For more than a month now, I have been considering having a hair perm and leave my almost seven-year relationship with straight hair.
I have natural wavy hair which I felt a burden starting when I became self-conscious on my appearance. There is this connotation in my country that straight hair is always “in” and curly (especially telephone-cord curly) mane is much associated with indigenous groups. I have nothing against those original Filipinos, but I don’t want to be mistaken as a member, so since I was fifteen, I have sported sleek, salon-straight hair.
With the tsunami effect of Korean wave, this association started to crumble. Many Korean actresses and idols are fashionably pretty wearing colored curly locks. In my country, which warmly welcomed Korean culture and their people, a lot of Korean hair salons are increasingly sprouting in almost all parts of the metro. They enticingly invited Filipinos and Korean immigrants to follow those famous stars and have that enviable hair. Many have been persuaded. Including me.
I searched before plunging to another change in my hairstyle though. The current trend for getting curly hair is by digital perm (digiperm), an advanced and mechanical treatment.
There’s also the traditional cold perm, which is way cheaper, but with lower quality than the digiperm.
There’s also the traditional cold perm, which is way cheaper, but with lower quality than the digiperm.
I have checked out the photos of the outcome for both treatments. Cold perm looks okay, but digiperm looks fabulous.
Days before I planned to brave another momentous decision, I have read some reviews about digiperm. Actually, at that point I was going to choose to go digital, but some said that the treatment will ruin one’s hair in the long term. It will also make one’s hair dry and frizzy. That made me think. I checked the photos of digipermed hair and say, “Well, I guess I’ll try this treatment the next time. I don’t want to look like I’m going to a party everyday though.”
So I decided to have the traditional one. I saw an advertisement over the internet for a salon in my village. It is advocating the use of natural and organic treatment and I thought that was a good sign. I browsed over its website and found satisfying photos t. Then I checked its services and found that it was offering hair perming. To top it off, it had an ongoing promo! Now, who wouldn’t want to save some cash?
I immediately called the hotline for an appointment. I asked if I could have mine in late afternoon, seven hours after the conversation. The lady I was talking to was “glad to inform me” that I could have a slot at my desired time of 4 PM. I hanged up and smiled. Everything was going out as planned.
Boy, was I wrong.
I arrived on time and the employees of the hair salon were accommodating. A woman in her forties ushered me to seat. She asked if I wanted my long hair to be trimmed (the longest point was in hip-level) and I nodded my an answer. I told her I wanted it two inches shorter, but she insisted in cutting more “because long hair can make you look older” so I settled for three inches.
She then started trimming my hair before the treatment while I comfortably sat and continued reading in my Ereader. That was my first mistake. I occasionally checked my hair though and asked her in two or three times: “Is it still long?” which she answered in, “Yes, don’t worry it is still long.”
Relieved with the idea that my slow growing hair is still long, I went back to my reading. When she was done, she left me to find another staff member who would put the first part of the treatment. And that’s when I looked up. And stared in horror at the nightmare reflected in the mirror.
My hair was cut short. Very short. No, not ear-level short, but short nonetheless. Almost a foot of my hair was gone. Disappeared. Vanished. I gazed longingly at those locks in the floor as I touched my now shoulder-length hair. I almost cried.
Another employee appeared before me and introduced herself as Mia and that she would be the one assigned to do my perm treatment. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but I complained to her about the length of my hair. It wasn’t supposed to turn that way. She apologized profusely, as well as the old lady who did the cutting, but the damage has been done. Did they think apologies would help me sprout hair? I tried to be calm, and surprisingly, I did. I should’ve left right there and then and forget about the perm treatment, but I pasted a weak smile and turn to Mia for the perming.
That’s my second error.
She asked me how I wanted my curls and I answered I wanted them big. Big locks look natural, right? She started with the process and I was confident that she was doing her job well. I asked questions then and there like how it would turn out, would it still look good provided that I now have short hair, etc. She assured me that it would be fine and there were even customers with shorter hair who had beautiful results after. Relieved with her answer, I went back to reading.
Then it was the moment of truth. Mia and another girl dried my hair and slowly unraveled the locks. I was holding my breath then saw the telltale look of a wave. But it stopped there. “Is this it?” I queried. “Wait ma’am, we’ll be drying it a little then apply some cream. You’ll see,” she guaranteed once again though that time it didn’t have the desired effect on me.
The drying and creaming were done, but it looked like the same to me. “Where are the curls? You said it would be big curls!” I said in alarm. Mia then responded after her great enlightenment which was pronounced by clicking her fingers. “Ah. You mentioned you previously rebonded your hair. Maybe that’s why it didn’t have much effect.”
At that moment, I was getting furious so I answered back with: “Yes, I did say that and remembered correctly that you assured me that since that treatment was more than a year ago, it would be fine!” Then that middle aged woman reappeared and I lashed at her: “I told you I wanted two inches of my hair trimmed and even agreed when you suggested three. But what did I get? My original V-shaped hair, which the longest point reached my hips, is now chopped shoulder-length straight! Not only it is short, but straight cut! I look like a five-year old!”
I was shaking with controlled fury. I asked for their manager, but she was out of town for the holidays. Great. I think I really made a scene there. Who wouldn’t? I wanted to express my grievances for my peace of mind as well as for their own benefit. If you won’t tell them they are doing wrong, then they’ll be committing the same mistakes forever.
In the end, I couldn’t do anything more. The manager remained out of town who didn’t bother to answer her calls. Figures. For the damages that they caused, they, unwillingly and with heavy hearts (if they really have), offered a P1500 (US$37) discount for my total fee. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. They offered to pay me 37 dollars for my chopped and damaged hair! Containing my anger, I reached for my wallet and paid them the remaining balance – P4000 ($98).
After 3 and half hours in that devious hair salon, I stormed out and walked away. With my short, electrocuted-like, murdered hair.
***Apologies for this rant. I felt I should express this or else I might attempt to take revenge on those employees.
DISCLAIMER: The writer isn’t actually violent and most of her threats remain undone. Keyword: most.
Have you ever been to a hair salon and had the misfortune of having the same experience? How did you handle it?
