Cost of shampoo: $13.90

Cost of conditioner: $13.90

Cost of hair moisturizer: $19.90

Cost of the look on Ratna's face when I told her I stopped buying my own shampoo because I let other people wash my hair for me: Priceless.

It's true. I stopped buying my own shampoo months ago. I pay to let others wash it for me. Brat? Nope. If you are me, you'd understand that my hair is a pain to manage. I look like YahooOOooo~ in the morning. The pretty version. Hurhur.

So macam gini jer lah routine aku. I'd wash my hair at the salon every 3 days; 2 if it's too humid. I can't wash my hair every day cos it's fragile and super dry. I only wash my hair myself once a month, during that mandatory mandi hadas besar. Each wash cost me about $10, $9 if I wash it at the auntie salon behind my block. She'll wash it for me, blow-dry it for me, apply moisturizer all... Or kalau aku rajin, aku cuci sendiri kat rumah abeh suruh nyonya tu blow-dry kan. Baru $6. Hurhur. I refuse to buy my own hair-dryer cos I can't blow-dry my hair myself. Eh susah lah nyaaarr nak angkat tangan blow rambut. Penat nyaaarr... Lenguh tangan ku. Lepas tu tak straight pulak tu. Senget-senget, sebelah straight sebelah lagi curly. Mak ehh~ Macam itu perempuan sewel.

So I figure I don't need to buy my own shampoo/conditioner.

If you want to be like me and ala-ala tai-tai suruh orang cuci kan rambut, meh sini aku ajar macam mana. Not all shampoos are the same, but all shampoo girls/aunties are the same.

You step into the salon, ask how much for a wash and blow and when they quote you the price, you paused and pretend to consider if the price is reasonable. And always tuck your hair behind your ears. Always eh, jangan lupa. It gives the illusion that your hair is shorter, hence, she'll quote you a lower price. Kita David Copperfield sikit lah mari.

So she'll start applying the shampoo. Ok pay attention now. When the lady shampoos your hair, always close your eyes. This is to give the impression that you really enjoy her massages. But before you close your eyes, you frown a bit first, konon-konon macam kau tangkap stim ah tu. Trust me, she will massage your head for longer. Betul, tak bedek. The reason is really simple. When you close your eyes in appreciation, she will think you're really enjoying it and she'll gladly massage it longer. It's psychological. The benefitor is of course, you :) Then kalau kau nak lagi berkesan, you praise her. Like this "WAH you massage very nice, leh... My headache all gone." AH CONFIRM seratus peratus persen lagi bersungguh-sungguh dia picit.

But after washing and she's ready to blow-dry your hair, you don't close your eyes this time. You open our eyes, so she knows that you're looking and she won't asal boleh dry your hair. She'll take more effort in making sure she's drying it properly. Watch her every move. Kasi dia teliti sikit. Hurhur.

I'm speaking from experience eh, I'm not making this up.