The beginnings of hairstyling… and of Tony Galvez

Back in the 60’s, when TV’s were still black-and-white and movies conservative, women prided themselves on having a stylish hair that not only was safe against a gust of wind but also looked elegant in almost any social function. Remember that seductive Marilyn Monroe, she of the billowing skirt? Her style of hair was timeless, and indeed it enjoys a revival nowadays. And don’t forget the hairstyle of the iconic Jackie Onassis, the former first-lady of the late John F. Kennedy.

The 70’s came next, the decade of a steady plunge into—as conservatives say—decadence. If it was a liberal age of free love, then the hairstyle had reflected it. In fact, that was when hairstylists tried different cuts and when women flaunted long hair. Farrah Fawcett, for instance, had sported a free-flowing, long hairstyle that came to be known as the Charlie’s Angel look. And of course there were other notable women—Cher with her long, curly hair; Tina Turner with her afro-like long hair.

Madonna topped the pop charts in the 80’s. Using her popularity to maximum effect, Madonna herself had introduced, or otherwise influenced, radical changes and experimentations in hairstyle. So-called permanent hairstyle solutions flooded the general market at the time, so did Pop and New Wave music.

The 90’s era witnessed the trend of hair coloring. That was when having a different hair color than everybody else’s became a prevalent form of self-expression. Urban yuppies could choose not just black but other colors such as almond-brown, burgundy, chestnut-brown, and all shades of brown that were unheard-of in the past. The dyes came in an easy-to-follow, mix-it-yourself kit. Hair dyeing incurred such an agog that some people, heedless of their skin tone, dyed their hair with flamboyant colors such as blond, orange, green, or red. It was a radical year for hair coloring.

By the end of the 90’s, computers have changed our way of life as we know it. The advancements of technology helped a lot of industries, including cosmetics. This time, as never before, the “Next Gen” coiffeurs and coiffeuses introduced hair straightening, hair-relaxing, hair rebonding, and many more.

If one were to look back at those times, one will realize that hairstyling and cosmetics have come a long way indeed. With all the innovations in it, one will no longer have to worry about encountering someone who has the same hairstyle as one has. Furthermore, standing out among the plain hairstyles out there doesn’t come with a hefty price anymore, nor a celebrity can be typecast in a particular hairstyle, either.

The innovations in hairstyling, though, come with a price—hair damage for instance, that usurper of crowning glories.

Tony Galvez, expert coiffeur, knew of such a caveat. He has mastered the art of hairstyling and has been in the business for a long time. In particular, he knows of world-class hair treatments that can be used either as antidotes in treating hair damage or as agents in making hair stylish and healthier.

Tony Galvez was born and grew up in Malabon, Metro Manila. He took a Bachelor’s Degree but did not finish it because of a growing interest in hair styling. He took up a two-year vocational course in Hair Science and Beauty Culture. Such was the fate of a blooming artist who knew, even then, where he should be.

Eventually, after years of combing through tangled hardships, Tony put up his own unisex salon in Caloocan, and later branched out in Cubao and Makati. His unselfish desire to bestow crowning glories to both women and men finally paid off.

But that’s not only what Tony does. Now, Tony owns Perfect Solution Trading, Inc., a firm that distributes imported beauty products, most of which are from Japan.

Once in a while, to keep up with the latest hairstyling and hair treatment trends in the global market, he travels abroad. Whatever valuable innovation he learns from there he returns and introduces here in the Philippines. He is actually one of the few stylists who first introduced “Hair Rebonding” in the country.

From being a competent coiffeur to being an expert esthete, Tony Galvez may pass on his skills by establishing his own school. And he did!