Accidentally Blonde?

Oh by the way, did I tell you I went blonde last month?

I totally didn't mean to. I wanted to go closer to natural again, cause the past couple of times I've dyed my hair lately it's been *much* darker than I wanted it to be. I asked the hairdresser about it and he looked at my damaged hair (I've dyed it at least 6 times in the past year and had a straight-perm and volume-setting done, so it's MEGA damaged at this point) and said "impossible." Impossible because he'd have to bleach it all to dye it light brown, then my damaged hair would be dead as a door nail. I asked what he suggested and he asked if I'd be ok with highlights. They'd be subtle enough to make my dark hair look light brown again, then they'd be easy to maintain as my light brown hair grows out. Sure, why not!

And then the process began.

I like to document life. Johnny and his awesome team work at Hair & Joy, a great salon in Hongdae, Seoul. They're great with foreign clients! I read several reviews online and decided to give them a try and I'm glad I did. It's much easier to find than I expected, though of course I still got lost (I like to make things more complicated than they are, apparently.) 

Also, I had so much foil in my hair I was getting HBO! (Miss Congeniality quote, anyone?) 

After the setting time, it was time for the wash and rinse and tint. I didn't have my camera when my head was in the sink but THAT IS THE BEST PART AMIRIGHT?? I love the scalp massage part of a good salon visit! And the conditioner smelled so good! 

Then I got this funky moisture treatment with a billowing hood, and my hairdresser told me, "Zara! You look like alien! Take a picture!" So, duh, I was all up on that. 

And then the unveil! There were way more highlights than I expected and it was SO MUCH LIGHTER than I thought it would be! Johnny and his team set to work treating me like a princess with no fewer than 4 people working on my hair to dry, fluff, and straighten it to perfection. 

DRUM ROLL  PLEASE...

...

Here's the BEFORE shot for effect... An unfortunate ombre of light brown roots to dark reddish to dark brown... 

BEFORE 

...

TA-DA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AFTER!!! 

I am Princess! It took me a while to get used to, not gonna lie. I know it's not super blonde, it's a nice sandy dark blonde, but it it felt like I was wearing a wig for about a month. I've never been blonde before and didn't expect to go blonde while I live in Korea. As much as I love attention, there are just some times it's nice to duck out and blend in just a little... 

But now that I'm used to it, I really like it :):) Check "going blonde" off my bucket list! Maybe I'll even keep it for a while!

Haircuts as an expat

I've gotten 5 haircuts since I moved to Korea. They've all been unique experiences, but before I ever got one myself, I'd heard horror stories from girls who got nightmare-level haircuts. Now, there's always the possibility of a bad haircut from a new stylist, even in a familiar country but (like with most things) being a foreigner adds a new dimension. #KikinitinKorea got it right with this meme: you sit down in the salon chair and you pray... Jesus, just let it be not bad.

Because of the horror stories, I didn't get anything done my first 6 months or so. Finally, I couldn't put up with the split ends anymore and I went to get a really cheap trim. You get what you pay for. She didn't even wet it when she went in with her scissors and it was all kinds of frizzy-curly from being in a messy bun all day... Do I even need to say it was uneven? Whatever.

My next haircut was amaaaaaaazing! I went to a salon in Busan that has a great reputation among expats, called The Hair, and left feeling like a bombshell. Check out this review if you want to know more about the magic worked at Choi Young Na's salon. If it weren't so far away, I'd go there all the time!

A few months later, I asked my KBF (Korean best friend) Deborah to take me to her salon in Gwangju. That was a great experience. She translated. There were 3 girls working on my hair at the same time. I sipped tea the whole time. I felt like a princess. Hooray, I had found a reasonably-priced salon that did a good job in my town!

...then I moved. Then I went and got a horrible haircut in English-speaking Guam. I'm better off with the language barrier, I guess! Oh, I hated that haircut so much! 4 good inches gone... a year's worth of progress... horrible. Whatever. It'll grow.

Good news, though! I have a new salon that I'd recommend to anyone in Jeonju. I go to Haru Salon in Jungwhaseon-dong. My friend Naomi does a language exchange with the owner and he always does a great job on her hair, so with that vote of confidence I gave it a try back in May. I intended to get close to my natural light-brown-ish-red for the summer, since all my old color had grown out or faded to various shades of red and brown. I didn't end up with exactly what I expected, but I liked the finished product a lot more!

Before:

After my shampoo and facial treatment:

So the first dye job turned out... orange. Like, Carrot Top orange. Maybe it's cause my hair is lighter than Korean hair, so the difference from natural-to-dyed color was more, uh, drastic.

It wasn't a uniform orange, unfortunately, probably from dye leftovers. The roots were as orange as my dad's used to be, but the length was a darker auburn. I was not having that two-tone orange at all. The ombre trend is one thing, this was another.

My team of hair warriors pondering the problem. 

So we went for round two. I had NO clue what color hair I'd be walking out with, but I trusted that the team wouldn't let me leave looking a mess. They'd come highly recommended, after all.

My team of hair warriors tackling my locks once more. 

I took a sneaky pic of Seok Gon's tool belt. He had a whole slew of scissors and clips and tools at the ready. It was quite impressive.

The tool belt of a professional stylist!

Voila! The finished product!

After it was all said and done, Seok Gon and his team did a beautiful job! Like I said, I like how it turned out MUCH more than my original lighter intention.

In the sunlight, it still picked up a bit of red, but it was a dark dark reddish brown.

Inside, the red stayed hidden in favor of a deep chestnut.

**This haircut and color happened in May. It's not my current color, but thanks for the sweet comments, y'all!**

Y'all, I'm liking dark hair so much these days. Maybe it's living in Korea, where light hair stands out in stark contrast to natural dark Korean hair. Dying my hair lets me blend in just the tiniest bit. Sometimes a little bit of anonymity is nice... especially on *those days* where being a foreigner makes you want to throw things. I can put on long sleeves and sunglasses and it's just a little easier not to be noticed. Plus it just feels sophisticated. I don't know when (or if) it'll be light again. (Mayyybe in my next country.)


And there you have it! Almost feels like I wrote a haircut state of the union.

If you're an expat and you're nervous about haircuts while you live overseas, I recommend talking to friends. Your chances are better if you know someone who's had a good experience somewhere. Do a little research and good luck! 

Oh by the way...

I got my hair done a week or so ago!  What do you think?

In the subway in Busan, right after leaving the salon

I'm pretty much loving it!  I've never had dark hair before and it's really fun!  It got mixed reviews from my students.  Some of them liked it, but some told me to make it light again, cause I looked like a different person.  Direct quote: "Teachah, I like you gold hair bettah."  My co-teachers told me it made me look older (in a good way) and sexier ;)  Yeah yeah yeah!

I sent pics to some of my family, the ones who I figured might be interested, but I didn't send pics to my brothers, cause really?  They're boys.  My seesters-in-law must have showed them, though, and I got feedback from BOTH of them anyway!  It made me feel loved.  Thanks guys!

It is funny, though, that I feel more metropolitan chic and ready for fall with dark hair.  Bring it on, cold weather, let's do this.