It's been a good whole year since my last visit to Hairplus Korean Salon before my NZ road trip in August last year. During my last visit, I did the Cinderella treatment as part of Amos product filming for the salon. And now, 1 year later, I'm finally back with a hair change. This time I chose to do the Korean Digital Perm + Treatment (3-Step). Coincidentally, the salon had brought in a new perming machine which helps to achieve bouncy curls. Yay for me, I get to try out the new machine! 

It's Covid times so please do remember to keep your face masks on during the whole hair session, and don't forget to practice safe distancing!

Since I wanted to perm my hair, I couldn't get it coloured as it would be too much for my hair to handle. So I'd have to come back to the salon another day to get my hair dyed. My hair grows really fast, and in just 1 year, it has grown to almost half the entire length! p.s. it is really obvious in the photos/video.

Before I got started with my perm, my stylist accessed the quality of my hair first to determine whether it's okay to perm. Most people are afraid of perming their hair for fear of damaging it or becoming frizzy over time. All hairs have a cuticle that protects it from UV rays as well as other external pollutants. Perm lotions are usually an alkaline solution which opens the cuticle layer and breaks the bonds within the hair so that it can be restructured during the permanent straightening or curling process. The specialty perm lotion at Hair Plus Korean Salon was created to solve problems such as Incompatibility with other treatments e.g. keratin treatments, brittle or bleached hair not being able to be treated, Highly alkaline pH solution causing irreversible damage to hair fibres. The perm lotion also has a neutral pH (7) which maximizes the respect to hair integrity without making it look too stiff/ unnatural or artificial look. 

With the technique done by their senior hairstylists from Seoul, I am very confident that my hair structure can be modified without excessively opening the cuticle layer and causing irreversible damage. The final result will leave me with soft and frizz-free hair that is easy to maintain, which is what I'm looking for when getting a perm. Fuss-free and Frizz-free!

Watch the vlog of my actual visit to the hair salon on Youtube!

My stylist first layered my hair since it's grown too much, then we got started with 1st of the 3-Step treatment followed by the chemical perm. The smell of the chemical perm wasn't too much to handle, so it was quite alright for me to watch my show in peace and not be disturbed by the smell. After some time, my hair stylist came to check if the curls could hold. Once it's okay, I went to wash it off followed by 2nd of the 3-Step treatment and back to my seat to blow dry my hair. Here comes the new and cool looking perming machine which will help achieve bouncy curls. *gleams*

After setting for 20min, the ceramic curlers were switched to the plastic ones and off I go to the basin to have the neutralizer applied which helps to set the curls. Lastly after washing off the chemical perm, I got the 3rd of the 3-Step treatment applied then back to the chair to blow dry my hair completely. 

And here's the results of my perm! 

I used to be afraid of perming my hair as I had a nasty experience many years ago. It left my hair very damaged, with tight curls and it just wasn't pleasant looking at all. I wished my hair would grow quicker so I could chop it off sooner. But ever since going to Hair Plus Korean Salon, I am always in awe of my hair when I step out of the salon. Whether it's a treatment, perm, c-curls or even just changing hairstyle, it's always a good experience. Not only do they use premium products which helps to maintain the hairstyle, it also prevents my hair from being damaged. I love the specialty premium perm lotion which creates natural bouncy curls that adds volume and is easy to maintain. 

Also, I got this bottle of curling essence from the salon which helps with the upkeep of my bouncy curls. Just squeeze a sizeable amount on your palms and rub it in to the hair before blow drying it (while twisting it away from the face). It smells soooo good and it works really well too! 

This is an update of my curls approx 2 weeks later...