Who knew channelling your inner Parisian was as simple as getting a subtle perm?
Who knew channelling your inner Parisian was as simple as getting a subtle perm?
There’s something so undeniably cool about French girl hair: lightly mussedup locks with natural texture, volume, bounce and a little bit of movement – a la those of British-French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg and Parisian model-turned-Lancome-beauty-muse Caroline de Maigret (right). While achieving that dishevelled, just-rolledout- of-bed look can be challenging, no thanks to the humidity and the fact that Asians have naturally straight hair, it’s not impossible – here’s how.
Catch the wave
Diana Goh, co-founder of Blow+Bar, shares that these days, more women are asking for natural-looking waves instead of poker-straight hair or big curls. This prompted the salon to add the Tousled look – which is especially attering on lobs, as it adds just the right amount of volume and texture – to its Permanent Blowout (PB) service menu (prices start from $305). The PB is a customised perm, whereby the entire process – from the way the hair is rolled around the rods to the chemical processing time – is based on an individual’s hair condition and texture. Shunji Matsuo offers another option: the Shiseido Crystallizing Qurl service (from $208). Apparently, the wave-shaping chemical in the perm solution used penetrates hair cuticles better and faster than regular perm solutions, so stylists can forgo smaller perm rods and use bigger ones to create more natural-looking waves. The service is suitable for all hair types, including recently coloured hair.
Make it last
So you’ve got the perfect perm, but how do you keep it looking effortlessly tousled?
Step 1: Tame frizz with Kevin.murphy Killer.curls ($40), a leave-in product with ingredients such as watermelon extract and aloe vera leaf juice to hydrate and reportedly strengthen tresses.
Step 2: Spray Shiseido Professional Stage Works Powder Volume Air ($26) on the roots of dry hair to give them a lift, then roughly tousle using your fingers. For extra body, flip hair over and give it a couple of quick blasts with a hairdryer.
Step 3: Mist hair with Ouai Haircare Texturizing Hair Spray ($39), a dry-shampoohairspray hybrid with sebum-absorbing volcanic minerals; scrunch to give your waves some texture. Bonus: its floral fragrance, which helps mask lingering food odours from lunch.
