Korean Job Discussion Forums

[micechasekittens]

I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but I recently discovered how damaged my hair had gotten and I think it is due to the hard water. See before I came to Korea, I had really thick and healthy hair that tangled but not to the extent that has been happening.

I just got back from the hair salon and found out my hair is really thin and damaged. It was a tangled, stringy, splitting mess that a lot of it was coming out in small clumps from the pre-cut brushing. The hairstylist was telling my friend that she was worried about my hair about how thin, brittle, etc it was.

Like I said earlier, my hair was extremely healthy, thick, and lush when I came here six months ago (I got it styled a week before getting on the plane)

I just bought a bunch of supplies and had expensive damage repair wash done so hopefully that will help.

So basically my question is has anyone else had this happen when they were here? Could it be the hard water or something else? (yes I do take decent care of my hair though I guess not perfect)

[cyui]

Color damage ..FYI; There is a Sally Beauty Supply in Fuokuka.

I am really worried too.

Where did you buy supplies?

[micechasekittens]

I got a Tsubaki hair damage shampoo from Oliveyoung in Samyeon (I live in Busan). I love my new haircut, but I feel like I lost a 1/3 due to the stringy mess. I'm also thinking it is due to the hard water because there was dried shampoo buildup that didn't wash out despite me being a huge fan of showers.

[nero]

Hard water, air pollutants, stress? diet?

I have also read that the ph levels of the shampoos here are different for Asian hair. That could be totally off the ball but something to consider (I'm too lazy to research it).

The same thing happened to me in Thailand. I also have an auto immune disease which causes hair loss, so I know how you feel. The good news? It does grow back. One I was home after Thailand I could see the new growth within a couple of weeks.

[matthews_world]

Tons of threads on this.

Another idea would be to go to a Hi-Mart, LG, Samsung or major electronics mart and get your shower fitted with a hard-water remover if you feel this is the cause and to give peace of mind.

I haven't had this done and wouldn't know the name of the device in Korean so ask around.

[Dazed and Confused]

Possibly the ph is different here than your hometown. Are you British by any chance? I come from an area in the US with notoriously hard water but when in England my hair goes weird. Apparetly England has very soft water except for Bath.

Have you chemically processed your hair since you arrived? Color? perm? straight perm? magic straight? chemical processing will damage your hair and cause all the problems you just described. OR maybe you changed shampoos & conditioners or other hair products since you arrived and your hair has been affected. Try washing your hair less and use a shampoo & conditioner for damaged hair.

[Cerulean]

Hi OP,

I haven't gone through the same thing as you but I do notice a difference in my hair here. I try and wash it less in the winter and use products from back home.

I have this rinse you may be interested in trying.
http://www.paulmitchell.com/PRODUCTS/PAULMITCHELL/SMOOTHING/Pages/SuperSkinnyDailyTreatment.aspx

It puts too much volume and thickness in my hair for my liking. I can pass it on to you by mail for free if you'd like. Maybe an inch gone from the top. 1L bottle. I just can't dump it out so I've been hanging on to it in case someone else wanted to try it.

Also, this site has some brand names from back home. I've noticed it changes its stock though.
http://www.hairmiso.com/

Let me know about the Paul Mitchell.

[cyui]

I suggest you not go to a Korean Hair salon for "Blond processing"..

Yes, there is not equal PH balance for pretty blond hair.