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HAIR
It's incredibly difficult to find a hair stylist who can braid your hair and who actually cares about its condition. Especially when you have natural hair. It's why so many women suffer from traction alopecia and receding hairlines.
Some braiders will pull your scalp so badly that on top of giving you an unsolicited face lift, no number of painkillers, soft pillows or tears will alleviate the pain. Or they'll put so much fibre in your hair that it feels like you're carrying the weight of a toddler on your head.
Or they'll go ahead with what style they think suits you or works for them instead of what you've requested.
I haven't been able to find someone in Jo'burg who I feel confident will get the job done well but Espace Rosie in Seapoint, Cape Town ticks all the boxes of a place that employs people who have your best hair interests at heart and also listens when you're looking for something specific.
For a quick wash and blow, I'll pop into a Sorbet Dry Bar, because they clean and disinfect their tools/brushes/combs between clients (I do not want to see someone else's hair in something that's going to touch my scalp) and they stock Moroccan Oil products to help with hair growth and moisture.
SKIN
I talked about IV drips in this article called The big hookup: I tried the IV cocktail loved by Rihanna and Chrissy Teigen. It was because my skin went for a spin and I needed an intervention. Since then my skin has cleared. I do still get the occasional intruder but I believe something else that worked for me was a trip I made to Dr. P Aesthetic Lifestyle Centre in Hyde Park Corner.
Who is Dr P? Her name is Dr Portia Gumede, a young and accomplished dermatologist, whose skin, poise and knowledge are enough to convince you to return.
And she and her therapists are armed with all the latest info, products and machines to get your body's biggest organ, your skin, back on track.
They'll start with a consultation with one of the therapists as she guides you through multiple scans and analyses to recommend the most suitable treatments for you.
I got a very gentle lactic acid resurfacing chemical peel, R700, while I was hooked up to an IV drip for glowing skin, R1 750. The products they gave me to try at home reminded me of how we're too often told to strip our skin of oil, when we have oily skin.
It's the incorrect approach. Of course you must cleanse and exfoliate regularly but when you keep stealing too much oil from your skin, it panics and produces even more. That's why I believe in face oils like ph formula SOS rescue oil, R 835 and then protecting my skin with a sunscreen like Heliocare advanced silk gel SPF 30, R387.
They also offer other treatments like different IV drips, microneedling, Platelet Rich Plasma, carboxy therapy, o-shots, brow makeovers and hair removal.
NAILS
My nails never grow. That is until I started visiting Tenfold nail salon in Maboneng, Johannesburg.
The care that Georgia and her team have showed my hands is rare except for places like hers and another favourite - Polish nail spa in Parkwood or 44 Stanley, both in Jo'burg, depending on which is more conveniently situated for you.
Polish don't do nail art though, unfortunately, and for the last few months I've been enjoying my red tips (which Tenfold have nailed) and trying other simple looks as a counter to the days getting colder and the wardrobe palette becoming more monochrome.
Who are your go-to therapists and favourite beauty spots? And give a shout out to anyone who is great with braids. Share them all here.
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