The wind, the wandering wind
Of the golden summer eyes--
Whence is the thrilling magic
Of its tunes amongst the leaves?
Oh, is it from the waters,
Or from the long, tall grass?
Or is it from the hollow rocks
Through which its breathings pass?
-Felicia Hemans, The Wandering Wind
Beautiful lines about the wind blowing free and unrestrained through the leaves, the rivers and rocks.. Streams, the wind, the breeze ? all remind me of unbridled, lustrous hair of a woman.
I wake up from the dreamland and come back to reality !
'Munnu, please comb your hair !' My mother used to shout very often when I was a child.
'Sujata, do something about those hair !' My father (calm and direct)
'Er..do you need a comb by any chance ?? My friends (trying to be diplomatic)
'So you're ready for the interview ? For God's sake, pull those hair back.' My sister (exasperated !)
'Thank God you are a girl. If you had been a man, then I am sure you would have had a long flowing beard too..?' (Mummy, shuddering in a dramatic fashion.)
'Bad hair day today ??' Another friend. (Tact tossed to the winds finally)
'I can't see you. All I can see is your hair.' An irritated Mummy again. (obviously over-exaggerating !)
'Go get a haircut. Nahin toh.....?' A very irritated Mummy here. (She?s had enough ! It?s time to get scarce.)
The story of my life. Somehow my hair has been the bane of my existence and come in my way, literally and figuratively. My constant dilemma is :
How to control these wayward hair ? How to confine them to make them look sane and bridled ? How to avoid getting rude comments about my hair ?
My hair is thick, bouncy and always flopping on my forehead which gives me a look of a particularly shaggy dog on a rainy day.Then to top it, I have a habit of absentmindedly flicking my hair from my forehead with my fingers which when done constantly, can drive sane people up the wall.
I agree that I am to be blamed for part of my misery. I detest tying my hair (it?s like confining my free spirit) ! I hate to blow dry my hair in a decent style (who has the time for that !). I have never oiled my hair (yuck ! yuck ! oil is so slimy !). Though people tell me that my hairstyle is crazy, I love it (It?s very ?me? !).
So what?s the way out ?
A shampoo that can control the uncontrollable !
After years of impatient experimenting, I narrowed down on - Pantene !
Pantene worked where hundreds of other shampoos had failed. With Pantene, my hair started looking sleek , shiny and soft since it has a Pro-vitamin enriched moisture. It has got long-lasting conditioners which coat every strand of the hair and give it a lustrous look. It?s amazing but you will notice a glossy shine right away after shampooing your hair just once. Your hair will remain bouncy, yet they will not frizz around too much.
Ingredients : Water, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Glycol Distearate. Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Chloride, Cocamide Mea, Fragrance.
Ever wondered what these ingredients are there for ? OK - Time for a science lecture !
Since the shampoo has to clean the hair and yet be mild (to avoid stripping the hair of their protective oils), it has to be made with special ingredients
Ammonium laureth sulphate & Ammonium lauryl sulphate : the basic cleansers in the shampoo
Cetyl alcohol :Acts as an emollient and a thickener. It coats the hair to protect it and seal in water.
Glycol Distearate :White brilliant pearlizing & opacifying effect and gives the shampoo a rich pearl lustre appearance. It acts as a mild emulsifier & viscosity enhancer.
Cocamide DEA :This is the one that provides a rich lather in shampoos
Dimethicone :Silicone oil which adds shine to the hair
SO you can imagine that with all these ingredients, Pantene really does its job very well. Also mercifully, it is not very fragrant. Simply because I hate my hair smelling like a bouquet of hot-house blooms. The fragrance is light and easy on the senses.
So try Pantene if you have not already.
A breeze came wandering from the sky,
Light as the whispers of a dream;
He put the o'erhanging grasses by,
And softly stooped to kiss the stream,
The pretty stream, the flattered stream,
The shy, yet unreluctant stream.
-William Cullen Byrant, The Wind and Stream
