Beijing 101 - Hair and Scalp Care Review

ADVERTORIAL

Being blessed with thick tresses all my life, I always feel that hair loss will be the least of my hair concerns. So when I was approached by Beijing 101 - The experts in solving/reducing hair loss issues, as well as other hair/scalp-related problems faced by their clients for the past three decades... I was skeptical HOW I can benefit from their hair treatments as I did not feel that I was losing 'too many hair' in my opinion.

Nevertheless, I gave it a go as I was curious about my scalp type and condition, and it would be an eye opener to do the hair and scalp analysis, just like how I always see in their advertisements) as it would be the first time to see my hair and scalp in such a microscopic view. Most importantly, given my recent discovery of those few strands of premature greying hair, as shared in my previous post, I know I needed to do something about it and seek the help from professionals, which in this case, is none other than Beijing 101!

Beijing 101 branch at Tiong Bahru Plaza

With a total of seven outlets conveniently located around Singapore, my treatment was done at Beijing 101's Tiong Bahru Plaza branch. Upon arriving, I filled up my personal particulars and did a quick tour of their vicinity and check out their displays of the various "Home Care" products they have for sale. I did a quick look at the types of premium-grade Chinese herbs they use during the hair and scalp treatment sessions and its respective benefits, which seek to solve hair problems in an integrative and harmonious way, aligning with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practices.

Some of Beijing 101 'home care' product range

CONSULTATION: Scalp Analysis

I was led into the consultation room, where my consultant, Mr Eken, did a thorough questionnaire to find out more about my lifestyle habits (such as sleeping time, fitness habits and food preference) and the hair concerns that I have, while I sipped on the cup of hot tea served to me.

Eken then shared about Beijing 101's history, the awards and accreditation received - Such as results from the Nielsen Survey where 9 out of 10 had experienced visible hair growth results after receiving hair treatments from Beijing 101. He also showed me images of different types of scalp and hair issues.

My eye-opener moment had arrived - Doing the hair and scalp analysis! Eken scanned through my head and pointed out some areas of my scalp which is more oily and with clogged pores. These issues seem unimportant now, but if left untreated, it can affect hair growth and may even lead to hair loss in future! Thankfully, I do not have a dandruff problem!

He also said that I have to be careful of the hairline near my temples, and proceeded to ask if I always style my hair into a ponytail or bun, which I replied 'Yes' to him. But inside of me, I was like, "WHOA! You can even tell!??!". I basically like to tie my hair in these two ways, especially if I am home, as I like to keep my hair away from my face.

Eken told me that my hair treatment session includes the following:

- Scalp Purification mask

- Herbal hair wash (Type of herbal shampoo and conditioner used is based on client's hair/scalp needs)

- Signature Meridian Herbal Treatment (4 different types of massage to choose from!).

On top of it, I would undergo a TCM consultation with their in-house certified TCM doctor. And to end it off, Eken will conduct another round of hair and scalp analysis. Yay to more eye-opener moments!

I did my hair treatment in the VIP room.

It was like I am in my own private salon,
in complete privacy and tranquility! :)

Warm towel and refreshments served
while I did my treatment

Deep Cleansing Scalp Treatment: PuriScalp Mask

Applied onto my hair roots, followed by a quick massage,
and left on for about 20 minutes.

 

This mask helps to:
- Balance the hair's pH level
- Cleanse hair bulbs
- Remove oil clogs and sebum
- Provides vital nutrients to hair follicles

Enjoyed the nice minty sensation by
the Deep Cleansing Scalp Treatment

Deep Cleansing Scalp Treatment: Herbal Hair Wash and Massage

After 20 minutes, the mask was washed off at my own private hair washing area. My hair therapist, Jessica, lathered my hair with the selected range of their in-house shampoo, followed by hair conditioner.

She used the shampoo and conditioner from the "Nourishing" range. FYI, the range that the hair therapist uses on your hair may differ from mine, as they will select based on one's head and scalp needs and concerns.

