Hong Kong: Another new hairdo for 2013 by my Japanese hairstylist!

It has been 6 long months since I went back to my Japanese hairstylist Ito san to get my hair fixed.
It's also the first time I will be visiting his new salon since his relocation in Causeway bay!

Between being busy and laziness, my hair has been growing steadily. Hoo Hoo! Just realise I only had been to hair saloon twice in this year! haa haaa...so much for getting ur hair trimmed every 4-6weeks rule)

I was getting quite used to my short straight hair by early July frankly.

By early Oct, I was bunning up my hair again!

Comes, November, I didnt know if I should cut it short again, long and straight as it is, but Ito san suggested a perm for my shoulder length hair. Ok, I have never had my hair permed at that length before and I havent seen many in reality with a nice outcome. Still, I thought what the heck, let's give it a try and if i hate it enough because it didnt suit me, I can always snipped it off.

SO after 3 hours...tadah! Here is my latest autumn hairstyle for the year.
I still havent quite decided if it suits me. Most of the reviews in my FB seemed to indicate positive reception (maybe my friends are just kind? Lol!), except for my cousin who thinks it made me looked more mature and my bro says it's very "Jappy"

This time round, I try to give it a more 360 degree view, back to front and from the sides. Sigh...some angles really are NOT my best angles. Oh well, just using my head to showcase the hairstyle afterall.

How? What do you ladies think?

To be honest, I'm still getting use to it. It's actually a little harder to manage than long hair permed because the curls are harder to twirl into rolls since they are still short. Ito san says I dont have to go back till 4 months later, just to let the hair grow more to make it more gentle wave I suppose. Let's hope my laziness doesnt destroy his good work!

Previous:
Hairstyle 2013, May - Link

Beauty Talk: Aveda Damage Remedy

Before I had my hair sniped off, I thought I would give Aveda Dry Damage Remedy Hair shampoo and conditioner series a try. Just to give my hair some "variety" in treatment since they say product loses its effectiveness if used over prolong period.

Quite frankly, it didnt do squat for my hair. My hair remains dry and not significantly better. When my hair was dry, still plenty of flyaway. The conditioner did detangle during application but I wont say my hair is any softer or more manageable. The scent wasnt all that fantastic either. I had to go back to saloon grade hair mask to save my hair. (Something I bought from Hairdo a long time ago)

The shampoo itself also wasnt very good. Not sure why but it often ends up giving me mild dandruff after a week of use. This despite that I would use a dryer to blow dry my hair by 50% before allowing it to dry naturally for the rest.

For this price and the effect, I honestly wont be tempted to buy it again.

Hair Scalp massage product

For those who had been to AR salon by Ito san, and wanted to know what is the hair product that us used to massage the scalp, I thought I will take a picture for your benefit since I remembered someone asking me about it before. It's by Milbon.

May 2013 Hair updates: I cut my hair!!!

After years and years and years of long hair, I decided to cut it off finally!!!

I brought my mum along as well since she too needed a trim. As she was there and I didnt want to keep her waiting for me to finish the perm, I have only completed "Part One" of the haircut, which is to cut. I will leave the Part Two- perming another time:)

It was quite uncanny that the minute I sat down, and Ito san asked me what I wanted for today, he started laughing when I said cut it short. He said when I entered the salon, the first thought that flashed across his head was also to suggest having me cut my hair!! So he was both happy and surprised when I suggested it. Talk about synchronised thoughts!!! In fact, he suggested just above shoulder length but I told him shorter.

While I was still talking in the middle of my sentence, Ito san took his scissors and chopped it off and showed me my "hair remains" in a bunch in his hand. My first reaction was "You are so fast!" The other staff laughed because he exclaimed "I havent even have the chance to put the towel and cover over you yet!" We all started laughing. It was quite funny thinking about it. Practically no chance to change my mind, not that I will since I wont suggest it otherwise.

So ....Sayonara my lovely long hair...

Though I didnt have time to perm, I still went ahead to have my hair coloured a lighter shade of brown than my previous. So Beedy and Mandy did my colouring as usual.

