Review : Top Passion @ Tropicana City Mall

I've had the intention to do hair relaxing for the longest time ever because I am too lazy to blow-dry my hair after every wash. A good few years back I did rebonding before and didn't quite like the outcome because I find it too flat and it doesn't give volume. Now the difference between a relaxing and a rebonding is that relaxing gives a more natural look as compared to the latter. Also, for relaxing the hairstylist will only use the ironing-thong very sparingly to avoid having your locks looking limp and lifeless.

I called up randomly on hair salons around the area where I stayed asking for a price comparison, and finally I settled for Top Passion. Truth be told, I have never had a proper stylist before, previously my hair was done by students in A Cut Above and of course needless to say the outcome was not exactly great (depending on your luck on which student you are assigned to). Thereafter, consistently I have been getting my hair cut and dyed with a self-thought hairdresser Aunty who operates from a house in Taman Petaling. Yes .. al cheapo me. :p

Top Passion is currently running on a promotion for relaxing, for my hair length (i.e. above shoulders), relaxing + treatment + hairstyling is priced at RM268/=. In my onion, it is quite reasonable as my hair was tended to by a senior hairstylist and her assistant.

Before the transformation.

My hairstylist for the day was Sharkee Kong. I like her because I find her quite nice to talk to but yet not too over-chatty to the point of annoyance. She also does not hard sell on products and services. Her assistance (didn't get her name) is a Filipino from Manila. Initially, I found her quite LCLY (read: Lan Si Lan Yeong aka face black) but after awhile we kinda warmed up to each other. Reality is Miss Filipino is not LCLY, just that she speaks English only and the staff there usually converse in Cantonese/Mandarin, so I guess it is normal if she feels out of place. Well, once I started engaging in an English conversation with her, she was alright. Lesson learnt : Don't judge a book by its cover. :)

The Relaxing Process ...

Miss F took me for a quick hair rinse to wash away all the impurities. Thereafter she applied the "relaxer chemical" (don't know what it's called) on my hair. Then it was wrapped up with cling wrap and was baked using the UFO-looking machine. A quick rinse then a "neutralizer" was applied on my hair. Once all the chemical part was done with, my hair was dried and Sharkee used some kind of a brush-thong (imagine those thick brushes that people use to brush a horse's mane) and straightened my hair. Occasionally, she also uses the ironing-thong but very sparingly.

Thereafter, she proceeded to style my hair. Initially, I wanted to maintain my boring side-parting fringe, however Sharkee suggested that I try going with bangs for a change. Unsure, I just left it to her expert hands and gotta say I am glad I took the plunge and I loved it!!! (pictures at the end of the post)

And voila that's it, the whole relaxing process was done. To my surprise, the process in itself was rather quick. It took about slightly more than 1 1/2 hours. If I recall correctly for rebonding, I sat on that damn chair for almost 3-4 hours!!

Halfway through, Sharkee poisoned me asked if I wanted to dye my hair as well because since I took the relaxing package, it would be counted as an add-on i.e. RM150/=. She left me to consider the offer of which I accepted which means more moolah flew out ... T_T

The Dying Dyeing + Scalp Treatment + Hair Treatment Process ...

Just before my hair treatment, Sharkee brought over the color chart and ran through with me. I told her I would prefer something more professional since I work in a financial institution. She chose a brown-based color for me. Again, I trusted her judgement.

After coloring my hair, she came back and inspected and recolor again. I asked her why the need to do so, she replied that she is trying to tone down the color because after a few wash, the dye would discolor leaving a very light brown (could possibly turned out to be lala). I admire her for her professionalism.

While I was waiting for the color to set-in, she asked if I would like to have a scalp treatment. Reason being that I applied so many chemical on my scalp, it could be damaging. Again this is optional and is an additional RM30/=. Initially, I didn't want to because I still have a hair treatment which was part of the package. Then, as I waited my scalp began to tingle and itch a little (I guess due to the chemical reaction) so I opted to do the scalp treatment as well scared will have a massive outbreak on my head with oozing pus.

And I didn't regret it one bit! The scalp treatment was awesomeness! Highly recommend! Miss F washed my hair, then she applied drops of that treatment and started to massage my head, hairline, forehead, and neck. Whatever thingy that she used was fantastic! It is soooo cooling (think menthol). Then, she placed warm towel under my neck and another one wrapped around my hairline. She left me there for 10minutes (naturally I slept off). So relaxing!!!! I love the hot (warm towels) and cold (menthol thingy on my scalp) combination. 10 minutes after, she washed off the scalp treatment and proceeded to do a hair treatment for me.

All in all, I loved the experience and would recommend Top Passion to others simply because:

- Reasonable pricing.

- Professional.

- Courteous hairstylist.

- No hard-selling.

- It made my hair looked G.R.E.A.T!!

Tips: Do not wash your hair for 2 days after the treatment.

And here is my after picture. I think that I look good (self-praise)! Love the hairstyle and the hair color. I think it suits me very well. And most importantly, my hair and scalp looks healthy- it is soooo soft to touch! Smells good too. :)

Ambiance : 4*

Service : 5*

Value-for-Money : 5*

Love;

Mrs Lee