Back at 99 Percent Hair Studio for holiday hair - discount code inside!

My long-awaited holiday is finally here! Back to Seoul for lots of bingsu, kimchi and jjigaes, but before that, to 99 Percent Hair Studio (Katong MODA) for gorgeous holiday hair!

That's from my previous colouring session with Danson; the purple is still very much around and gorgeous! 

But because I'm a sucker for colours, it never hurts to have new ones in the hair.

First, for a quick trim, to get rid of all that frizz.

And then Danson separates my head of hair into sections, for the day's colouring adventure. I was getting a creative 2-colour (the creativity is all Danson's) and how the hair strands are selected and coloured is important as it determines the style and subtlety of the outcome.

Magic fingers at work!

That detail. Just, wow.

First, spot bleaching. Because the colours I've chosen for the day (with Danson's trusty advice, of course) need my hair to be bleached. Sorry hair, that's the price of beauty. The kick-ass treatment after the colouring will make everything all right again.

A shameless selfie while giving the first coat of bleach some time to set, 

because 99 Percent has huge mirrors that allow for perfect selfies. 

Remember that tuft of hair that sat pretty atop my head after Danson's careful selection? 

The strands in that tuft, also the most outer layer of my hair, get coloured with a dark brown that's close to my natural hair colour.

Dark brown dye goes on.

And Danson twists...

 

... and even braids the lower few strands of the dark brown section to ensure they don't get mixed with the bleached (or rather, bleaching) portions.

Yup, magic fingers.

A little bit more bleach, just for good measure.

Back to spending some time with my friend, the heat machine.

Time to apply bleach to the lower part of my hair. Goodbye, purple! I love you plenty, but it's time for other colours.

Another shameless selfie while waiting for the bleach to set. 

I blame the mirrors.

To the wash, with Jackie's nimble fingers!

Random picture of me with a bath towel round my head, because photographer thought I looked my best this way.

Ajumma style?

I'm a lucky, pampered girl, with two beautiful ladies blow-drying my hair.

Hello, straw-man hair! Some purple survived the bleach too! Kidding. 

Danson left them there to blend with the new colours that were about to go on.

Master of colours. I wouldn't trust my hair colouring with anyone else.

More picking and careful selection, to decide which strands get what colour.

What ensures good colouring results? 

A creative stylist with skill. Lots of it.

The colours go on with Jackie's assistance, in the sequence selected by Danson. 

Can't wait to see the results!

Look at that blue. 

Or, according to #thatdress, white?

On to the wash, where I wait 5 minutes for the special Brazilian keratin shampoo to work its magic on cleansing my hair and preparing it for the kick-ass treatment that's soon to come.

A quick blow-dry before treatment. 

The brazilian blowout treatment should be applied on wet, not drenched, hair.

On goes the awesome treatment stuff...

... then 15 more minutes with my heat machine friend.

While we wait, here's some good news for those of you reading this.

Visit 99 Percent Hair Studio at Katong MODA, tell them you know me (Ann), and get a one year membership* with them for free! 

The membership entitles you to these fabulous things:

• Get 10% off when you visit 99 Percent (Katong) for any hair service.
• Get 20% off when you bring a friend and get your hair done together (your friend doesn't need a membership)!
• Get an additional 20% off (on top of your usual 10% member discount) during your birthday month.
• Get a haircut + another hair service, and take 50% off your haircut!

Be sure to hashtag #katongmoda, #99percenthairstudio, and #beboldbedaringbestylish after your visit for more exciting discounts (99 Percent holds regular Instagram games for their customers!).

This runs on till end of April so be sure to hurry and book your appointment (call 6702 7062)!

*membership discounts apply to hair services at 99 Percent Katong MODA only. Purchasing of products not included.

And now back to the regular programming...

Time for the blow-dry, step 2 of the brazilian blowout treatment.

See the turquoise (colouring mixture concocted by Danson using several out-of-the-box colours) and blue peeking out from under my topmost layer of hair?

It's all Danson.

Jackie and Kelly help complete the last step of the brazilian blowout treatment - the flat iron. 

The amount of gorgeous hair colours in this one picture is making me very happy.

Thanks to Danson's careful selection and sectioning of hair, I now have gradients of turquoise and blue in my hair!

Turquoise...

 

... and blue, all under the topmost layer of hair.

Gotta love Danson's eye for dimension and subtlety!

In love with my new mermaid colours.

Thank you, Danson!

The keratin shampoo and conditioner recommended for use at home after getting a brazilian blowout treatment. Regular shampoos and conditioners will gradually wash off the treatment's effect; the Absolut Keratin line (available for purchase from 99 Percent Hair Studio) is specially formulated to help maintain the brazilian blowout treatment.

For more information on 99 Percent Hair Studio's hair services and prices, go here.

My heart has a special place reserved for the brazilian blowout because it gives me crazy smooth hair (that lasts after days of washing) after each treatment.

The morning after my visit to 99 Percent Katong MODA - no more crazy hair!

I can have smooth and gorgeous hair for Seoul.

Yes, so ready for Seoul.

Product Review: Art-Noise Japanese Hair Salon's SHA Base Care Shampoo and Treatment

Thanks to the folks at Beauty Undercover, I got a treatment done at Art-Noise Japanese Hair Salon (Holland Village) last November and got a glimpse of healthy hair after a long time of seeing straw on my head :P The friendly stylists at Art-Noise sent me home with a bottle of their specially formulated SHA shampoo and treatment so I could better test the product with continued use. 

The shampoo and treatment come in a very simple and pretty package. Just as I would expect from the Japanese! 