After the hair treatment, Beedy continued with the scalp massage and patiently taught me  how to blow dry my short hair so that it wont "hew hei" (in cantonese) - meaning curl outwards like omega sign. The trick is to blow it towards my chin.

 After the hair is blown dry, Ito san did another round of check and trimming

The final hair style in Part One stage. Will update again when I finish Part Two stage with the perm.
I am enjoying my short hair tremendously!! It's like weight lifted off my head!

The funniest joke was that I didnt tell anyone I cut my hair and when I attended my brother's wedding, my blur mum didnt even recognise me (I was wearing my shades). She was shocked but she actually liked it very much. My cousins and all complimented on it, saying it made me looked younger...floating. Ok...they are prob being polite...hahaha.

My man said "It feels like I have a new chick" Lol!

Feb 2013: Hair updates @ Ar Salon (Causeway Bay)

It's gonna be Chinese New Year in couple of days and it's time to get my unruly hair snipped again, esp the dry ends. I havent done anything much to my hair except for trimming since I permed it in May 2012.

Today it's time to dye my hair again to cover those nasty white hair bits sticking up at the forefront. It's annoying coz they refuse to stay down and hide quietly amongst the rest!

Ito san recommended a slightly lighter brown than my usual dark brown. Fine by me:) He didnt go for the super light brown (the japanese style) because he knows I will freak out if it's too light, plus he knows I am very lazy to maintain so the dark roots will look pretty "distinctive" since I wont keep going back to dye my hair.  I only head to the salon like every 4 months or more. So Beedy did the coloring for me while Ito did the cut.

Initially I thought I should straighten or re-perm but Ito san said I didnt have to do anything since my curls are still in place. So he will just layer my "bushy" mop to thin down the volume at the back & do treatment. Sounds like a plan. He suggested for me to keep my fringe long so I didnt have short bangs this time.

So here's the photo updates for today!

(Dated: 5th Feb 2013. Last permed: 9th May 2012)

(Dated: 5th Feb 2013. Half Clipped hair version after dinner)

Japanese Hairstylist: Love my New Summer Hairstyle from AR Salon! 夏の髪型が大好き！ありがとう！！

Had my hair permed yesterday@ AR Salon (closed on Mon) (Link to address and contact).
Facebook link (here)
I LOVED it!

Previously, was getting super bored with my long hair now that has flatten out. My hair was in desperate need of loving and attention after the ill-treatment over the last 3 months, esp when I was travelling to Morocco and Portugal. I really didnt gave any sh*t to my hair since I was dead tired every day...

As usual, Ito and Beedy did a wonderful job with my hair! As I told them I will be going swimming regularly this summer, they promised me my new curls wont straighten but I also have to do my part in blow drying my hair after wash (else the water weight for wet hair will pull it straight over time).

The best part is that apart from the Aprou lightweight milk moisture which I had been using, I didnt need any other hair products for the curls. (See what I mean in earlier post about NOT pushy?!!) Talk about fantastic for lazy person like me!!!

As I had finished my shampoo and I mentioned about any recommendation, Ito san gave me a Re:>>> Cool Shampoo sample. He told me to buy it ONLY if I like it. He said it's completely non drying. I havent tried it yet. However, I restock my Aprou Milk Moisture instead. I LOVE this product because it smells heavenly, really did what it promised- softening my hair, and lightweight without weighing down your hair.

Towards the end of my session, took a snap shot of the guys who had a role in making me feel top of the world like a princess:) This session, Ito did the haircut, while Beedy was in charge for the perm and wash.

Beedy recommended to try perming the curls from the eye-level for a change as the trend is heading away from the perm starting from jawline. He showed me quite a few pictures to ease my worries since I really didnt want a puff up curly hair. Beedy assured me it will be soft and natural and his words were as good as gold. The curls were really soft and had that natural wave.

Guys hard at work! (Left: Beedy with a smile, Right: Ito in full concentration)

Alot of my friends like my new curls.
Even the fruit stall Auntie complimented it. She could be just being polite...hahah.

Anycase, here's a shot to show my indulgence in my vanity...lol
I took a shot right after I got back from the salon.

