During the circuit breaker period, I picked up the habit of exercising during lunch and going for walks in the park in the evening in an attempt to keep sane and fit.

The attempt to balance the sedentary lifestyle of working from home also means looking into other aspects of self care such as paying more attention to skin and hair condition.

On most days, I washed my hair twice in a day after working up a sweat.

Initially I thought shampoo and conditioner would be enough but clearly I neglected the scalp which takes in the heat more than any parts of the hair whenever I head out.

To give my scalp some deserving love, I tried out the Shiseido Professional SUBLIMIC range recently both at home and at the salon.

The Home Experience

The Shiseido Professional SUBLIMIC range offers 79 different premium hair care products.

A key component of the SUBLIMIC range is the uplifting aroma of each product, which is developed through aromachology research to lift your spirit and improve your mood.

SUBLIMIC’s five product lines, namely Aqua Intensive, Luminoforce, Airy Flow, Fuente Forte and Adenovital which are specially tailored for different hair and scalp concerns, as seen below:

Each range features a distinct, uplifting blend of aromas to relax your mind so it feels like you’re in a spa.

If you feel lost at the variety of products in this series, don’t worry.

Shiseido Professional actually has a hair care diagnosis service on their website where you can take a few minutes to understand which SUBLIMIC range would suit your hair and scalp condition better.

What I got was the SUBLIMIC Fuente Forte range for oily scalp:

The prices of the products range from S$32 to S$78 (before GST) each, and they can be purchased exclusively at Shiseido Professional SUBLIMIC partner salons.

For those with oily scalp like me, here are the prices of the ones that I tried:

• SUBLIMIC Fuente Forte Shampoo for oily scalp (S$38)
• SUBLIMIC Fuente Forte Treatment for all scalp types (S$32)
• SUBLIMIC Fuente Forte Purifying Beauty Spa for oily scalp (S$62)

With this suite of hair care products, I had to pause to read the instructions at the back before trying them out in the right sequence and to ensure I make the most out of the money I spend.

Usually, I’m quite impatient when it comes to shampooing and applying conditioner.

This time round, I followed the instructions and took the time to massage my hair thoroughly with the shampoo.

The second step with the scalp treatment conditioner was the most interesting one as the nozzle of the product is designed specifically for direct application onto the scalp.

While letting the conditioner ‘settle’ on my scalp, I did other things to pass the time, such as brushing my teeth or soaping up.

After rinsing well, I blow-dried my hair with a hair dryer, as the third step with the SUBLIMIC Fuente Forte Purifying Beauty Spa required a dry scalp.

On other occasions, I would not bother to blow dry my hair as I would end up doing something else while waiting for my scalp to dry.

However, spending more time solely on hair care is not a waste of time at all. Using the Purifying Beauty Spa is very therapeutic as I really like the slight herbal fragrance and the cooling effect it has on my scalp, especially on a hot day.

While the three products cost about SS$132 in all, the 250ml shampoo bottle would probably last me about two to three months.

The Salon Experience

While I enjoyed pampering myself in the comfort of my home, I was also quite curious to try out a scalp treatment at a salon.

I found a salon in the central part of Singapore which provides a variety of treatments using Shiseido Professional SUBLIMIC in-salon ranges.

Before we started the treatment, the hair stylist used a specialised scanner that allowed me to scrutinise at my scalp close-up. You can never do this at home for sure.

Here’s footage of a section near the top of my head before the treatment:

According to the salon stylist, the top of my scalp was not as healthy as the back of my head, and the left side of my scalp showed some redness.

After understanding the condition of my scalp, the stylist recommended a scalp detox treatment with the SUBLIMIC Fuente Forte range for oily scalp, priced at S$99. (So the online hair diagnosis was pretty right.)

She started off the treatment by massaging my head while applying Purifying Clay to my scalp.

I definitely didn’t get this experience at home, and appreciated the relaxing feeling of getting my head massaged.

During the session, I also realised the salon treatment incorporated additional products that were not part of the home care range. This included the Purifying Clay, aromatic oils and Firming Cream, which were selected based on my hair and scalp condition for an enhanced and personalised salon experience.

After just one hour of treatment, the main difference I saw was that the top of my scalp, which was identified as being unhealthy due to oil clogged-pores, now looks a lot more like the healthier scalp area at the back of my head.

The herbal fragrance of the products were also very refreshing and relaxing.

The stylist told me that scalp treatments should be done once a month at a salon for the best results.

She also explained that frequent exercise or swimming could impact the health of your scalp while oily scalp is a common condition among people in Singapore as a result of high humidity.

Home treatment or salon experience?

While the home treatment is more affordable, going to the salon offers a more thorough and professional experience.

In terms of duration, the hair treatment took me ten to twenty minutes at home but the salon experience was over a whole hour.

Another part of the salon experience I missed out on at home was the utmost care and attention from professionals who work with hair on a daily basis.

The salon stylist who worked on my hair answered a lot of my questions on best practices for caring for my hair and scalp.

After trying both the home treatment and the salon experience, I have learned more about how to care for my scalp, especially since I wash it quite frequently and exercise regularly.

I have come to realise that both experiences go hand-in-hand, so I have decided to care for the health of my scalp through regular home scalp care and an occasional trip to the salon every few months.

If you're thinking of kick-starting a tailored hair care regime like me, there's no better time than now. Shiseido Professional is celebrating SUBLIMIC’s 1st anniversary this month with complimentary SUBLIMIC Birthday Gift Bags when you spend S$200 on either SUBLIMIC home hair care products or in-salon treatments. For those born in the month of September or October, you can receive an additional 6” All Chocolate Cake gift voucher from Awfully Chocolate when you qualify for the SUBLIMIC Birthday Gift Bag. Just show your stylist proof of your birth date during your visit.

These promotions are available at selected SUBLIMIC partner salons and will run until Oct. 31 (while stocks last).

The writer of this sponsored article by Shiseido Professional pledges to give more care and attention to her scalp and hair.

Top images by writer.