The Greeks, says the book, bleached and coloured their hair, as did the Romans, with boiled almonds and leeks. Egyptian women dyed their hair in dark blue, green and even gold. The Africans have used red earth, grease and even dung to stiffen their hair and in France, dried flowers were crushed to powder and then applied on hair. "Today, you don’t have to go to such lengths," smiled Habib, who has copper-gold hair. "Everything is available in a bottle." —IANS |
