Glow Up with Add'B

When coming to South Korea, I can teach myself how to improve my physical insecurities, and take measures to not only improve my physical appearance but also use the advanced resources here in Korea to reset my body so I can help myself even when I return home. 

One of my largest insecurities is my hair. As a girl with incredibly damaged and falling hair, it is constantly breaking my heart to watch my hair wash down the drain. With extensions in consideration, I found a method of extensions that not only does not harm your hair lines but also helps preserve and protect your hair while it grows. 

The braided method is not only about installing extensions away from the scalp to keep your hair follicles open and healthy, but the braid also acts as an armor for your natural hair against the weight of the new hair. Using this method, there are no breakage in the hair if installed correctly and since there are no products (such as glue) used, it is also easy to brush out your hair. All good salons in South Korea that provide extension services use 100% pure human hair, with options for colored human hair as well. Even though the extensions need to be reinstalled every 2-3 months because your hair grows, you can reuse your hair for up to a year if you take care of them. 

With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with extensions. I had made an appointment via KakaoTalk on their website. Even though the salon only speaks Korean, they are very patient and please use translation apps, such as Papago, to be as specific as you possibly can so they can make preparations. I walked into the salon with the desire to not only give my hair the time to grow, but also have the length that looks best on me, so I decided to dye my hair a natural brown color and added 16-inch hair extensions of the same color. 

My appointment was for 1:00 pm on September 2nd, 2022, and I had arrived at around 12:48 pm before my appointment. Even though I was early, by my scheduled appointment time, they have already discussed what I would like, what looks good on me, and how the appointment process will go. I was very surprised by this because even though I had previously texted them about what I desired, but after looking at the quality of my hair, they explained that if I was to go forth, the quality of my hair will drastically decrease due to the chemical products needed to achieve the look. This was eye-opening because they were taking my hair goals in mind (as well as what would look good on me) and what is best for the health of my hair. 

The extensions itself took a total of two and a half hours, which is very quick for any type of extensions. Even though they worked quickly, it does not feel like they are trying to get your appointment over with, but it feels like they are respecting your time by not taking longer than they need to. The extensions specialist will also explain to you in detail about how to take care of your extensions during the installation.

During the appointment, one thing I have noticed throughout the entire process is that the stylists are very proud and meticulous about their work. Even though it might take extra hair or time to get to the desired look, they will go that extra mile to make sure you look your best. Their standard is that if they are confident enough for the rest of the world to criticize their work, they will hold themselves to that standard when working on your hair. 

From this extensive blog, you might be able to tell that I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in this salon. However, there are a few notes I will make. 
1. Especially for foreigners and study abroad students, you are required to make a ₩ 50,000 ($35) deposit (counted towards your treatment) before your appointment. Traditionally, they only accept KakaoPay or a bank transfers. If you are unable to do that, let the salon when you are coming to drop off cash before your appointment. 
2. Even though the hair stylists and other workers themselves do not know much English, the owner of the Hongdae store knows English. They are also very patient and will communicate using simpler Korean vocabulary and Papago (Google Translate will NOT work!). They also have haircare instructions translated into different languages, so just ask for English and you can take a picture of the instructions. 

Salon: Add'B Hongdae

Address: 2nd floor, 229-34, Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul 

                  서울특별시 마포구 연남동 229-34 2층

My Stylist: @green_add._.b

Retouches done by: @jungmo_add._.b and @hw_add._.b

Self esteem and self improvement is very important to me, and I am planning activities during my time in Seoul to not only feel more confident physically, but also mentally. Follow me on Instagram at @___ywh14 for more exciting discoveries and experience to come! 

EXPLORE SEOUL!