The 'Nourishing' range serves to:
- Restore hair vitality
- Enhances hair texture and density.

Any hair wash is NEVER complete without a satisfying acu-point head massage. And my hair therapist nailed it. Boy, I felt so relaxed and refreshed after that! I was led back to my treatment seat where my hair was towel-dried and then blown-dry.

Head Massage during Beijing 101's Herbal Wash

 PuriScalp Mask Treatment: Award-Winning Hair Tonic

A vial of Beijing 101's award-winning herbal hair tonic was carefully and thoroughly applied to my hair roots around my scalp. There are various types of hair tonic to treat different types of hair and scalp concerns, but generally the hair tonic aids to kill bacteria, strengthen hair roots, increase melanin production, nourishes hair follicles and promotes blood circulation.

Hair Tonic Application

Beijing 101 Signature Meridian Herbal Treatment: Overall Well-Being

Beijing 101's signature Meridian Herbal Treatment, is a head massage consisting of 4 different types (Overall well-being, Tension, Stress and Sleeping Disorder) that one can select from. I chose the Overall Well-being Treatment as the massage techniques seem to be part of each of the above 4 types, so I gave that a shot.

The Meridian Herbal Treatment aids to:

- Promote hair growth and stronger hair

- Prevent hair loss and greying

- Relieves headaches, head tensions and migraines

- Improve sleep quality, alleviates insomnia

- Enhances memory

- Relieves fatigue

It was so relaxing...

TCM Consultation: Better health, Better Hair/Scalp Conditions

It was a pleasure to know that Beijing 101 is not only committed to using TCM methods in their products and treatments, but also to help improve their clients' overall health. Hence, in-house Certified TCM physicians provide consultations and advise on the health conditions.

My TCM physician did a pulse diagnosis and said that my 肠胃 (digestive system) is not good, which I am very much aware of. She asked questions pertaining to my health and habits, and gave much-appreciated advice. I also shared with her my premature greying hair concerns (albeit those few strands but it is startling!).

She told me that hair conditions reflect on:
(1) The health of one's internal organs like lungs, kidney, blood, stomach and liver
(2) Lifestyle such as insufficient sleep, stress and poor dietary habits. 

She promptly advised me to to have a diet rich in Zinc, Copper, Vitamin A and B, and of course, to have more sleep, haha!

POST-TREATMENT CONSULTATION: Scalp Analysis

To healthier and stronger hair!



To cleaner and healthier scalp!

 Scalp Analysis scan done to provide

a 'Before-and-After' comparison.

I was simply amazed with the vast
improvements of my scalp condition!

In the image below, it showed two out of three zones where the scanner captured microscopic shots of my scalp. In Scan #1, the clogged pores were miraculously removed from my hair follicles! Whereas in Scan #2, you can see in the After-picture that my scalp is no longer "glistening" with oil! What an improvement!

WOW!! All the 'findings' we had in the earlier scan were solved
in one treatment by Beijing 101!

I cannot imagine the great extent of my hair and scalp getting
healthier and  if I have more treatment sessions! That will be fabulous!

(As fabulous as Blackpink's Lisa)

If having healthier hair and scalp, while having incredible-looking hair for that classic *hair flick* is your kind of thing, Beijing 101 is offering a customised Scalp Renewal Treatment with Infrared Treatment for one person at a great deal of S$28 (Usual: S$420).
To grab this offer, call 6-5588-101 and quote "Feliza Ong".
Or simply click on this LINK to make your purchase now.

Tips from Beijing 101 on how to dry your hair the right way! 
Watch the video below! :)

To end this blogpost by sharing a quote I saw online -
Invest in your hair, for it is the crown you never take off.

'LIKE' and check out Beijing 101 Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/beijing101haircare.

