June 2014
Hi, I’m Agent D, a blogshop owner and a marketing professional at one of Singapore’s biggest companies. I’m VERY particular about my hair as I have sensitive scalp and relatively thin hair. I don’t mind spending a little more on hair as it is very important for my overall look. Hence, I tend to frequent Kim Robinson which has skilled stylists and excellent service. It is however rather expensive to go to Kim Robinson all the time. Therefore, I’m always on the lookout to find good stylists and good salons who can meet my hairdressing needs at a more affordable price.
Urgently in need of hair colouring and trim (see my dry hair ends and ugly hair roots), I spontaneously decided to make an appointment after work one day.
Rise Hair Salon caught my eye when I first browsed Beauty Undercover.
Like what I saw in the pictures, the salon looked clean, welcoming and cozy all at the same time.
When I arrived, there were two Japanese stylists and a local salon manager present.
The friendly salon manager greeted me and introduced me to Akiyo, my stylist for the night.
The beautiful Akiyo is a Japanese hairstylist who has worked in salons in Tokyo, Australia and even in Canada! No wonder her English is so fluent, when compared to the typical Japanese stylist!
She escorted me to a seat and ruffled my hair to understand more about my hair texture. She then asked me a few questions about my preferred hair colour, my lifestyle and my usual look. After learning that I am pretty used to light colours, she showed me a Shiseido colour chart and explained in detail about the different shades and colour levels that would best suit me.
It was hard to decide between platinum vs ash brown but decided to go ahead with the warm ash eventually.
Once the consultation was over, Akiyo gave a firm, thorough and relaxing hair wash which felt superb after a hard day’s work.
Personally, I’m also surprised that she was the one who helped me with the wash (as most other salons delegate these tasks to the hair assistants).
Really appreciate the fact that she is in charge of all the tasks from start till end!
Back at the chair, Akiyo proceeded to trim away my hair ends.
She knew that I prefer longer hair so she did not trim too much, thankfully!
I was chatting with her halfway when the salon manager provided me with water and green tea.
I took only a few sips of water before Akiyo began work on the hair colour. The hair colour is first applied to the roots, then to the hair ends. As the ends of my hair was previously bleached, it required less time to reach the desired colour!
Once the hair colour was applied, she covered my hair with a transparent film.
The film traps heat to speed up absorption of hair colour without further damaging the hair!
Even before today’s hair colour, my hair was already very dry due to the previous bleaching and colouring job at Kim Robinson.
That was why Akiyo suggested a hair treatment to restore the shine and smoothness to my hair.
At first I was skeptical about the hair treatment as many salons in Singapore use products from brands I’ve never ever heard.
When I found that they are using John Masters Organics for their treatment however, I said YES immediately!
As mentioned, my scalp is sensitive and gets red easily with harsh chemicals. John Masters was one of the first few hair products I used on a regular basis to help manage my scalp and hair issues. Their Hair Detangler, in particular, works magic with excessively dry hair! I love it!
Having had prior experience with John Masters Organics, I was really happy to go ahead with the treatment.
(Rise Hair Salon is one of the first few salons in Singapore using John Masters Organics treatment!)
To achieve the objective of moisturizing my hair, Akiyo used the Lavender and Avocado conditioner, Dry hair nourishment and defrizzer as well as other salon-use John masters organics products.
A steamer is then used to further increase moisture-retention by the hair follicles; the treatment can penetrate deeper and more thoroughly for more effective results!
When the treatment is complete, Akiyo gave me a final hair wash and blew dry my hair.
While blow drying, Akiyo took the time and effort to show me how to blow dry my hair!
Blow from outside in will allow me to keep the desired hair shape in place.
Akiyo is however not yet done.
Being conscientious, she trimmed a little more to ensure the haircut is well balanced.
And… this is the final result!
Front View
Back View
Side View
See how even and obedient my hair is now? Really happy with the results!
BEFORE AND AFTER
My transformation is apparent; the ugly hair roots are gone, replaced by a full head of even, refreshing ash brown that is neither too dark nor too bright for me!
My hair has also become much less wavy and much softer to the touch!
With an awesome hair wash and hair colour that looks exactly like what I wished for, this hair appointment turned out to be the perfect Pick-me-up for a frustrating work day and the ideal prep for a fun night out!
Thank you Akiyo and staff for staying till 9.30pm and giving me such an amazing hair experience (service + haircut + hair colour!)
I will be back!
UPDATE: It has been 3 weeks and my hair is still soft and smooth from the treatment! I’m really impressed as usually treatments only last me 2 weeks!
Would definitely recommend Rise to anyone who love great Japanese hairstylists and John Masters Organics treatment!