I have always had straight hair. It used to be really straight and then the humidity caught up with me until it became frizzy and limp. I have thin hair so I can’t get a rebond. I toyed with a hair-straightener for about a year because my housemate with the same type of hair coaxed me into it, but like always, I got lazy. I never really took time to brush or do anything special to my hair except the usual conditioning or treatment.
Then a friend of mind got a digi-perm, and suddenly more girls are. This Korean craze has been quite popular here for some time now but I’ve never really been the girly girl so I really didn’t put much thought into it.
Until late last year when I suddenly realized how boring my hair was and I just wanted to try something new. I first asked about it when I got my highlights done by Alex Carbonell. He advised me to wait until my hair’s 3 inches longer to do it. I was willing to wait til it grew out this July but then I went to a Fix Lab outlet at the Trinoma and Chad, the stylist, suggested that I get a digi perm to add volume. And so I did (it didn’t take a lot of convincing). The hubby sat with me all of three hours (bless him) while he got a manicure and foot spa.
To be frank, I was slightly concerned about how it would turn out because they said they were going to make the curls a little “tight” so the perm lasts longer. I imagined kinky hair. It actually turned out ok. Below is how it looks like now, exactly 7 days after I got it done.
My hair is extra soft and the curls get looser as time passes. Chad gave me tips on how to care for the curls and I got a bottle of the Kerastase Curl Definition Cream for Php 1,500 from Fix Lab. The perm itself is Php 4,000 (I was told that the price is actually Php 5,500 for my hair’s length so I was getting a discount).
I wasn’t sure about the shampoo and conditioner so I was really grateful to have stumbled upon this post by the Sunset Goddess. She swears by the Kerastase, and suggested the Clairol shampoo and conditioner. I had their blue moisturizing shampoo but I had to go out and buy the conditioner, as well as the pair for curly hair. I bought the shampoos from Rustan’s Supermarket at Powerplant and found that the conditioner for curly hair IS hard to find. Well, not too hard. I found it a couple of floors up at PCX.
I use shampoo and conditioner everyday now (I used to shampoo only every other day, but condition every day), alternating between the moisturizing set and the ones for the curls. Then I gently wrap my hair in a towel and squeeze the water out to dry, making sure not to rub vigorously. I then pat the curls with some of the Kerastase cream. I never comb my hair. I just run my fingers through my hair as I condition to get rid of the tangles, but never used a comb. I miss that sometimes. However, I find that I like the curls better when sections are clumped together instead of the strands all separated. I don’t want a big ass 80s-style hair. I like the Kerastase for its citrusy smell but not overpowering, and it also does not weigh the hair down like most creams do so my hair is just light and bouncy.
I was told that the curls may last up to a year depending on how you care for it, but a conservative estimate for me would be 6 months which isn’t so bad.
I really like how it turned out! My hair’s got instant volume without me styling it, and it’s soft too. All I have to do is wash it and make sure it’s moisturized. I also do the home treatments once a week, just a packet of the L’Oreal treatment is fine.