*Disclaimer: This is an advertorial post, but all opinions remain my own*

Gillette Razor Giveaway Contest Results

A Gillette razor giveaway, kindly sponsored by Gillette Singapore, was conducted on my blog/Instagram recently. Click [HERE] for more info on the latest Gillette razor model and the giveaway. Entries that were submitted were vetted through to see if they have completed the necessary steps to qualify for the giveaway contest, before drawing lots to get the 3 winners.

I could have used those online random generators, but I guessed I was kind of free that day, hence decided to do the old-school way. Check out the video to find out if you have won! :)

Congratulations to

@thkpaul0732, @leexyan and @pinkponkpungsg

for being the 3 winners of this contest!

Please DM me on Instagram
and provide your NAME and MAILING ADDRESS.
 

Thanks to all who participated in this contest!
Stay tuned for my next giveaway
to be announced on my blog and Instagram.
Be sure to check back regularly! 

4 Places To Go In Wuxi, China

** SPONSORED MEDIA TRIP **

In this blog post, I will share with you 3 more places that I went during this media trip to Wuxi, kindly sponsored by Tigerair. Of such, this concludes the 4 places in Wuxi that I have been. My previous entry about my visit to the Mount Lingshan Scenic Spot while I was in Wuxi, China, can be read by clicking [THIS LINK].

** WHERE TO GO IN WUXI, CHINA **

(1) Mount Lingshan Scenic Spot

As mentioned, you can view it in my previous post, where it has been documented with photos and information. Click [HERE] to read.

(2) Taihu Yuantouzhu Scenic Park (太湖鼋头渚风景区)

Wuxi has been long regarded as the “Pearl of Lake Taihu”, and it is named so as this is where one can enjoy the most mesmerizing view of Lake Taihu (second largest freshwater lake in China) among the several provinces that surround it.

The best viewpoint that you can get of Lake Taihu in Wuxi is at the Yuantouzhu Scenic Park. The land of this small peninsular/island is surrounded by clear water on three sides amidst the green hills. It is also known as “Turtle Head Isle” as the island looks like the head of a giant Asian softshell turtle stretching out of the water. 

Check out the map below to get an idea of the turtle-shaped island

Established as a park in 1916, the Yuantouzhu Scenic Park celebrates its 100th birthday this year. But before that, Yuantouzhu was well-admired by the emperors, ministers, scholars, poets, painters and generals who had set foot on its ground.

The lyrics to a Japanese song (1986) which describes the charm and beauty of Wuxi is carved at the back of this stone, in the photo below. The famed poet and songwriter fell in love with the picturesque Wuxi and wrote a song.  Title of the song in Chinese is "无锡旅情". Go search it on Youtube. :)

The park is known for its poetic atmosphere due to the presence of the lake and mountains surrounding it. The wondrous beauty of Mother Nature’s works can be admired here throughout the year – From the tens of thousands of blooming cherry blossom trees during spring to the frosted and snow-covered tree branches and leaves during winter. Our guide mentioned that almost every dynasty would have had its famous poets praising the island’s remarkable beauty in their poems.

Looking towards Lake Taihu

Pavilion by the Lake Taihu

An ancient building converted to a modern-day teahouse.

Visitors can have tea right in the middle of the tranquil park.

Have a Cherry Blossom Experience at Yuantouzhu Scenic Park

Cross the Ever-Spring Bridge, just by the scenic Lake Taihu bank.

It has been much debated that Wuxi gardens are all designed to emphasise on the natural beauty landscape, unlike the Chinese gardens in Suzhou which were mainly to create an artificial environment from the real world. And indeed, from the way that the pavilions, buildings, pagodas, small temples, bridges and small ponds in this peninsular were designed and built, it was apparent of the purpose behind the design.

A historic building with a small pond infront

Stone Bridge with the Sunset in the background

Spotted a young girl playing the Chinese flute

This used to be someone's house many centuries ago.

Now this is a teahouse / restaurant.

Approached a stranger to take this shot of me.

