Friends and family who saw me in October 2013 knew how much I LOVED the perm I did at Zinc Korean Hair Salon the previous time.
Month 1 after Perm
On top of softening my usual image, the curls gave me that little more womanly charm that my husband really appreciated.
As the curls were bigger and looser, I was surprised to find that the perm actually survived more than 6 months… even though I did an organic hair colouring in the 4th month!
Month 4 after Perm
By the time the 6th month came, I was ready for a change.
Month 6 after Perm
*Note that the messy hair was my own fault – I didn’t trim as regularly as I should!
I’m however still into my perm phase… I REALLY REALLY LIKE CURLY HAIR!
Can I go for a second perm and change my look?
With this objective in mind, I arranged for an appointment with Nicky from Zinc Korean Hair Salon. As you can see, he is my go-to person for perms!!!
Step 1: Consultation
He escorted me to a seat when I arrived and began checking my hair condition.
During the consultation, I mentioned that I wanted a change.
I wasn’t sure what type of change I was looking for and am therefore looking for Nicky’s professional advice. As my hair ends tend to be dry, Nicky recommended a shorter, trendier and easily manageable digital perm with a straight cut.
Nicky explains that most perms out there are done diagonally as curls can be achieved more easily that way. In recent years however, Korean celebrities are increasingly adopting horizontal hair perms with a straight haircut (and he goes on to show me the many celebrities who have done so on his iPad.)
Like my favourite Korean female artiste Han Hyo Joo
Park Shin Hye from “The Heirs“
It is much more challenging to create obvious curls with a straight cut so not many stylists in Singapore know how to do that well.
Seeing that Nicky was so confident, I’m also game to try out what he has in mind.
Step 2: Hair Wash and Haircut
As usual, service is good at Zinc. The hair assistant helped me put on layers of protective covering.
The ensuing hair wash was heavenly!
The assistant was attentive, checking if the temperature was alright and making sure I was comfortable. And then there was THE hair wash and massage… LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
I was a little antsy when Nicky began to snip off quite a big chunk of my hair… 4 inches at least?
Though its cool how he added texture to my hair without layering it. Definitely one of his secret techniques!
Step 3: Application of Perm Lotion
After blowing my hair dry, Nicky went on to apply the pre-treatment protein treatment for better hair protection against excessive damage.
“Is there a difference in procedure between a first perm and a subsequent perm?” I asked.
“Procedure wise, no. The stylist will still have to do a haircut, apply pre-treatment, perming lotion, heat and eventually neutralizer. However, it is in the details that count; permed or frequently coloured hair may be damaged at different levels. Therefore, the time that the hair is exposed to each chemical would have to be adjusted to achieve the desired and consistent amount of curl.”
No wonder Nicky always divides my hair into sections and apply the perm lotion accordingly.
Of course, the quality of the hair products matter as well. Nicky is always a little reluctant to tell us too much about his Korean hair products because he deems them as his “secret weapon”.
Step 4: Application of Heat
After getting my hair washed, Nicky began blow drying my now straight hair. That’s essentially what the Perm Lotion does – straighten out the hair by breaking all the existing bonds from before!
The next step is therefore to create and set the curls. Nicky mentioned that the curlers used for this perm would be smaller than my previous perm for more defined curls!
This is how I look with so many curlers on my head! UNGLAM!
The curlers are really quite heavy so I felt a little uncomfortable moving my head.
Soon after, the curlers are attached to a machine.
Don’t I totally look like a cyborg?
Finally they released my hair from all the equipment.
And replaced the curlers with these colourful clips.
The hair assistant is really thoughtful, putting a pink band and later a small towel to prepare my hair for the next step…
Step 5: Application of Neutralizer
I’m always impressed by the preparation and carefulness of the staff in Zinc; from the towels to the little basin, they make sure that the neutralizer is uniformly applied throughout the entire hair without dripping anywhere else.
After letting the neutralizer settle for some time so that the newly curled hair bonds can be formed, the clips were removed and my hair looks like this.
Rather cool, isn’t it?
Step 6: Hair Wash and Post-Treatment
Next, I had another to-die-for hair wash and application of post-treatment.
It felt so good I fell asleep!
Groggy after being escorted back to my seat, I was surprised by a firm yet extremely relaxing shoulder massage good enough to rival professional masseurs.
Sitting in the chair for 3-5 hours can be quite tiring so I give thanks for small actions like this that really enhances the entire experience.
First proper look of my hair after the hair wash…
As I’ve gotten used to my long long hair, I couldn’t help but be surprised at the much shorter length this time around!
Nicky was not yet done. He applied some leave in conditioner (not mousse, mind you) to moisturize my hair ends.
Step 7: Blow Dry
As Nicky wanted customers to know how their hair would look like the next morning without styling, he blew dry my hair without perfecting the styling.
Just a final flip… and I’m done!
I wouldn’t dare compare myself to Han Hyo Joo and Park Shin Hye but I really love this lighter, younger look!
This is not a hairstyle I would instinctively choose for myself so I really have to thank Nicky for introducing this to me!
For those interested, note that this hairstyle works for all face shapes except those of you with square jaws!
Once again, I would like to thank Nicky once again for helping to discover a new me.
I would not have discovered how well this perm works for me, if not for Nicky’s expert opinion!
THAT is why I stick with Nicky… his creativity and expertise means that I can safely try out new styles without worrying about the end result; it always looks good!
Now, I just can’t wait for my next perm with Zinc Korean Hair Salon!
A second photo two weeks after the perm
