Q & A With Damien Tavernier, Asia Pacific Trainer of Pierre-Fabre Dermo-Cosmetique

Before I attended yesterday’s Rene Furterer Scalp & Hair Beauty Workshop, I toyed with the idea of interviewing the presenter Damien Tavernier, Asia Pacific Trainer of Pierre-Fabre Dermo-Cosmetique who has been based in Hong Kong for the past 3 years. He is also the marketing manager of Rene Furterer and looks after the brand in (among other AP countries) Taiwan, India, Australia, Singapore, Korea and Japan so he does a lot of travelling. This is his 4th trip to Malaysia.

After his presentation, he was kept very busy analysing the scalp and hair of the workshop participants so I waited until everyone had spoken to him for my chance to interview. I’d put in a last minute request to have a Q & A session with him and luckily he managed to squeeze in some time for me in between his lunch and the next workshop, the Avene Beauty Workshop. For those of you who have seen Damien IRL, I am sure you will agree with me that the photo doesn’t do him enough justice. He is the epitome of French elegance and grace, “il est beau”, there’s no doubt about that. Fluent in English, he answered my inquisitive questions seamlessly.

Are there any specific common concerns for Asian hair as compared to Caucasian concerns?

Asian people generally have healthier hair than Caucasians. However, because of climate, problems of modern life, the artificial environment (probably being in an air-con environment most of the time) imbalanced diet and medication, Asians are more affected by problems such as oily scalp, dandruff, hair loss (which affects both men and women). If you need more hydration for your hair, greater comfort for your scalp, try the Carthame range which has moisturizing properties. As Malaysia is so near the Equator, many suffer from oily scalp and hair. For those who have dry hair and an oily scalp, alternate between the Carthame and Curbicia range. While Carthame nourishes, Curbicia contains a squash extract patented and unique to Rene Furterer and clay to control and absorb excess sebum.

During your presentation earlier, you mentioned that brushing hair is important before shampoo and any hair treatments. What brushes are recommended for straight and curly hair?

For the 1st step (whether hair is straight or curly), use a comb with wider space between the teeth. For styling, use a bristled brush. For detangling, use a wooden brush. Refine shape of hair with a comb and brush. A comb is good for smoothing hair while a brush is good for volumising and dry shampoo as it defines the texture.

Here in Asia, we are very fond of subjecting our hair to rebonding, perming, colouring and so on. How does it affect our scalp?

These are very drying for the scalp as the person would be subjected to chemicals, silicones, alcohol, etc. clogging pores and creating an imbalance. For example, hair perming aggravates the scalp and creates dandruff. It also kills the healthy bacteria on our scalp. Ensure that any chemicals don’t touch our scalp.

Although we can apply Complexe 5 at home, it’s obviously better to have the treatment done at one of Rene Furterer’s salons. How many times a month would you recommend this treatment at a Rene Furterer salon?

Once a week if possible to have a proper professional treatment. For hair loss, the Tripiasic treatment is recommended 3x a week.

What do you recommend for frizzy hair as most of us Asian ladies like to have sleek, long hair?

The Myrrhea range for smoothing, it treats unruly and resistant hair. Alternate with Karite which intensely nourishes very dry scalp and deeply regenerates very dry and devitalized hair. Mix and match products, it will help with straightening.

As we age, we experience hair loss. For those of a certain age but haven’t yet experienced hair loss but wish to prevent the onset of hair loss or perhaps to slow down the process of hair loss, what products would you recommend?

As we age, our hair bulbs get old and some will die off as each follicle can only generate growth 20x in one’s lifetime. We can only slow down the hair loss process. Hair loss can be affected by factor such as air aging – free radicals from UV exposure cause hair to thin. The Tonucia range treats hair thinning and breakage by giving hair energy. The Forticia shampoo boosts the scalp, not so much hair. Only if you witness hair falling do you go to the RF 80 serum (no rinse formula). Alternate between Tonucia and Forticia to boost micro-circulation, reinforce hair diameter, thicken hair from root to ends. You should be able to see results after 2 weeks.

For those of us with dense and thick hair, it might be a bit difficult to apply Complexe 5 to our scalp as it involves parting our hair into sections. Any tips to make application at home easier?

Use the comb with 2 prongs at the end (looks like chopsticks) to divide hair into 6 to 8 sections. Apply to front and back area concentrating on front of head as that is where hair loss first occurs. Tilt your head back so that the product doesn’t flow to the sides.

Merci beaucoup to Rene Furterer Malaysia and M. Damien Tavernier for the Q & A session.