My hair is still nice and curly despite my "abuse" to it for the next 6 hours and after dinner.
Happy!　嬉しかった！！

PS: See my Hair Salon visit @ Feb 2013 before CNY! (Link)

New Salon by Japanese stylist formerly from Hairdo HK

Am sure many HK locals are familiar with the Japanese salon Hair-do (website) in HK. Despite some ups and downs in the initial sessions trying out various stylists, I had finally settled with Ito-san Senior Designer as my hair stylist. The thing about Hairdo salon, they aint cheap (not the most ex either) and you wont be happy if you try to go with someone below the senior level if you are particular about your haircut.

So now after close to 2 years, my stylist had left but fret not. I found out he had started his own salon still in Causeway bay! YippEEE!

One of the reason I like Ito san apart from his friendliness but not overly talkative, is that he is serious about his work, does NOT push any hair products unless you ask him for opinion. Despite reading many people complain about their curls not lasting from Hairdo (with no indication who was their stylist), Ito san did my first curl perming and it lasted over 1.5 year, and this is despite the fact that I abuse my hair alot by not blow drying it nightly as advised, I go swimming regularly, and washing my hair nightly without special shampoo. Even though the curls have significantly lessen over time now, it still has that slightly natural wave. I suppose how long your curls last also is highly dependent on your hair texture and nature, as well as how chemically damaged it is from previous treatments.

When my mum visited me in HK, I brought her to Ito and she LOVED her new haircut. Mind you, my mum is a super fussy not easy to please woman who complains alot about all the hair stylists in her long years of cutting hair. Not that her opinion should influence anyone else but I'm just saying...:)

So for those who are looking for a good Japanese hair stylist, here is Ito's new address, and no, I do not get any benefit or discount personally for recommending him. I just happen to understand the frustration of not finding a good hair stylist that doesnt dent a big hole in your pocket at haircuts starting over $600+ like some big names.

I just went for my haircut 2 days back. His current July 2013 price is ($450) for cut under him and cheaper for junior stylist but I forgot to look at the price. I did a hair treatment too which really soften my hair and it cost HK$600.

The place is definitely not fancy or done up like hairdo without the view, but its clean efficient and pleasant environment. Honestly, which is more important? The material stuff or a good stylist? I definitely love the cozy and more comfortable seating here than the stiff hard chair in Hairdo. Incidentally, I went to hairdo page and notice ALOT of senior stylist had left in this year...makes me wonder what happen but I didnt want to probe.

Meet my galfren today whom I havent seen for 2 months and she thought I had my hair permed or curled again but I told her i didnt, not since my perm 1.5years again. Heaven knows how many inches I have cut away since.This was just the layering cut that Ito san did for me and she loved it. I think this says alot of what good skills can do, creating a new look without having to shelf out hundreds of dollars.. So if this is the sort of look (more Japnese) you fancy, Ito may be the guy for you.

I should hav taken one shot just after he cut and blow dry my hair but I had forgotten being too happy. So instead this is the 3rd day, taken with my iphone after shower without dry blowing look ( without any hair product ).

(Left: Taken 1 year ago, 6 months after perm. ) 

(Right: Taken today, 1 year later with just layering cut. )

Oh! After the end of my session, Ito san even let me pick out a pair of hand made ear rings as a thank you for patronising his new salon. How thoughtful and sweet!

AR salon (Updated Jul 2013)
15/F, Circle Plaza, 499 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.
( 銅鑼灣軒尼詩道499號永光中心15樓全層）
Tel: 22414600 (11am-7.30pm)
I think Monday is restday.

AR Salon Facebook (Here)

Peace out.

PS: Those who are concerned and only speaks Cantonese, Ito san also has another HK stylist Beedy who did my perm recently. See my new summer look 2012! Took this shot yesterday while having my hair done - May 2012 (Link). Pampered like a Princess !

Hairstyling sessions updates

New Short Hair! 2013, May. - Link
New Perm for my growing hair. 2013, Nov - Link

Summer hair cut. 2014, Jun - Link
Going for a overdue haircut! 2015, Jan - Link