A close-up shot of the shampoo. 

I don't read Japanese, but here's a picture for those of you who can! 

For the rest of us who don't understand Japanese, here's more information:

SHA Base Care Shampoo ($65)

Benefits for scalp:

• Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, a degreasing, emulsifier and foaming agent used in many hair and cleaning products. The salon shared that this ingredient is used to help clarify and wash the scalp more completely.
• Glucosyl Hesperidin, a flavonoid compound known to stimulate blood circulation. The salon included this in their shampoo formula to increase the scalp's blood circulation.
• 9 kinds of herbal extracts (including licorice and chamomile), which the salon included to moisturize the scalp, suppress dandruff and reduce scalp irritation.

Benefits for hair:

Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine, a plant-derived ingredient that is said to help repair skin and hair, while also functioning as an emulsifier in cosmetic formulas (to keep unlike substances from separating; e.g. oil and water).

Polyquaternium-61, a newly innovated chemical that is said to retain 3.5x water than hyaluronic acid, keeping the hair moisturised and allowing hair colours to remain vibrant for longer periods of time.

Customers who had tried the product for a month reportedly saw healthier and more voluminous hair. With my badly damaged hair (from countless rounds of salon and home colouring sessions), I couldn't wait to try it!

A close-up shot of the treatment.

Again, don't understand Japanese, but some of you may!

More information about this treatment product:

SHA Base Care Treatment ($65)

Benefits for scalp:

• Capryloyl Glycine, an ingredient that restrains bacterium and controls sebum secretion. The salon also shared that this was included to help suppress dandruff and speed up hair growth.
• Aloe Vera, to help soothe the scalp.
• 9 kinds of herbal extracts (including licorice and chamomile), to moisturize the scalp, suppress dandruff and reduce scalp irritation

Benefits for hair:

Hydrolysed Keratin, a common cosmetic ingredient, with studies showing significant increases in skin elasticity and hydration after topical application of the ingredient. The salon shared that this was included to help make thin hair more bouncy.

Hydrolysed Collagen, a form of collagen. When used topically, it acts as a texture conditioner and moisturiser. The salon included this product to make coarse hair softer.

Hydroxypropyl Chitosan, a derivative of chitosan. Chitosan (a cellulose-like biopolymer found mainly in the exoskeleton of marine animals, e.g. crabs, shrimps) forms a clear, elastic film on hair, increasing its softness and mechanical strength. Art-Noise shared that this was included to accelerate regeneration of the hair cuticle, and is supposed to make hair stronger and shinier over time.

 Phew~ I did quite a bit of googling and researching to understand the different ingredients in the shampoo and treatment products.

Now on to actual usage!

.

.

.

Just a tiny bit of shampoo (about the size of a 50-cent coin) is enough for one wash. 

Not too different from the usual shampoo texture, this SHA shampoo has a neutral smell and foams up quick! There's hardly any resistance whenever I apply the shampoo to my hair (I'm talking about the sort of resistance that I sometimes feel when using other shampoos that don't seem to lather unless I shampoo a second time).

Again, a tiny bit of product goes a long way with the SHA treatment. I used this much treatment product each time (about the size of a 50-cent coin) to condition my hair after shampooing. 

The treatment product feels rich and has a thick, heavy texture, with a somewhat nutty smell. Leave it in for about 10 minutes, wash it off, and the hair feels smooth and conditioned!

On days when I find my hair somewhat dry after wash, I apply a tiny bit of SHA treatment to my hair after towelling dry, and blow-dry my hair after. This makes my hair quite silky and soft for the rest of the day (Yukie's genius tip!). 

Be careful not to apply too much as the heavy texture of the treatment will weigh your hair down and make it look oily (I know this because I made that mistake :P). 

. 

.

.

I've been using the SHA Base Care shampoo and treatment for slightly over a month now. I think one bottle of each has enough product to last you for more than 2 months - I still have plenty of product left after using it everyday. 

Do I see a marked difference between using the SHA line and other hair products I've tried? Unfortunately, not really. To be fair, I had a Brazilian Blowout treatment done just before I had the chance to start using this shampoo and treatment, and was told that the keratin layer from my brazilian blowout treatment would seal my hair cuticles and make it hard for other chemicals to penetrate. Which could be why I didn't see a marked difference after a month of using these two products.

Also, eczema runs in my family and I may have scalp psoriasis and not dandruff. I guess the SHA line may be more suitable for those with mild cases of dandruff and itchy scalp.

Will I be purchasing the shampoo and treatment again after finishing my current bottles? Probably not. Although the treatment does leave my hair feeling smoother than it normally is, the shampoo and treatment's purported effects of moisturising scalp, suppressing dandruff and reducing itchiness did not apply to me. I also don't quite know how to appreciate the treatment's nutty smell.

SHA Base Care Shampoo & Treatment

Pros:

• A little bit of product goes a long way
• Shampoo foams up very quickly (for those who love lather!)
• Treatment leaves hair soft and smooth
• A tiny bit of treatment can be left in hair for a more lasting effect throughout the day

Cons:

• A little pricey ($65 a bottle)
• Treatment has a somewhat nutty, artificial smell
• Purported effects don't seem to be obvious on very badly damaged hair

It may not have worked for me, but that might be because my hair is really too damaged. Or special :P

The SHA Base Care Shampoo and Treatment are used in all of Art-Noise's hair services. If you're curious about the SHA line and would like to give it a try, consider popping by the salon to give any of their treatments a go and decide for yourself! The SHA line can also be purchased directly from the salon (though they don't always have them in stock, so do check!).