Coming back from seven months in Europe without a regular hairdresser and heading straight to Jean Yip barely a day after touchdown has become something of a quip between my friends and I. On one hand, I want silky smooth hair, on the other, I enjoy being various shades of blonde. The compromise is always an inordinate amount of time and attention focused on keeping my locks healthy, and you can do this several ways:
1. Regular trimming
I hate having to take a blade to my hair but this is one of those sad truths of life you get increasingly reconciled to as you get older. The way to grow your hair out healthily is paradoxically to regularly trim it to get rid of split ends – something very common if you bleach your hair like I do.
2. Proper home haircare
I’ll write a post on this soon, but right now the baseline is that it’s crucial that you treat your hair right from the day to day. My hair is bleached silly, so I condition my hair everyday, use a hair mask once a week, and apply an anti-frizz solution when I get out of the bath. (I’m using the O&M Frizzy Logic Shine Serum, for those of you asking, because sustainable living you guys.) I told you I’m very thorough with my hair. I also use my tangle teezer over my normal brushes because I feel like it works through the tangles more easily and puts less pressure on my scalp. One other thing that my hairdresser stresses on that I always try to remember is to lather my shampoo before applying it onto my scalp, because otherwise it might damage your hair or cause dandruff. In any case, I’ll consolidate all this into a separate post soon, because there’s way too much to talk about here.
3. Regular hair treatments
With my personal stylist, David, who also did Wolverine’s hair once.
I’ve been also going for regular hair treatments with Jean Yip, which basically intensifies all the home haircare steps I’ve mentioned above. The first thing you should know about hair treatments is – it’s not permanent. Ie. You can’t just go for one and expect it to magically make your hair smooth and healthy forever. You have to either follow up with intensive home haircare, or go for treatments regularly. I know that if you’re not working yet it can be pricey, so I suggest you evaluate your finances before deciding to embark on a long term treatment plan with a salon.
The second thing you should know is, it works differently for everyone. For example, someone with less damaged hair might see drastic results after each session, but for someone like me who’s been bleaching her hair for over a year now, it’s more like a long term recovery plan. What i’m currently doing with Jean Yip is their signature treatment called the Super Silk because the name inspires so much confidence, heh heh. They customized the Super Silk treatment for me according to what I need, so everyone’s experience may not be exactly the same, but here’s what I do:
Cleaning.
They use an electrical probe thingy to cleanse my scalp of all impurities for scalp health and also because if your hair follicles are blocked, it affects hair growth. It’s something like using a detoxing shampoo every week, the only difference being this is more intense. Sometimes at home you dont scrub thoroughly enough, or you accidentally neglect certain areas, but with this you hit every single spot. The only downside is you can’t use your touchscreen phone during this treatment because the electricity drives your phone mad. The first time I did this treatment while texting I went crazy trying to figure out why my phone was texting everyone strange letters and emojis. It was like a very sober and healthy version of drunk texting.
Treatment.
After this, they apply their custom blend of treatment products to your hair and leaves it in this huge balloon thing that inflates and steams your hair. Jean Yip produces all their own hair products, so you cant get it anywhere else! I also don’t have / wont post a picture of that hair balloon thing because I look ridiculous in it. If you want to know what it looks like you can pop your head into any salon, there are always a bunch of people doing it. The rationale for it is that the hot hair opens up your hair and increases the absorption of the treatment product, which is very similar to what I used to do in poolside saunas – apply hair oil to your hair and slowly cook yourself silly in a sauna – minus the whole getting messy and sweaty while waiting for your hair to smoothen out.
Beaming alien rays into my head.
Ok, just kidding. I was really amused when they made me wear sunglasses to protect my eyes, but this light treatment is supposed to be able to penetrate your skin more easily and therefore have its effects felt more deeply. Check out how shiny my hair is afterwards:
In any case, it’s a journey. I wouldnt say my hair is perfectly smooth now, but it’s getting smoother and there’s a marked difference from when I’d just touched down from Europe back in Singapore. My ultimate goal is hitting hair commercial level one day in the distant future, where they pull your hair through a ring and it silkily slips down your shoulder in waves, so I’ll be writing a post soon on proper haircare at home!
Meanwhile if you have any tips on how you keep your own hair healthy, hit me up in the comments or on ask.fm so I can take them into consideration while writing my next post! 🙂
PS. Jean Yip Singapore has rolled out a bunch of discounts exclusively for my readers, so if any of you are keen on getting your hair did, you can:
Enjoy a hair makeover with Cut & Color at Jean Yip Plaza Singapura for $68 when you quote “jemmawei”!
Terms & Conditions
– Available only at Plaza Singapura Branch
– This promotion is not valid on Saturday, Sunday, Public Holidays and Eve of Public Holidays.
x
♥jem