Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Reise-ohne-Ende]

Hey guys!! I have a couple questions:

1. How hard has it been to find a good stylist where you live? And how picky are you? I'm pretty picky with my hair; there's only one lady I've gone to for the past 7 years or so, because she's brilliant and inexpensive. I've been growing my hair out specifically so it will be easier for a new stylist to cut my hair (and also so there's more room for mistakes!)

2. Do any of you dye your hair? What can you tell me about any experiences at the salon? How about home color kits - is there a big selection, like in the States? Where would you get it? And does it work well on Western hair?

3. Right now my hair is black, but I'm phasing it to this color:

http://www.walgreens.com/store/catalog/Hair-Color/Feria-Permanent-Haircolour-Gel/ID=prod9523&navCount=1&navAction=push-product?V=G&ec=frgl_744213&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=sku309523

Do you think that would be acceptable for teaching? Note that my hair is shoulder-length and straight, not crazy like the model's. Also, I've heard Koreans generally prefer blondes; might it be worth going with a ginger, strawberry blonde, or golden blonde, or would that bright auburn be enough to make me stand out?

God that's a lot of questions. Sorry! If you can comment on any of them, or if you'd like to add your own, please do so.

[prideofidaho]

Hey, This is kind of right up my alley!

1. My experience with haircuts have been....satisfactory. I've never been over the moon happy, but the cost of the haircut and relative ease of getting them makes up for any styling issues I might have had. My hair is curly, so that might be why.

2. I've been dyeing my hair at home for the past two years. Everytime I visit home (and this includes the time I initially left home) I picked up some hair dye. I don't buy kits because they're to bulky to bring, so rather I just buy the dye and peroxide seperately and mix it up myself at home. I have never bothered to have my hair dyed at a salon...too expensive for my taste and I don't really trust that the dye is ok for my hair which isn't asian. The peroxide / dye combo would be a bit different for dark asian hair, no?

I've rarely seen a big selection of red hair dye, or dye that isn't suited for Koreans. G.Y.A.

Lastly, the colour you want to dye your hair to is pretty much my colour, and nobody cares what colour my hair is.

I can't find the dye brand I use online, but it's called ice cream. I have a giant bottle of peroxide that I won't be needing, so if you go this route let me know and you can have it.

[Reise-ohne-Ende]

prideofidaho, that's a great idea! Can you buy the peroxide in Korea or do you take that with you too? My only concern is that I like to switch my color up a lot, but I suppose I could bring three or four different colors with me, or order more online if I wanted.

If you have leftover peroxide by February I will definitely take it! What volume do you use? I did 40 + bleaching powder (?) today since my hair started as black but I usually use box kits to do my hair so I don't know what's appropriate for less drastic changes.

[prideofidaho]

I'm not 100% sure what volume it is, but I'll check. I'm going to guess it's either 20 and 30. My hair is dark-ish brown...

I looked and looked and couldn't find any peroxide (for hair dyeing purposes) in Seoul, so I had some brought over when someone came for a visit, but they brought nearly two liters...I'm lazy and always put off dyeing my roots (they don't show as much on curly hair) so I've used maybe an eigth of a bottle...maybe? So year, I should have LOADS left over.

Yeah, bring a few tubes. If your hairdressed is nice maybe she can sell you some? Mine refused, something about a hairdressers code...meh.

[Reise-ohne-Ende]

It's OK, we have a beauty supply store here where you can buy stuff like that. Thanks for all the help!! <3

[moptop]

In namdaemun market there are a few wholesale hairdressing shops. if you need a stronger peroxide, like 40 volume, bring it over. the strongest i have found there is 20 volume. you can also dilute the 40 volume if you need it, which is convenient. if you buy the 20 volume here, it is labeled differently. it says 6% on the front. a little strange at first! a big 2 liter bottle is only 6,000 won. if you buy a decent color here, the peroxide (small size) is included free. i use it for my hair and it works just fine. if you are going lighter, you need a stronger peroxide. when i first got here and had my hair bleached at the salon, it woulod always come out peach colored as the peroxide was not strong enough. i would advise against that anyway as upkeep of blonde hair here is a pain in the arse, and sketchy at best to find a good stylist to do it.

i like a really coppery red, and i bring that one with me from the beauty supply shop back home (my mom's a hairdresser, thank gawd!). regular shades of brown and black are no problem here, and cost about 3-4,000 won each. i use a mix of a #5 and a #6.5 light red copper and it gives a nice auburn color, but not as bright as your picture. don't bring it if you don't have to!!!!!