-Modern me in an old setting-

Mythical animal (Dragon head, turtle body)

Reminds me of Singapore's very own Merlion (Lion head, mermaid/fish body)

Naturally-shaped limestone rock due to the long surging of water, and features pores and holes in them. This type of stone is very popular in Chinese classical gardens.

Sea-eroded rocks with 'bullet-hole' surfaces

Visitors posing for photos on the eroded large rocks

A tourist posing for the camera on a stone rock perched between two towering rock pillars.

(Reminds me of the Kjeragbolten Boulder in Norway, that I would love to take a photo on it one day!)

A restored historic Chinese fishing junk boat with seven masts

Once used as fishing boats, these seven-masted junk boats
are now displayed for tourism purpose.

These boats will be kept before night falls.

A tourist taking photo of the fishing boat,

right in front of the port gate.

If you are for it, there are ferries and speedboat

services to the nearby isles.

To finish walking the whole area, you will probably need half a day to do so. For myself, our guide brought us to walk the west coast of the island, which overlooks the Lake Taihu into nothingness beyond. We were there for about 2 hours. Last entry to the park is just before dusk. However, one can stay in the park even at night. But why would you, when it would be pitch black. Head on to one of the old towns of Wuxi and experience dining and shopping in the city instead! ;)

(3) Wuxi Studios

For a more modern touch to your travel trip, visit the Wuxi Studios, which houses a special effects studio, wax museum, real film-making studio sets and houses a restaurant as well. I got to sit on a flying dragon who transported me around the vallet (it's a green screen actually), take photos with celebrities, walking around the filming set of a famous China drama and movie, and eat in a restaurant serving local cuisines for lunch, famished after walking around Wuxi Studios

Self-portrait at Wuxi Studios entrance

Not sure if it was because it was a Monday or that it was early (10am), but there were not many people even til noon time.

So you won't need to worry that there will be people getting into frame when you are taking your photos.

Our tour guide getting tickets for us.

Charlie Chaplin and Me!

My first destination at the Wuxi Studios was to check out the special effects studio. Here, I got to watch a video of how the movie 'Titanic' was filmed using special effects. There was a mini mock-up of the ship which further detailed the whole setup. As mentioned above, I rode on a flying dragon but it was actually done on a green screen. I saw my group walked through a magical forest with flowing waterfalls (it was all a green screen setup).

Walking up two flights of stairs, brought me to the PinLa Star Wax Model Producing Pavilion. Despite living in Singapore and London, and travelled to HK umpteen times (for work and personal), I have never stepped into the Madame Tussauds wax museum before. So you could imagine the amount of fun I had while I was here!

There are several showrooms and you start from the entrance and follow the continuous passage ways that had all the wax figures being displayed, until you reach the other end of the hall. First showroom displayed prominent political figures. If it was not for the US flag, I wouldn't have been able to figure out that it was the current US President - Barack Obama.

Allow me to digress abit --- Barack Obama will be ending his two-term presidency in less than a year. One can only know the great changes he has done over this period of time as America's 44th President. Oh, and the only black President in US history so far. This is probably the closest I can get to him while he's still serving as the US President. :p

Barack Obama and Me. #WinningShot

Two of my favorite stars...

Lady Zaza loves Lady Gaga...

A self-portrait shot with the recently-retired Kobe Bryant.

When I saw the display of Kobe, I knew that I had to be in the same court and him, striking a pose for a photo opportunity. (If only if it's real, right?) Kobe Bryant, also known as the Black Mamba, played his 20th and final season in April 2016. He scored 60 points in his last game. He does live to his nickname indeed!

