My Digipermed Hair 4th month Update

After having my Digiperm last October, 2015, my hair grows longer that I had to cut it 2 months later to eliminate the damage.  As time passes by, my curls become looser and looks more natural, it’s less twisted but I love it more because it’s easier to maintain & looks better every day.  So here is a 4-month update of my digipermed hair.

This is what my perm looks like on the 2^nd day.  After having my digiperm, I immediately washed it the following day because I don’t like the feeling when my scalp feels oily & hair becomes greasy.  I washed it using lukewarm water and a conditioner (no shampoo!).  I used shampoo on the 3^rd day.  I air dry my hair then do the twist and scrunch technique & didn’t put any hair product on it.

After 1 week, it already looks like this; curls are tighter & more twisted.  It’s beautiful! My officemates often tease me of having a hair like goldilocks because of my hair color & totally twisted hair.  I asked Mr. Shin of Beauty Brick Hair Studio if I could already tie my hair up and he said it’s already okay.  

After 2 weeks, curls become looser and I already discovered the art of drying my hair to achieve different looks, volume and size of curls that I want.  In this photo below, I wanted a looser messy kind of curl so what I did was after air drying my hair, I just comb it using wide stainless steel toothed comb.

1 month after my digiperm, my hair is easier to manage and style.  In this photo below, I wanted a natural wave so I blow dried my hair using a diffuser, then put Loreal Total Repair 5 Multi-Restorative Dry Oil as a finishing touch.

This is how my perm looks like after 2 months, I normally dry it using a fan & combed it with wide-toothed rubber comb.

After 3 months, it becomes larger and looser. Some curls started to straightened a little bit but I love it even more because I really wanted my curls to look more natural.  Here, I just air dry my hair & didn’t put any product on it.

Here is the present look of my perms (4 months after).  I still do the twist & scrunch technique.  My hair now is a mix of twisted and wavy hair.

You can style your digipermed hair in different ways depending on your mood.  Though permed hair is harder to maintain, it’s still fun to have them because you can style them on whatever you want and achieve different volume and size of curls.  I’m planning to have my hair retouched/digipermed again after 6 months.  So for all the girls who want to have digipermed hair, just go for it! Don’t be afraid to try different style on your hair! Have fun!

Aftercare Guide of Digipermed Hair

I blogged earlier about my first digiperm experience last October, 2014, I know that just like myself, most of the ladies out there who have digipermed hair also do their research on the aftercare guide.  So the question is: Is there really a universal routine for digipermed hair that is applicable for all hair types?

What I've learned from my experience is that, there are different ways of taking care of your digipermed hair.  It doesn't mean that when a certain routine is effective to your hair it would automatically have the same effect on mine.  Some ladies don’t comb it as this causes more frizz to them; some comb it while hair is wet only, some when dry and others don’t comb at all.  So you see in the process of trying different routine, you have to discover what works best for you.

The traditional way of taking care of the digipermed hair:

1.) Never comb!  > Some only combs hair when wet using a wide toothed comb or fingers.

2.) Twist & Scrunch! > This technique is taught to me by Mr. Shin of Beauty Brick Salon.  First you set your hair in partitions; if you want larger curls part your hair into two section, for medium curls make it four, then twist each portion on an outward direction using your pointy finger.  After all the sections were twisted scrunch each of them on an upward direction.

3.) Tap Towel-Air Dry > After shower gently squeeze wet hair using your hands then get a soft towel or your clean cotton shirt would do, blot and squeeze your hair using the towel.   Let your hair air dry.

My way of taking care of my digipermed hair:

1.) Always Comb! > I always comb my hair first when it’s wet, damp and dry.  I use a wide toothed comb (Goody wide-toothed rubber comb) when wet, round brush (Vidal Sassoon Ionic Round Brush) when damp, and wide stainless-steel toothed comb (Hairdoctor) when dry.  I comb because I hate tangles as it prevents me from styling my hair properly.

2.) Twist & Scrunch! > This technique is widely used by ladies with digipermed hair. I do as what Mr. Shin told me which I've stated earlier (please refer to traditional way step 2 of my blog).

3.) Air Dry, Electric Fan, Towel-Dry or Blow Dry to achieve different volume.

Air Dry> I do this whenever I’m at home and nowhere to go. After shower, I simply squeeze excess water using my hand and wrap small towel in my head.  Then comb my hair once using a wide toothed comb. Twist & Scrunch just once and leave it to dry.  This leaves my curls soft but flat.

Electric Fan> when I’m in a rush especially when I’m heading to work I use electric fan as a medium of drying my hair.  After shower I wrapped my hair in towel and place myself under the fan for 5 minutes then I remove the towel and gently squeeze my wet hair and comb it, twist & scrunch in front of the electric fan.  This gives my hair a little volume and looser curls.

Towel Dry> I do this when I got plenty of time on my hand.  After shower I wrapped my hair with a small towel and leave it that way for 20-30 minutes leaving my hair slightly damp and then I removed the towel and set my hair in two partitions then twist & scrunch until completely dry.  This gives my hair a little volume and tighter curls.

Blow Dry> I do this on special occasions when I want to achieve a voluminous hair and more refined/larger curls.  I use Babyliss Ioniceramic Hair Dryer as it comes with a diffuser perfect for curly hair.  After shower, I wrapped my hair in a small towel then comb it until damp, put a heat protect cream and blow dry it with a diffuser.