PM me if you would like directions...

p.s. getting a good haircut here is almost impossible if you are a girl, (and i have curly hair), but you can find good ones in surprising places. i'm out on the east coast and i just had the cut of my life from a dinky little place that all of the foreigners in town go to. i've tried several stylists from the same shop with so-so results, but this chick just blew me away!!! go figure...it's worth travelling hours if you can find a good one!!!!

[ChaBaa]

I died my hair from brown to blonde (bright blonde!) when I was here a few years ago, and everyone at my school and on the streets seemed to like it I can't remember where I bought the peroxide but I'll keep a note of this thread for when I'm going to do it again in Januaryish. As an extra q. could anyone recommend a hairdresser who can cut a good short Ladies style? I'm down near busan...but had so many disasterous cuts last time, I'd be willing to tie in a trim with a visit to the Big City!
thanks

[Dazed and Confused]

[quote="prideofidaho"]Hey, This is kind of right up my alley!


2. I've been dyeing my hair at home for the past two years. Everytime I visit home (and this includes the time I initially left home) I picked up some hair dye. I don't buy kits because they're to bulky to bring, so rather I just buy the dye and peroxide seperately and mix it up myself at home. [b]I have never bothered to have my hair dyed at a salon[/b]...too expensive for my taste and [b]I don't really trust that the dye is ok for my hair which isn't asian. The peroxide / dye combo would be a bit different for dark asian hair, no?[/b]
I've rarely seen a big selection of red hair dye, or dye that isn't suited for Koreans. G.Y.A.

quote]

I've had my Cosmetology Lic. since 1990. I can tell you that there is no difference in hair dye here and what your buying at Wal-mart back home. Overall it tends to be of lower quality than the better professional products on the market. The choice of color and peroxide is based on a) current color, b) current state of hair regarding pervious chemical treatments (if any) and c) hair condition-brittle, fine, etc... An experienced colorist would be able to address any of these issues. As far as I can tell Koreans colorists don't have alot of experience going from dark shades to pale blond-think Madonna since most Koreans aren't prone to bleach and dye so drastically. However, I've got, or at least used to have, dark hair and I would bleach and color regularly here. I didn't have any problems but I did bring my own product from the US since I wanted a specific color made by Redken which wasn't available in Korea at the time.

[hwarangi]

If you're going to go blonde/ or you colour your hair blonde I'd recommend bringing toner (purple rinse). I havent seen it here. Even at hairdressing wholesale shops.

[Reise-ohne-Ende]

hwarangi, that's more if you want to get rid of any underlying brassy tones, right? I actually can have completely orange hair (it is right now, since I just bleached it) and look good, so I'm not too worried about that. My bigger fear would be to have too cool of tones. I have pale olive skin and cool tones make me look like a zombie.

Thank you all for the advice! Also FYI, I'll be living in Busan, so if anyone has specific hairdressers or stores to recommend in that area, I'd appreciate it.

Oh and I feel for you curly-haired girls! Luckily mine is like pin straight, so at least they'll be familiar with the texture. Only problem is that it doesn't curl, even with hot irons and loads of hairspray. But yeah. Also, my hair is pretty fine, which is different from Asian hair I guess?

[just4u]

