Long Hair I Do Care 2

Gorgeous hair is the best revenge - Ivana Trump

I refused to step foot into a another Japanese beauty salon after my dreadful experience in this post. I decided I would wait until my visit home in August for some "hairapy." The problem was that my hair faded, my roots grew in about 4 - 5 inches, and my ends split. I looked like a walking disaster, and it took the strength of Jesus Cristo for me to not to shave my head a la 2007 Britney Spears.

The day after I landed in Miami, I saw my beautician and she worked wonders with my hair. I kept my natural ash blond roots, but she changed my warm blond ombre to match my new cool blond look. Now I would no longer need to dye my hair while in Japan, but she suggested that I at least cut it.

Fast forward to four months later during recess when my 5th grade student told me that my hair looked bosa bosa or "unkempt."

Japanese kids are brutally honest and so when a student told me that my hair looked bosa bosa, I left work and drove straight to a nearby and well-known salon. Luckily, there was an opening and the owner asked me to sit in a swivel chair so that she could check my matted hair. I asked for a trim, and she followed up with basic questions about my part and layers. After a short discussion she went to work on my hair.

My dry hair. 

She literally cut my hair while it was still dry. 

She also cut my hair dry while it was parted to the side.

I was so confused.

I waited it out, and I was eventually asked to move to the washing station. There, I received the hair wash and neck massage of my life. It felt great, but I was still a bit worried about my hair cut. Afterwards, I was placed back in the chair where two assistances finger dried my hair into a Hagrid-like state. Once it was 90% dry, they introduced round hair brushes and continued to dry. I waited for the flat irons or curling irons, but they never came. The owner cut my hair a little more and asked if I wanted to balance/thin the right side of my hair. No thank you!

This is my "I don't know what the f*&$ is going on"  face

The verdict

Although I was unhappy with the procedure or the lack of styling, the cut looked amazing. My now thick and healthy ends naturally curled inward - including the back! Unfortunately, my hair was 4 inches shorter (thanks a lot imperial-system Obama!), but it was healthy and free of split ends. Now that I know what to expect, this may be the last rant/post about beauty salons in Japan.

Do anyone have Japanese beauty salon blunders that they would like to share?

Long Hair I Do Care

It's no surprise to those who know me that my hair is a very big deal. Growing up, I've had both short and long hair, and I've even donated my hair to Locks of Love. In 11th grade, I grew my hair long, and it's been that way ever since. After high school, I began to dye my hair starting with simple highlights and going extreme with half blonde/half black hair (not ombre). Afterwards, I settled for the brunette look and after I got tired with that, I tried ombre. I have a very serious love/LOVE relationship with my hair, and I put complete faith in my hairstylist who has been doing my hair since 6th grade. Since 6th grade, people! My hairstylist, Margarita, knows my hair and knows how to dye it. If I show her a picture of a hair color or style, she will give me that exact same color and style. She never disappoints! Every time I've gone dark to light or visa versa, she makes it into a process so that the color is rich. In Miami, I've had hairstylist friends of friends who try to solicit their services, and I always tell them that I'm happy with my hairstylist and changing would be like cheating on her. Sorry, but NOT sorry.

Before I left to Japan, she dyed my hair once again, but this time changed the color subtly so that when it grows out, it would match with my natural hair color, which sits between a ashy and dirty blonde.  My hair grows like bamboo so after a few months, I needed to get my hair done again. This is an issue in Japan since most hairstylists here are not familiar with foreign hair. I don't mean to be a jerk; Asian hair, black hair, caucasian hair differ in color and texture. There is one girl here who wanted her light brown hair dyed darker. Her hairstylist BLEACHED her hair blonde, and then dyed it dark. They didn't know how to do work with hair that is not black. Therefore, with reluctance, I asked a close teacher/friend where I could get my hair done. She made an appointment for me at her salon in Chatan, which is known for having a a stronger foreign/military presence. 

We drove together to Chatan and I showed a picture of what I wanted. Essentially, I wanted a ombre with more contrast. In Okinawa, my sun lightened my hair and my roots came in, so I wanted to be a little "milk chocolate" on the top and have it fade to my golden blonde at the bottom. So with my broken Japanese, and my friend translating as well, the hairstylist set to work. Two gorgeous Japanese men worked on my hair and they brushed the dye into my hair. They told me that they were experts in gratiation (Japanese for ombre) and I relaxed a little. After they finished the top, they changed dyes and proceeded with the bottom portion of my hair. 

After the dye set, they moved me to wash it out. At first, handsome guy #2 (who I think was the assistant, or hairstylist in training) washed my hair, but he switched with another lady because they were so busy. I was kind of bummed, because it felt like I was getting a massage. The lady wasn't so great and for a while she washed the ends. Actually, I think she washed the ends, I couldn't tell what the hell she was doing back there because I couldn't feel it. When I sat back down at the station with wet hair, I began to panic because my hair looked extremely dark. 

Another women came to blow dry my hair. This is when my stress levels rose because she finger dried my hair. I looked around and noticed that it was the standard procedure. However, my hair is wavy/curly so as she dried it, it turned into a puffy mess. I was also upset, because everyone complimented my hair saying that I had a natural perm and how pretty it looked. I wanted to ring their necks. I looked like Hagrid and I refuse to walk out looking like that. As I sat in my Hagrid hair, I noticed that the blond portion of my hair looked like an ashy blonde, almost white or grey. I wanted the Earth to swallow me. Gorgeous guys came back an styled my hair. They reassured me that it would lighten. I knew that, but it was absolutely nothing like the color I wanted. Luckily, it was not expensive and I left for home with the intent to wash my hair 3 or 10 times to lighten it.

I'm not leaving here looking like this!

After I used the all of the shampoo I had, I successfully lightened my hair, and I even got the grey blonde to revert back to the golden blonde. I am happy with it now, because it's great winter hair, but I wish I hadn't gone through all of that stress. 

My hair before
(Red eye reduction -___-)

Assessing the damage
(Nice styling though!)

After 3 or 10 washes
(My own curls)