Getting Your Hair Done in Korea For Foreigners [Part 2] :: Magic Perm on an Afro

In my last post, I told you guys about a great salon on Korea called Juno Hair with an amazing reputation for dealing with foreign hair, so today as a follow up I’ll be filling you in about the procedure that I actually had done there. It’s a chemical straightening procedure called ‘The Magic Perm’ that I believe originated in Japan, and it’s supposed to be a lot healthier for your hair than a regular relaxer. This post is focused on my experience but for a general overview of the procedure then check out the video too. 

:: My Hair Beforehand ::

To cut a long story short, though I’d had my hair relaxed in the past, I had been natural for just a year after getting ‘the big chop’ last September and shaving off all my hair. In the last year, I hadn’t used any sort of chemical processes or treatments on my hair, no dyes, no bleach, no nothing, so I think it’s fair to say my hair was very healthy but also very course and curly when I went to get my hair done. 

Actually, when I first walked in, the salon artists seemed reluctant and scared to do my hair as it was clear this particular branch had never had a black customer before - I think you’ll find this with most branches that you visit, so you’ll have to be adamant about getting your hair done, as I was. 

After practically begging, we finally agreed to at least give it a shot, though the salon artist was insistent that he thought it wouldn’t work. Nonetheless, he ordered in the stronger chemicals (as he said the formula they usually use is quite weak) and a week later, I was due to get my hair done. 

:: The Procedure I Received ::

Now, if you watched the video I did on this topic, then you’ll already know the standard procedure used on Korean people’s hair (as a lot of Asian people actually have naturally wavy hair) so I’m not going to go over that, instead I’ll tell you the details of the procedure I received. (You might want a cup of coffee for this.) 

After my consultation (in English and Korean) about what I wanted, they explained to me that they estimated I’d need the procedure 6 times to fully straighten my hair, but after some negotiation, I got it down to 3 times (since I couldn’t afford six.) They offered me 3 processes for the price of ₩550,000 (<$515 USD) which sounds a lot at first, but is actually a major discount as the standard single procedure for Koreans cost ₩250,000, so while my wallet was taking a hit, I was also getting a major discount. 

After all the prices had been agreed, they took me over to wash my hair, which I thought was strange since we usually put relaxers on mildly dirty hair. Nonetheless, once my hair was clean, they sat me down and instantly got to work applying the first set of bond-breaking chemicals on my hair. As you can see in (1), even from the initial stages of the process, it was having a much greater outcome than anyone expected. 

When they’d finished that, they took me back to wash my hair (2), applied a free moisture treatment and then repeated the first stage again. This time however, they put me under a heater for 15 minutes to speed up the chemical process, which was nothing short of painful, but for the greater good. After neutralizing and washing my hair again, they gave me another free moisture treatment before dried by hair and began the straightening process - yes, with straighteners (4). 

As you can see, even this early into the process (5), my hair was already as straight as it would be with a relaxer, and I would have been very content going home with this… but no! My two stylists were hell bent on me having hair as straight as a Korean, so they insisted that we continue the process. 

And thus, more chemicals went on to my hair and I went under the heater for another 5 minutes (6). At this point, the pain was intense, my head was burning, I was on the verge of tears, I struggled just to smile in this picture: the struggle, was real. Not only was I essentially have a relaxer-like process done 3 times, but my hair was so clean from all the washes that there was nothing protecting me from all the chemicals either.

Once again they took me out, neutralized and wash my hair for the fourth time, and began the straightening process all over again -  more straighteners, let’s do this… As you can see in (8), at this point my hair was pretty much bone straight if not ever so slightly frizzy, my smile however, had also completely faded - four hours had passed, I was tired, my head was tender. 

Still, my stylists were battling it out trying to decide whether or not to do the process one last time (they were going to give me the 4th free actually, so even more of a discount) but, in too much pain to continue and more than satisfied with how straight my hair is now, I decided to decline. 

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of my pain, we still had to apply the final bond closing chemicals that would seal the new straight DNA into my hair (9), though I didn’t have to go under the drier, it was still painful, but only for a bit longer. 

After washing and neutralizing my hair for the last time, as a sort of ‘apology’ for the pain, I also received a free scalp treatment before they dried my hair and gave me a slight trim around the edges (but no straightening involved this time!) And that was it! My hair felt light (well, non-existent really) and silky smooth when I left the salon; my head was a little sore, but I was happy and I slept comfortably that night too. 

:: The After Effects ::

Now, I’d like to tell you that there were no after effects to this treatment and that is was a wonderful holy grail of hair care… but unfortunately that wouldn’t be true. That said, I doubt the after affects would be enough to put you off either. 

Going from worst to best, the worst thing I can say about the magic perm is that (after having it done 3 times) it takes a toll. My head was really tender when I got home from the salon and after my first wash I got dandruff as the dead skin on my scalp all fell off, that said, after my second wash 3 days later, I was completely fine. Not too bad for the ‘worst’ after effect.

NB: As my hair was really healthy before I went, I did somehow avoid any major heat damage to my actually hair, but I imagine if your hair isn’t healthy, then the after affects would have been a bit worse. 

After that would be that your hair becomes a lot thinner than it is naturally, I actually felt like there was nothing on my head when I left the salon. For me personally, this wasn’t a huge problem since my hair was thin back when I’d had it relaxed, so I knew how to work with it, but for those getting their hair straightened for the first time, it’ll be a change that’s hard to adapt too. That said, after 2 or 3 washes, some of the thickness does come back.

On the other hand, the magic perm also changes your hair texture in a good way: no more ridiculously meticulous haircare routines! Anyone whose had natural hair knows that it is a lot of effort, spending hours on styling, applying oils, stretching, twisting, wrapping, you name it. However absolutely none of that is necessary any more! After the magic perm, I have not /needed/ to put anything in my hair, in fact, there have been days when I’ve washed it, let it air dry and gone out! Even when wet my hair remains bone straight and when it dries its still soft and silky as if I’d put oils in it, and I don’t have to touch it up with the straightener every day either.  

Now we’ve been through the pros and cons of the magic perm, that leads us to the big question: 

:: Magic Perm vs Relaxer ::

The points the magic perm has over the relaxer are that:

• it’s more successful in straightening your hair as it doesn’t gradually get frizzy;
• it’s healthier for your hair;
• it not only makes your hair straight but it changes the texture of your hair (for the better); and 
• it makes your hair more manageable in day to day life too

Whereas on the other hand, the points a relaxer has over the magic perm are: 

• It’s cheap;
• It’s quick; and
• You can do it in the comfort of your own home

I think it should be clear to see that for me, the magic perm was definitely worth time and money that went into it, while the relaxer may be the economic solution, the magic perm is worth the extra for how amazing a condition it leaves your hair in. If I had to do it again, I’d pick the magic perm every single time. 

I hope this post has been informative for anyone interested in getting a magic perm when coming to Korea, I know I had a lot of trouble finding any really information on the process before I arrived so I tried my best to answer all the questions I personally had before. If you have any more questions, then simply leave a comment under this post (or under the video) and I’ll do my best to find you an answer.  

If you’re interested in updates about other procedures I get done (including retouching my roots, getting my hair dyed, and much more) than definitely like our Facebook page so you don’t miss a thing.  

Good luck on your hair journey!