The solution to my singapore frizz situation.

Before (photo on left) and after (photo of right) my straightening
treatment at Trimmings. No hair cut or color was done!

I have never actually wanted to race home to write about something, more than I have after my hair appointment at Trimmings today! After almost a year of living in Singapore, I have tried just about everything to keep my frizzy mane under control. On an average day in Singapore, it's around 90-degrees outside with 80-percent humidity, and my hair just can't handle it. About 98-percent of the time, I wear my hair up in what one of my friends calls a "pineapple hair" style. On the rare occasion that I even try to wear my hair down, it ends up in a ponytail after 15 minutes. When I thought I had officially lost my battle with Singapore's heat and humidity, a wonderful Asian woman let me in on a little secret!

Did you know that many Asian women's hair isn't naturally straight? Their beautiful, dark, stick-straight locks have a little help from something known as "rebonding". It's a process that leaves hair completely straight for half a year. Alright... where do I sign up?!

After doing a lot of research, and talking to other people who have done this type of hair-straightening, I made an appointment with Christian at Trimmings at Robertson Walk in Singapore. Once he did a consultation with me, Christian decided that the Mucota Dyna Argan Oil Straightening Treatment would be best for my hair type. He told me that the treatment would tame down my frizz and protect my hair at the same time. He also said my hair would be straight, even when I air dry it, AND it will stay straight in the Singapore humidity. While I was very skeptical (my hair is very challenging), I let Christian and his team work their magic. They washed my hair, applied a treatment, washed it again, blow dried, straightened with an iron, applied another treatment, washed it again, and gave it one final blow dry. It was quite the process!

It was a long treatment... about three hours.

After walking around outside in the sun for a half hour. Still straight!

Three hours later (the most time I think I've ever spent in a salon), I was SHOCKED! After simply blow-drying my hair WITHOUT a round-brush or straightener, my hair was incredibly straight, shiny, and SO healthy-looking. It was nothing short of a miracle;) Christian told me this amazing-ness would last anywhere from four to seven months. Alright, I'm incredibly impressed. But how will my naturally wavy, frizzy, BIG hair, hold up in the jungle-like tropics of Singapore?! Well, after over an hour of me walking around outside in the sun this afternoon, my hair looked exactly like it did when I left the salon... not a frizz or curl in sight! I'm still in shock.

How I typically wear my hair in sunny Singapore.
Bye bye "pineapple hair"!

The big test will come after 24 hours, when I can actually wash my hair and see how it air dries. My hair smells like a perm treatment at the moment. While this treatment is not cheap (around S$300), if it lasts as long as Christian says it will, I think it's definitely worth the money. And I think my husband will appreciate having a wife who doesn't look like the brunette version of "trailer trash" Britney Spears;) Here's to ladies being able to wear their hair down in Singapore... and feel good about doing it! Thank you Christian and the rest of the staff at Trimmings. See you again in 6-7 months!


Trimmings at Robertson Walk
11 Unity Street #02-17, Singapore
+65 6737 8512
enquiries@trimmings.com.sg


HAIR UPDATE (after a wash - 24 hours later):

(Photo of the left is me getting out of the shower, 24 hours after the treatment. Photo on the right is of me outside by the pool with my hair completely air-dried. No styling-tools were used, except a comb to brush through my wet hair. My hair is still a little "perm" smelling, but I am truly shocked!)

HAIR UPDATE (4+ months after treatment):

Photo of me and my daughter taken today - January 30th, 2014. I washed
my hair last night, and even had it in a ponytail this morning. Just brushed it out and ta-dah!

I promised an update after a few months, so here it is! It's been more than four months since I had my treatment done, and other than some hairs at the nape of my neck starting to curl, my hair is still straight. I've had four months of simply "wash and go"! I haven't had to straighten my hair, I actually stopped using my sulfur-free shampoo from the salon (I ran out a month ago), and I haven't experienced any awkward frizzy/curly regrowth. I haven't even cut or trimmed my hair since the treatment, but I think it's about time I do so because my ends are looking wicked. I'm hoping I can last another two months without another treatment, and the way things are going, I just might be able to wait! Very happy with the lasting results.

*** UPDATE (March 17th, 2014)***

Just found out that Christian (the stylist who did my first straightening treatment) is no longer working at Trimmings:( So, this weekend I made an appointment with Marcus for a second Mucota Dyna Argan Oil Straightening Treatment (my first treatment lasted almost 6 months), and a hair cut with Adrich (I haven't had a hair cut in about 8 months) at the Trimmings at Loewen Gardens. I am once again so pleased with my results! I loved going to the Lowen Gardens location (it's right next to The Pantry and White Lodge), because it's walking distance from Dempsey Hill. I got some of my grocery shopping done in Dempsey after my appointment at Trimmings, and had a glorious, kid-free afternoon. Can't wait to go back in 6 months!