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Saturday, September 28, 2013

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):



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!

25 comments:

  1. Cool! I hope it holds up that long for you. I can sympathize as my hair would be as big as Monica when Friends was in Barbadoes. Did you find out what they used for chemicals? Is it Keratin and does it have formaldehyde? Good luck!

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  2. Haha. I had to laugh when I read your entry. You mean there's no such thing as rebonding in the States?

    You look really good with straight hair! Have you lost weight or it's the hair?

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  3. So pretty! Glad you're not reduced to pineapple hair every day :)

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  4. Not sure if the do rebonding in the US, but I'm looking into it:) Lost a little weight, thx for noticing;) Haven't sported pineapple hair in weeks... Wohoooooo!

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  5. yes there is "rebonding" in the States. It's quite expensive at the salons especially in NYC ($700) . However, if you go to the koreans, or chinese, it's much less expensive - $125-$200. In Boston, I found a korean salon that wanted $200 for my long hair. I've had it done in Atlanta (chinese area) and it was less than $200. It's called Japanese straightening or just hair straightening. I hadn't heard of rebonding until I moved here. Oh, if you are in Australia (Sydney Chinatown) or Hong Kong, it's also done there. Very inexpensive in Hong Kong - I paid $175 once and then again $65. The $65 and the Atlanta jobs were the best ones I had. The one in California was the worse ($125). They burned my hair so badly. I'm ready for another treatment. Mine has lasted perfectly for 6 months, by 1 year, it's still straight with just a bit more body. However, my hair grows very slowly. If your hair grown fast, you'll need to do it more often. I've been doing this since the early 2000s.Thank you so much for posting!!!!! I appreciate the feedback on your hair!

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  6. Hi Melissa. I have been enjoying hair straightening and cuts by Christian since last year. Hair straightening is just a miracle, isn't it?! Yesterday I called Trimmings for an appointment with him and turns out he left the salon :-((( He was there just a couple of weeks ago! And, of course, they are not telling where he's gone. If you find out, could you please post here? Many thanks. Svetlana

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  7. I heard about that Svetlana! I called to make another appointment, but had to book with another stylist at Lowen Gardens next week. I'll fill you in if I find anything out. Hoping this new stylist can work the same magic as Christian did! :)

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  8. Thank you Melissa. Who did you try at Lowen Gardens? I was there just the other day :-) Marcus colored my hair. Not ideal, but not too bad either. Svetlana

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  9. You'll find Christian at 510 Hair, Tripleone Somerset, #01-20 Somerset Rd :)
    Regards,

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  10. Sorry, forgot the number :)
    9179 3510
    Regards, Nina

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  11. Hi Svetlana! Marcus did my hair and I love it. Never had my hair colored by him, or anyone in Singapore. Thx for the info:)

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  12. PS how did you find out where Christian went?

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  13. Looks good on you with straight hair. I hope there is no formaldehyde on this kind of treatment. If it stings (like you can't barely open your eyes at all) while they put the treatment and also smells horrible that they have to put you in a separate room the whole time they are doing the treatment, then it must have strong formaldehyde content. The formaldehyde makes the keratin hold on to the hair for a long time (4-6mos). With less to no formaldehyde content, then it will stay straight just for a month or just like shampoo with keratin, after one wash, it's gone. Be safe ladies!

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  14. Thanks for the info Nina!
    Cheers, Svetlana

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  15. This treatment is 100% formaldehyde free! Just smalls like a perm. Nothing that irritated my nose, skin, or eyes:)

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  16. Hey there,

    Have you done the Mucota Dyna Argan Oil Straightening Treatment already? Was it with Marcus too? How do you like it compared to the first one you were so happy with?

    Prozz

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    1. I did. Really hard to beat my first results with Christian, but Marcus did a great job:) I will be doing this treatment twice a year, as it has made my day to day "beauty" routine SO easy! My hair is straight every day, with no effort on my part. Love this treatment!

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  17. Hi all, thanks for your comments. I''m worried to do Mucota Argan treatment as I don't want to lose my volume, and it looks like hair is quite flattened afterwards (though smooth). What do you advise to straighten my curly hair AND keep some volume ?
    Thanks!

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  19. Awesome! your hair is looking good,
    Your blog is really interesting to all. I love it,keep it up!Thanks :)

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