June 2015
Like many other people who wanted to make full use of the Hari Raya Puasa holiday, I planned for a vacation in the middle of July!
Other than booking flights and hotels, a quick check on my hair is essential as part of my must-do travel checklist!
So here’s how I look about 3 to 4 weeks before the holiday.
I’m glad that the previous Mucota DYNA perm still retained some of its waves from 8 months ago but my hair is getting too long and seriously out of shape!
Therefore, when Kasahara-san from CLEO Hair and Make asked if I would like to try their all-new Mucota Omega Oil Therapy perm, I said yes immediately!
MUCOTA Omega Oil Therapy Perm
The Omega Oil Therapy Perm is the latest professional perm introduced by MUCOTA. With a greater emphasis on moisturizing the hair during the perm process, damage is minimized and the hair retains the moisturizing coat on the exterior.
Moisture is retained and hair is repaired with the inclusion of Hyaluronic Acid PCA which is more easily absorbed by the hair as well as 7 types of natural essential oils including Jojoba oils, Shea butter, Castor Oils, Rosehip, Sweet Almond Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil and meadowfoam oil. The 7 types of natural essential oils help to make the hair highly heat resistant, reconstruct damaged hair and improves the moisture content in the hair further. The essential oils also form an ion complex on the hair to prevent the chemicals from penetrating too deep, preventing hair from being “fried” from the perming!
This premium range of perm is offered only in 20 salons in Singapore and as one of Singapore top salons, CLEO is unsurprisingly chosen as one of the 20 offering this premium perm!
Reading more about the Omega Oil Therapy made me really excited to experience the perm for myself!
It’s finally D-Day!
I arrived early to CLEO Hair & Make @ The Central. It was my first time getting my hair done at the Central outlet but the elegant yet romantic CLEO décor was just as familiar.
Kasahara-san, the owner of CLEO Hair & Make and an accomplished stylist himself, was patiently waiting for me. He escorted me to my seat and discussed about the type of perm I would like to get. I showed him pictures of the perm styles I like and also shared with him about my preference for bob length perms!
Compared to the last time I was in CLEO, Kasahara-san’s command of English has improved tremendously (like the other Japanese stylists in CLEO!) and this made it easier for me to communicate my preferences to him without the need for a translator!
Once the consultation is complete, I was brought over to the hair wash area for a thorough wash.
To make sure that I did not damage my scalp before the perm, I washed my hair with only my fingers (no nails!) the night before.
After the hair wash, Kasahara san shared with me some of his observations while washing my hair and examining my hair condition. Although my hair ends were slightly damaged, it was not a big concern. This was because only the hair ends were more seriously damaged and he would be able to help me trim them off.
The MUCOTA Omega Oil Therapy perm that we are going to do would also help to repair some of the damage that my hair had previously sustained!
Soon, he began trimming the hair ends.
Somehow, his shaggy hairstyle and seriousness while cutting my hair reminds me of Kimura Takuya who acted as a hairstylist in a drama Beautiful Life!
In order to create a lighter top half and a heavier look at the bottom, Kasahara san also thinned my hair a little at the top to make it thinner and more flowy. This has to be done skillfully as too much thinning will cause the hair to be unmanageable!
Looking at how carefully he thins, I know my hair is in good hands!
Next, Kasahara san applied the pre-treatment onto the hair and used a steamer to accelerate penetration of the lotion.
The pre-treatment, CS-1, contains cationic chitosan that balances the anionic hair to protect it from chemicals as well as Meadowfoam oil which locks in the natural hair proteins. It also contains Keratin to help repair existing hair imperfections! Very nourishing it seems!
He then applied the perming lotion to each section of my hair, twisting them as the lotion is applied.
This breaks the existing bonds in my hair so that he can mould it later on to the shape he visualizes. While this is the damaging part of the process, the pre-treatment should go a long way to prevent excessive damage!
The hair is then left for about 15 minutes before the wash.
After the hair wash, the heat protecting CS-2, which contains Shea butter, Jojoba seed oil and castor oil, was applied to further moisturize and protect the hair from the incoming heat.
Finally, the curling begins!
Big and medium curlers were used only on the second half of my hair to create the top light and bottom heavy look!
As this is a digital perm, the curlers were then connected to a machine which would heat up the curlers for a longer lasting perm.
Next, the neutralizer helps the hair re-form the bonds and locks in those curls.
A little more and we are ready for the last hair wash of the day!
That was perhaps my favourite part of the experience. Firm yet not too hard at just the right acupoints on the head, Kasahara san gave one of the best head massages I’ve experienced thus far. Really enjoyed the full 5 minutes of hair massage!
During the hair wash, he also applied the after-treatment CS+3 which contains macadamia nut oil, hydrolyzed collagen as well as two types of seaweed extract to improve moisture retention and promote hair regrowth!
And my hair is almost done!
Just a little more blowdrying!
And here is the final result!
To remind you how I looked before:
The shorter perm overall felt lighter and makes me look more my age (younger!) in my opinion!
The hair from the back did not have any heavy maggi mee curls and instead contain more elegant waves that makes the perm look really natural!
The hair also felt super soft after the perm… making it really nice to play with 
Loving it!
So… does it last?
4 weeks later in Copenhagen
5 weeks later in Ireland
Overall Thoughts
CLEO Hair & Make probably isn’t the first salon I would think of when I thought of perming my hair at first. It is after all more known for crazy, vibrant manic panic colours that looked beautifully vibrant!
Would a perm at CLEO Hair & Make would look good and last long?
Having tried their new MUCOTA Omega Oil Therapy perm, my concerns were laid to rest!
Lighter than the typical heavy Korean perm, this Japanese-style Mucota Omega Perm creates waves that look more natural and are easier to manage.
My hair also remained moisturized and not-as-dry weeks after the perm, possibly due to the many moisturizing ingredients within the MUCOTA Omega Oil Therapy perm. All I did was to apply hair moisturizers after shampoo and conditioning and blow it dry before I get out of the house so overall a really manageable hairstyle for working professionals or busy moms!
If however you are looking for stronger curls and a heavier Korean perm look, the Mucota Omega Perm may not be your best choice. Given its focus on moisturizing and protecting your hair rather than heavy curls that may cause more damage, the Mucota Omega Oil Therapy perm creates lighter waves that loosen with time, essentially a more Japanese perm look that will look its best for the initial 3-4 months!
On the whole, I really liked my perm at CLEO Hair & Make. Kasahara san was really friendly, chatting with me in the 3 hours I was there in easy to understand English. His hair massage especially left an indelible impression on me!
Many thanks to Kasahara san for the great perm and and Japanese hospitality!
Do however note that it is not easy to make an appointment with Kasahara san as he is not always in Singapore. Shuttling between his Tokyo and Singapore outlets, Kasahara san’s schedule is erratic so it is best to email CLEO Hair & Make at tokyo.cleo@gmail.com to check his schedule before requesting for an appointment with him.
Nevertheless, all stylists in CLEO are well trained in using the MUCOTA Omega Oil Therapy perm so in our opinion, it might not be necessary to specify Kasahara san for the Mucota Omega Perm! (after all, it does cost an additional $100 to request for him!)
If you are interested to find out more about CLEO, read reviews about CLEO Hair & Make here!
Do you have any questions about the MUCOTA Omega Oil Therapy Perm by CLEO Hair & Make? Share your questions with us below!