So after 'playing a game' with Kobe Bryant (in my imagination), I stopped by tea with Holly, in the Breakfast at Tiffany's movie set. [As mentioned in my Instagram] : Just after she placed her teacup down which she took a sip from, Holly rested both of her elbows on the table, looked into my eyes and said, "You can't give your heart to a wild thing, Feliza. The more you do, the stronger they get, until they are strong enough to run into the woods or fly into a tree". Holly, as acted by Audrey Hepburn, was portrayed as a lady with elegance and great dressing style. But do you know that Holly was like the American version of a geisha? That's why it's "$50 for the powder room". It was not possible that a $50 tip was for the attendant since a monthly home rental would have cost about $100 in those days.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Have you watched the recently-released "Captain America: Civil War" movie already?

Anyway, guess which side I am on?

All in a day's work... Training with Donnie Yen for
our roles in Ip Man, that's all.

Only the lucky few get to see my
 wingchun moves on video. LOL!!!

There were many other film, sports, music, political celebrities, from the Western and Asian region. Some of the figures seemed to be the younger version of them (like Jackie Chan and Chow Yut Fatt), if I were to put it in a nicer way. During my visit, I learnt that the technology that they used to make these wax figures is different from the one that world-famous Madame Tussuad team uses. Apparently at PinLa, the Chinese team uses 3D printing technology and polymeric powder material to make these wax figures, with the whole process taking about 2~3 months, and at a lower cost too. If you want your own wax figure, PinLa can create a mini version for about 3000~4000 RMB.

Next, it was to visit actual film sets at Wuxi Studios. One of the fastest-growing studio sets in China, many film-making companies rent the studio space to film. The 3 current sets on display which I visited were the actual sets done up for filming of some Chinese drama and movie shows. You may recognise some of the scenes. But it is interesting to know that many American movies were shot and produced at Wuxi Studios... Such as Captain America, Gone with the Bullets and Transformer 4.

The film set area

Exploring the movie set of 'The Monkey King 2' movie in 3D

The man-eating sand demon

A la Lara Croft in the "Tomb Raider" movie, asian style~

I had the chance to explore the set of the famous TV drama "The Empress of China (武媚娘传奇). This drama series was realllllly popular when it was aired on television.  Fan Bing Bing acted as the Wu Mei Niang (武媚娘), the only Female emperor in Chinese history. Her character rose from being the Palace concubine to Empress and finally to Emperor.  There was even an app to 'stamp' the red flower mark on one's forehead, as seen on her character.

Lunch at the restaurant in Wuxi Studios

(4) Nanchang Street

Wuxi is now one of the most advanced and prosperous city in China. High-rise modern skyscrapers are aplenty, paired with neon or electronic billboard screens. If you are looking to 'time travel' to the olden days of China. venture to the ancient Nanchang Street, which has retained its authentic design and building structure.

The 1.6km Nanchang Street sits by the bank of the Grand Canal, which is termed as the longest canal in the world... And yes, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This Grand Canal goes through a few cities before connecting to the Yangtze River and Yellow River. Built more than 3000 years ago, the Grand Canal is China's frst man-made canal.

Take a boat ride along the Grand Canal, just like how the locals did in the olden days, whereby they travelled mainly via small boats through the narrow winding waterways. Alternatively, there is the horse carriage and tram rides that you can sit on as well. The best way to explore Nanchang Street is by walking, as what I did.

Several dessert stores, including one that is very much 100% Singapore-inspired!

Restaurants and retail stored lined along Nanchang Street

The interior of the Blan Bunny tea shop

Got myself a box of flower tea leaves!

Berry-flavored tea

BBQ food and duck blood soup

for supper back in the hotel room! :)

To conclude, the 4 places to visit in Wuxi are:

(1) Mount Lingshan Grand Buddha Scenic Spot

(2) Taihu Yuantouzhu Scenic Park

(3) Wuxi Studios

(4) Nanchang Street

This mark the end of my Wuxi travelogue of the media trip, courtesy of Tigerair. The next section will see me exploring a few places in the neighbouring Suzhou city. Since 28 April 2016, Tigerair has began its direct flight route from Singapore to Wuxi. Book your tickets at www.tigerair.com now.