They know their stuff when it comes to beauty services. I lived in a very small Korean VILLAGE once, and my hair is very different than theirs, but the lady knew how to do some highlights. I was impressed.
Red hair dye? Never seen over there. Yes, they have beauty supply stores (sorry if this has already been addressed as I couldn't be arsed to read the whole thread...laziness on my part LOL).
I don't want to sound bossy but be careful if you go blonde. You will have to do double process to keep your black hair from turning a red shade that you would not want to have. You also run the risk of damaging the cuticle with such a drastic difference. It is recommended not to go any more than one-two at most-shades different than one's natural color. America's Next Top Model has some very trained stylists doing drastic changes-very trained and expensive-and even they have their mishaps if you watch that show. It's very difficult. Have you ever thought about going dark brown? When I lived in London for a while I did a shade called chocolate cherry. That may work better with your natural black hair.
I've seen your pictures and I'm not trying to crush your dreams or be rude, I'm just saying be careful! Some people can do every color in the rainbow. I was one of those people-and I also got made fun of a lot when I did black because it was many many shades different than my natural color, and didn't look right either.
You will also have to change your entire makeup pallette, clothes...are you ready for this expense? Consulted the boyfriend? Some guys freak. If you are single, you may find that you attract a different type of guy after such a drastic change. You may also find that your grades change at school or you lose one job and get another. It happens. Who knew such a little thing can have such consequences? But it does.
Looks preferred over there? Koreans I bet, and I can't speak for them, but I bet they will love love love your black hair-many Korean women dye their naturally black hair blacker not lighter, at least the ones I knew. I am not sure but I think it has scholarly/serious implications. Maybe that's why. I'm just guessing, here. They love pale skin. If you are trying to fit in-and it sounds like you are-I would keep the black, or if you do dye it, go with dark brown. Red might be a little much, too different, and even blonde is a little bit shocking to many (just because it's so different...how would you feel if you saw someone with say, purple hair or a tat, and had never seen this before?) I would go with black hair/pale skin or dark brown hair/pale skin (no tanning, pale makeup). Black gray and white clothes. Think gothica. At least if you're in Seoul. Or NYC. There you go. High heels and never wear tank tops or shorts or flip flops. I saw a lot of high necked blouses, short skirts are okay and even expected in some jobs if the women are fashionable, hose, and heels. Straight hair with bangs would be good. Not so popular here anymore but they like "small faces" and bangs lend themselves to that. Straight hair. Curly hair has older woman connotations aka the "adjuma perm." (And NO I'm not picking on anybody or making fun of them! I am telling this girl what Korean people may like.)
Smoking in public also has negative connotations no matter where you are from, because of the history of women who did this. Not sure if you smoke but just so you know. Drinking is accepted but smoking not so much for women, Western or no.
And I think that's about it. Bring your own bras and shoes.

[Reise-ohne-Ende]

Haha, just4u, thank you for the advice!! Actually, my hair is not naturally black, but rather light brown. Well, at least I think it is. I haven't seen my natural hair color in 7 years. Since then I've had everything from platinum blonde to jet black, dark blue/black, chocolate brown, creamsicle, auburn, true red, and ginger.

I actually already bleached my hair and redyed it that cardinal color. It looks really good! But my ends are fried. I'll deep condition it for a while and it should go back to normal. My hair is very tolerant.

On a side note, I love ANTM. They do suck at bleaching girls' hair though. I think it's partly just because mine is so flexible that I can lighten it so quickly.

Any guy that dated me would have to be cool with my hair and clothing style changing frequently. Luckily, I know my good colors, and they don't really change depending on my hair...since I have olive skin, I *have* to do coral/copper makeup or I look like a zombie. It's true that your hair color affects how people perceive you, though. People are much friendlier and more chivalrous when I'm blonde. I get a lot more interest from guys when my hair is red. And people take me more seriously when it's black. As a general rule, anyway. I've just had variations on black for about eight months now and I needed a change in a big way!

Thank you for the fashion advice! I love that style (the victorian/gothic kind of look) but I can't really pull off short skirts...only when I'm clubbing or at a party, really; my proportions just make it too revealing. And nobody can keep me from my tank tops and flip-flops. Not at work, of course. It will be all blouses, fitted pants, and knee-length skirts at work. But outside of that I'm gonna have to be me or I wouldn't last very long.

I'll post a pic for you guys of my new hair once I get my camera back from my friend! If anyone has advice on how to speed up the recovery process on my ends, I'd appreciate it. They're not horrible (much better than some people even have naturally) but they're definitely frizzier than usual - usually dying my hair makes it even softer and shinier

[Illysook]

I'm a bottle-blonde who is a third of the way grey and I went to the salon while in Korea with acceptable results, but if I were to go back, I'd be tempted to pack a year's supply of hair dye. It doesn't cost a lot or take a lot of space in your luggage and when it comes time to dye your hair, it's a lot more convenient.

I would get my hair done every six to eight weeks. Usually, I would travel to Itaewon to get it done. The guy at The Green Turtle is really nice, but after awhile I realized that he was making me far too blonde and that it was damaging the heck out of my hair. I went to Juno hair and got good results, but she had to cut several inches off and it took a realllly looong time. This was typical of Korean hair salons. What takes 60-90 minutes in the US, takes all afternoon in a Korean hair salon and this is partly because they tend to leave the developer on too long, which leads to hair being a little too blonde and much too dried out, but also because they really do take their time and make you look great as you walk out of the salon. Unfortunately, as soon as you wash it, you realize that you are in fact, a bit of a mess.

[prideofidaho]