February 2016
Hello, I’m Agent Jojo and I’m currently working in Supply Chain for one of the world’s leading FMCG companies.
Although I’m not working in the Sales and Marketing division, I always feel a bit more pressure dressing up and looking good at work since all my colleagues do the same.
(Yes they are all very trendy and good-looking!)
The same goes for my hair. It is important to me that my hair looks presentable (at the very least) and fashion-forward (at the very best) as I feel that hair forms a huge part of what people see in us.
However, this is how my hair looks like about 2 weeks after CNY.
The roots regrowth was really quite unsightly so I was anxious to go for a hair visit at a salon!
I’ve always wanted to try Picasso Hair Studio as many of my colleagues frequent the salon and also because I am acquainted with the boss of Picasso Hair Studio, who is very knowledgeable about hair.
Therefore, I was really happy when she asked if I would like to try out their new Handpressed Hair Colour one day.
My First Impressions
The place is not very big and when its busy, it can actually be quite cramped (so not a place you may want to bring your kids or boyfriends for now!)
However, I LOVE how artistic and hipster-ish this hair salon is! I feel special affinity to the salon since the easels and the painting on the wall reminded me of my hobby – painting!
I was given very warm welcome and big smiles, offered drinks, warm towel and hand cream to relax myself after a stressful day.
Consultation
My allocated hair designer was Jeremy. He’s this tall, slightly shy hairstylist who was recently mentioned as one of Singapore’s hottest hairstylists!
Looks aside, Jeremy has recently won First Runner Up in the HAIRCOS Hair Design Award 2016.
So yes, I feel that my hair is safe in his hands!
During the consultation, Jeremy assessed my hair condition and enquired what colours I was inclined towards. Since I’m here at the salon (vs DIY colour), I wanted to go for a colour I couldn’t achieve by myself, a colour that looks professional yet fashionable at the same time. I really wanted Ash so we eventually settled on Ash Brown with Ash Grey with a tint of purple.
As it was the first time I was bleaching my hair, Jeremy took the extra effort to brief me through the processes. After the briefing, I was a lot less worried and more confident to go ahead with the colouring.
Bleaching Begins!
The first thing Jeremy did was to section my hair.
The sectioning is important as only selected sections of hair will undergo bleaching and later handpressed colour. This will ensure that the sections of handpressed colour stands out and also prevent my whole head of hair from being damaged excessively!
As I had roots regrowth, it was a little bit more technically challenging as Jeremy had to make sure that the bleach would remove the same amount of pigment at the roots as the rest of the hair. Jeremy also applied the Ash Brown base colour at the same time. It is slightly darker than my now faded brassy brown.
Jeremy also added Olaplex to the bleach to make sure that bonds are being built at the same time as pigments are being removed to prevent excessive damage to my hair!
About 30 minutes later, it was time to go for a hair wash!
We went for a hair wash about 30 minutes later.
It’s now obvious that my base colour has darkened!
Jeremy mentioned that the bleach has removed a significant amount of colour pigment so it is sufficient just to bleach once.
My hair is now ready for the next important step: Applying Handpressed Colour!
Handpressed Colour
Just like how drawings are being done, handpressed colour begins with preparing the palette!
Jeremy drew shapes on a piece of plexiglass. The shapes will not be printed on the hair exactly like what is drawn but it will affect how the colour design finally looks like.
Circles, swirls and dots tend to create a more natural transition whereas lines tend to give a more obvious demarcation of colours.
Once the patterns are complete, it is now time to apply the colour to the hair!
A very thin section of hair is first selected with its placement depending on the hair design. The hair is then pressed onto the pattern drawn previously to saturate the top side of the hair. Then, use a putty knife so that the colour will seep through the strands so that everything blends. This way, you won’t get to see a circle or a squiggle!
Don’t you think it’s an interesting way of colouring hair?
The entire process kept my eyes busy as I kept looking at how Jeremy did various patterns and variations in his drawings!
It was however quite a slow process that takes a lot of effort as the hair has to be handpressed bit by bit!
Hair Wash and Treatment
After the colours were properly applied, it was time to go for a hair wash.
A post treatment was also done at the sink to repair some of the damage sustained during the hair colours.
I like it that this is included as part of the 3C Hair Colour or Handpressed Colour Package so no additional cost is required. The boss of Picasso Hair Studio believes that a post treatment is absolutely crucial to make the colour last as long as possible and minimize hair damage – that is why the colour package includes the treatment!
Blowdrying
As Jeremy had to attend to another customer, Jesly came to help me blowdry my hair.
This is how it looks like after the blowdry!
Before I reveal my After photos, here’s a quick reminder of how my hair looked before:
And how it looks like now!
Right Profile
Left Profile
Back
What do you think?
Personally, I totally heart this colour!
The ash base color was very much what I was looking for and the purple was very pretty, subtle yet attention-seeking!
Although I bleached my hair, it still feels soft and smooth enough to run through… thanks to the treatment and possibly addition of Olaplex!
Best of all, it still looks professional enough to go for work.
It may not be one of those Peek-a-boo hair colour but the natural transitions gave the hair colour design much more dimension under sunlight!
Here’s how it looks like a few days after the hair colour!
Conclusion
Overall, I really loved the results of the Handpressed Colour at Picasso Hair Studio! The transitions were natural and the colours looked different depending on the lighting conditions and angle at which you look at my hair!
I’m not the only one who thinks that the colour is nice though…
I hear that even the creator of handpressed colour Redken Colorist @chialamarvici was impressed with this hair colour design!
Other than the fact that its really nice, I’m glad that NO ONE ELSE will have the same hair design as me. After all, the colour design changes depending on how the shapes are drawn and how the colour blends into the hair!
Overall, I also enjoyed my time at Picasso. It wasn’t boring like how a lot of people said the 4-5 hours of bleaching hair would be. The hair designers would enrich me with hair knowledge with I was dying to know, such as how bleaching works, how to preserve the hair color, how to condition, how to wash hair for the benefit of the scalp etc. The service was great and everyone in the salon was warm and skilful, making the overall experience really nice.
Now I know why my colleagues are so in love with Picasso. I too would readily recommend Picasso to anyone looking to do hair colours… especially the new and unique Handpressed Hair Colour!