4.) Use Different Hair Products suitable for Digipermed Hair > This is really a trial and error process for me, as some products have great effect and some are just waste of money.  Here under are the products I've tried and have great effect on my curls.

-Monea Curl Defining Milk Lotion > I used this at home to keep my curls.  It costs 99.00php, which is very cheap for everyday use.  You can buy this at Watsons, SM department store and Landmark.

-Kerastase Nutritive Crème Oleo Curl > this provides suppleness and definition to my curly hair. I use this product as heat protectant, whenever I blow dry my hair.  I bought this from Bench Fix Lab in Makati at 1,600.00php.  I super love the smell and it works as hair treatment too!

-Suave Captivating Curl Whipped Cream Mousse > this is an alcohol-free mousse, with anti-frizz complex, that helps hold my curls for longer hours.  You can find this at Rustan’s Supermarket at 290.00php.

-Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Shampoo & Conditioner > I find this very hard to find sometimes you can buy this Rustans but most of the time they’re out of stock.  These are my fave picks as it made my curls shiny.  I bought the shampoo at Rustans Powerplant Mall & the conditioner at Dutyfree Clark, Pampanga.  Sorry but I forgot the price.

-Loreal Total Repair 5 Multi-Restorative Dry Oil > I apply this leave-in treatment after drying my hair.  I use it as a finishing touch to eliminate frizz & to have shiny hair.  You can find this at S&R at 395.00php. It's a perfect combo with Kerastase Oleo Curl.

-Loreal Re-Nutrition Hair Mask > I use this once a week to keep my hair from being dry.  You can buy this at SM department store or SM super markets.

Again, these techniques work for my hair best and I cannot guarantee that it will work on your hair too. :)

My First Digiperm Experience :)

I had my first digiperm experience last October 31, 2014 @ Beauty Brick Salon.  I’ve wanted to try it for so long but I was skeptical by the trauma I had with my first cold perm experience in 2009.  You guys might be confused on the difference between a cold perm a.k.a. “normal perm” and a hot perm a.k.a. “digiperm”.  One major difference is in the method of perming, with cold perm it only uses a perming solution while with digiperm it uses perming solution + hot rods.  Another difference is with the texture and shape of the curls, with cold perm, curls are more noticeable when wet and looser when dry while with digiperm, curls are more prominent when hair is dry.

With my cold perm experience, the curls are very small and after drying it, half the length of my hair becomes kinky (I have long hair back then) so I had no choice but to have it cut.  I was really dreaded by the idea of having curls again, but because of the bandwagon about digiperm & after tons of research, I finally decided give it a try but this time with the use of different method of perming and  since I have a little damaged hair due to coloring and styling, digiperm would be best for me.

Anyway, I decided to have it done @ Beauty Brick because of my sister-in-law.  Her hair was beautifully curled by said salon.  It’s not the typical perm; with her it looks more natural & easy to style.  So I asked her where her hair was done & I did some research too and mind you guys, most of the reviews I have read of Beauty Brick were fantastic.

The salon is located in Makati; I find the location really vague even if it’s just located along Jupiter st.  Just be mindful that when you see red ribbon bakeshop, the bldg. where the salon is located is nearly there beside RCBC bank.  My tip for those who are planning to avail of their services: you should call them first to have your schedule because there are plenty of customers even on WEEKDAYS! I had my hair done on Thursday, I went there early @ 10am sharp (opening hours) but to my surprise the salon is already full of customers most of them having digiperm.

On my way to Beauty Brick...

Beauty Brick Hair Art Studio

They assisted me immediately upon my arrival since I've already set my schedule with them day before.  I managed to sit beside a long time customer of beauty brick and she mentioned that her daughter had her first digiperm experience on a well-known Korean salon and it was really a disaster, but after having it done with beauty brick salon her hair was a perfect beach wave.   

The process starts with a shampoo & blow dry after.  While blow-drying my hair, they made me choose on the pictures of digipermed hair in magazine.  I told Mr. Shin (owner of salon) I wanted big curls but he told her assistant/translator (trivia: Mr. Shin is Japanese not Korean) that for first timers it is advisable to have medium curls as it will last longer, estimate of 3-6 months depending on how you maintain/treat your hair, but with my sister-in-law she managed to have her curls for almost a year.

A solution is applied after a Keratin Treatment, leaving it for 10-15 minutes.  Mr. Shin along with her 2 staffs started curling my hair, rolling it into rods, wrapped my hair and placed it under a heating machine.  After 30 minutes or so, they removed the machine and applied neutralizer and leave it again for another 15 minutes.  After washing my hair, they blow dry and set it while giving me instructions on how to dry it.  They instructed me not to wash it for at least 24 hours; only combed it when hair is wet and always use the twist & scrunch technique.  You can ask any question you want with regards to your digipermed hair since all the staffs were very accommodating.

captured by my daughter, summer :)

So after spending almost 3 hours in the salon, Voila! I so loved my soft -medium –curls! Thanks to Mr. Shin & his staff for the great salon experience. 

Next on my blog would be the aftercare guide & my digipermed hair 4-month update, stay tuned! 

BEAUTY BRICK HAIR ART STUDIO:

PACKAGE: 3,500.00php (standard price) includes digiperm, treatment & haircut.

STORE: Unit 103 Doña Consolacion Bldg. 122, Jupiter st., Bel-Air, Makati City, 1209.

Contact: 0917-5200044 / 473-5108

Operating Hours: 10a.m. – 10p.m. daily