Daechi-dong hair salon: black root dye covering gray, TONI&GUY Daechi

Why black hair with lots of gray needed a root dye

With black hair and a lot of gray, even 3–5cm of regrowth makes my whole head look patchy, so this time I got a root dye at TONI&GUY Daechi (토니앤가이 대치점), a hair salon near Hanti Station in Daechi-dong. I think the overall style matters, but so does a tidy root. I have a lot of gray hair, sob, so once the roots grow out I look messy even when I'm otherwise put together.

This was my second visit to TONI&GUY Daechi. Last time I got a cut, and I remembered the place because the staff asked carefully about what I wanted.

Where is TONI&GUY Daechi, and what about parking?

TONI&GUY Daechi is at 9 Seolleung-ro 64-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 6th floor of the Daesung Building, a 3-minute walk from Exit 1 of Hanti Station, with 3 hours of free parking. It is open daily 10:00–19:00.

By subway (on foot)

Go straight from Exit 1 of Hanti Station, then turn right toward Olive Young at the second alley and keep going straight. It's on the 6th floor of the Daesung Building, which has Hanam Dwaejijip (a pork barbecue restaurant) on the 1st floor.

By car

Parking is free for 3 hours, and valet service is available for ₩3,000.

By bus

Get off at the Dogok Lexle Apartment main gate stop, Exit 2 of Hanti Station, or the Seoul Gangnam Employment and Labor Office stop. Buses 147, 242, 3414 and 3426, plus 333, 340, 361, 420, 461, 3411 and 4312 and more, run there, so public transport access is pretty good!

Inside TONI&GUY Daechi and the waiting area

The interior of TONI&GUY Daechi is clean and upscale, with separate waiting and treatment areas. You feel the atmosphere as soon as you walk in.

The waiting and treatment areas are separate, and the space is fairly large, so it never felt stuffy.

The waiting area was well set up and the staff were friendly. They also offered drinks and snacks, so I could relax while waiting and during the treatment.

I hear TONI&GUY Daechi is ranked No. 1 in recommendations on a Daechi-dong moms' community café! There is also a 30% discount for first visits, and extra discounts by tier if you buy a membership, so keep that in mind.

The signage also said that all staff have completed the TONI&GUY headquarters academy cut course, and that the salon is an Ayunchae and L'Oréal Premium partner salon. Seeing that, I felt it's a professionally run salon.

Root dye consultation with designer Dohwa

I had this root dye with designer Dohwa (도화)! For first-time customers, Dohwa is running an event from April for 3 months with up to 50% off, on top of the basic 30% discount. The discount amount applies when you pay with Naver Pay and write a review, and it covers various treatments such as root dye, perms and clinics.

My existing hair color is black and I have a lot of gray, so once the roots grow out the color difference is quite noticeable. Before the visit my roots had grown about 3–5cm, and overall it looked patchy and messy. My hair condition was average, but I needed both gray coverage and a match to my existing hair color.

The consultation focused on matching the root color to my existing dyed color. I told her the exact shade didn't matter much as long as it blended naturally with my current hair, and Dohwa agreed to match it naturally after looking at my hair's current condition.

Gray-coverage root dye: any stinging, and how long it took

The root dye at TONI&GUY Daechi took about 1 hour 30 minutes from consultation through shampoo and finishing, and I felt almost no stinging or discomfort on my scalp while the dye was applied.

Then the root dye began in earnest. I needed gray coverage, and blending naturally with my existing black was the most important thing to me. Maybe the product is just good, or maybe I'm sensitive, but there was no irritation and it was comfortable.

She also checked carefully along the way. Root dye shows easily, so I liked that she checked those spots closely. For a root dye it didn't feel very long, and everything from consultation to shampoo and finishing went smoothly.

Massage-chair shampoo area and premium dye products

TONI&GUY Daechi has a chair where you can get a shampoo and a massage at the same time, and it was really good! The shampoo is secretly a short healing break at a salon, and with the massage chair too, haha, the satisfaction is huge!!

I was also told the dye used is a premium line with less damage. Damage is always a worry with dyeing, so it felt reassuring that they care about that too.

TONI&GUY Daechi is currently also running a Kérastase launch event. You can try the Jang Wonyoung Basic Clinic at a trial price, and one whole personal ampoule tailored to your hair condition that day is mixed in during the treatment. Keep that in mind!

If you want a clinic matched to your hair condition, it's worth checking this event together with a dye or perm.

Root dye after: did it blend naturally with the existing black hair?

After the root dye at TONI&GUY Daechi, the connection between my existing black hair and the root color was really natural, and the gray was well covered. After the treatment she also blow-dried and styled my hair.

I asked her to just straighten it neatly rather than do any special styling, and she finished it calmly, just as I asked. What I liked most after the root dye was how naturally the root color connected with the rest of my hair.

The gray was well covered, and the roots didn't look separate or show any color difference, so I'm satisfied!! In the before photo the regrowth looked patchy and messy, but the after looks much neater and calmer overall. With the hair color tidied up, my overall impression looks much more put together too.

Who would I recommend TONI&GUY Daechi to?

I'd recommend TONI&GUY Daechi to anyone who wants an easy-to-reach, clean salon near Hanti Station, and a natural root dye with gray coverage. This second visit was more satisfying than I expected.

I found the consultation careful at my earlier cut, and this time I liked that the root dye was done naturally, taking my existing hair color and gray coverage into account. If you're looking for a salon near Hanti Station, check out designer Dohwa at TONI&GUY Daechi!