I have always loved hairdressers in Korea- I can get a cut and style for about 15,000 won (approximately £8) which is just amazing, and about a quarter of the price I’d pay back in England. What’s even better is that the hairdresser always does a good job, even when I can only mime what I want done- a massive relief, especially the first time I went, having no idea what to expect and scared that miss-communication would lead to an awful cut.

Then I discovered ‘Magic Straight’, which brought my love of Korean hairdressing to new heights. I’ve always suffered from unruly curly hair which is prone to frizzing. So during our first humid Korean summer, I had a permanently electrocuted look about me, static frizz which I just couldn’t tame. Needless to say I hated it.

I’ve always been pretty wary about getting ‘extreme’ hair treatments, in case they forever ruin my hair. But when I heard about Magic Straight, I was immediately tempted- a way to permanently calm my hair, I could forget about the annoyance of humidity and I wouldn’t have to bother with the hair straighteners every day. And so this April, in preparation for the upcoming summer months, I booked an appointment to get Magic Straight.

Here are some thing you should know about the treatment:

• It takes a good 3/4 hours to complete. It’s a long process which includes the hairdresser having to painstakingly straighten every single section of your hair. Plus, I had to have a ‘tester’ before I started, to make sure it would work, having much finer hair than many Koreans.
• It can lighten your hair colour slightly. I dye my hair quite frequently, and the shade was noticeable lighter when I had finished. But, within a few weeks you can dye your hair again.
• You cannot wash your hair for a specific period of time- this is usually between 24 hours and 3 days, depending on where you go and what advice you are given.
• You have to wear your hair loose for the next week. This can be quite annoying- you even have to be careful about putting your hair behind your ears in case of creating kinks. A little inconvenient, but not the end of the world.
• At the start, your hair is very straight. If you have thin hair like me, it can feel a little bit too flat. But this gets better after a couple of weeks- the straightness stays, but the volume comes back.
• It lasts longer than 3 months- my hair will still blow-dry straight after 9 months, and if I leave it to dry naturally, will only have a slight kink.
• You can still curl your hair if you want- I wanted Magic Straight more for convenience than for dead-straight hair. I wanted to be able to leave my hair to dry naturally without turning into a frizzy mess or to be able to dry it quickly, but nicely. If you’re like me and still want to curl a little volume into your hair, you still can.
• It’s a good price! My treatment cost about 110,000 won (about £65), which considering the length of treatment and long-lasting results, I think is pretty amazing.
• It doesn’t ruin your hair. I was slightly worried I’d come out with frazzled ends or worse, but there were no negative effects of the treatment.

I’d recommend Magic Straight simply for the fact it makes managing your hair so much easier. My hair is actually in better condition now because I don’t straighten it or blow-dry it nearly as much. And the best part? I don’t have to waste time in the morning with the straighteners. Best treatment ever.

Filed under: Beauty, Korea