Hongdae hair salon: root volume perm for a flat crown at Arish

Why did I get a root volume perm and high layered cut in Hongdae?

My crown had gone totally flat and my hair was just long, so I got a root volume perm and a high layered cut at Arish Hapjeong Muse Hair Salon (아리쉬 합정뮤즈점). I'd barely looked after my hair for a while, and before I knew it, all that was left was length. The whole look felt heavy! With autumn coming, I wanted a change of hairstyle.💇🏻‍♀️

What I wanted was a high layered cut that wasn't too heavy or too light, plus natural root volume! While searching for salons around Hongdae, I found Arish: the prices felt reasonable and the reviews were good. I booked ahead through Naver Reservation and went in.

Arish is open from 11:00 to 20:00. I arrived right at opening, 11 a.m. You go up these stairs to the 2nd floor.

When I opened the door, someone was already in a bleach consultation. There were quite a lot of bleach reviews when I looked, and visiting in person, it seems some people really do come here for bleach. For a second I thought, should I go wild too? haha 😝 But of course I stuck to my plan that day: root volume and a cut.

What is the atmosphere like at Arish?

Arish is a white and beige salon with floor-to-ceiling windows along one side, so sunlight pours right in. The weather that day was reeeeally good.

Decorated in white and beige, it felt calm but not stuffy. You sit in a salon chair for a long time, and Arish is a space that makes you feel good just sitting there!🩵💙 The warm natural light made it look even prettier, and it really felt like coming for a hair appointment in autumn.

What style did I ask for in the consultation?

I asked for root volume and a high layered cut with a moderate weight that suits autumn. I sat down and told my stylist my usual hair worries: my hair stuck flat to the scalp from the crown with almost no volume, so even though it was long, it looked heavy overall...

Not layers that are too light, but with some weight, to suit autumn! After the consultation, I had a shampoo first, and then the root volume treatment began.

How was the root volume perm done, and how long did it take?

The root volume perm at Arish was done by carefully wrapping thin rods from the crown to the sides, and it was over in about 30 minutes.

I also liked that the stylist kept checking whether anything pulled or felt uncomfortable. With treatments like this, it can be awkward to mention even a small discomfort, but since she asked first, I could relax and just receive it.

It went faster than I expected, which I liked. After they applied heat to the roots, they also brought me water and snacks during the short wait.💗

Maybe because it focused on the roots rather than a full perm, the process wasn't as long as I'd thought. After about 30 minutes of root volume work, they used a neutralizer and shampooed again. Now only the cut was left!

How did the side-bang high layered cut turn out?

The high layered cut had layers but kept the ends from looking too light, and was cut with side bangs to cover my cheeks, finished with a C-curl blow-dry. Seeing the finished hair, it was exactly the feel I wanted, so I was really happy.

The side bangs were what I cared about most for my face shape! I wanted them to naturally cover my cheeks and soften the line along the sides of my face. After the cut, she finished by blow-drying the ends into a C-curl.

First, what I liked most was that the flat crown volume came back naturally. It didn't feel over-puffed, just like the overall shape of my hair looked a bit more alive. Tidying the layers with the high layered cut kept the length but gave a much more polished look. Curious about the result, right!?😍

I loved my hair so much I went to a café

Honestly, I was going to head straight home after finishing. But seeing my finished hair, I just couldn't bear to go home yet.

I can't just go home with hair this pretty!

So in the end I went to a café I'd wanted to try nearby, hahaha

I happened to get a seat where the natural light came in beautifully, so I took loads of selfies for the first time in ages. All I did was fix my hair, and my whole mood changed, you know?

I'd been feeling a bit stifled, with my hair neglected and just getting longer, and I didn't expect root volume and a cut alone to refresh me this much. This time especially, I told them the style I wanted in detail from the consultation, and the result came out the way I'd imagined, so I was even happier.

If you're looking at Hongdae bleach and root volume together

Arish stood out for its bleach reviews, so it's a salon worth a look for people researching bleach in Hongdae. I got a root volume perm and a high layered cut instead of bleach this time, but visiting in person, the bright, open atmosphere of the salon was impressive too.

Above all, I was happy that they matched my hair worries: volume from the roots to the sides, with side bangs around the face and a C-curl at the ends. If your hair just keeps getting longer and your crown volume is flat, a root volume perm with a cut is worth considering.

If you want to change your hairstyle for autumn, or you're looking for root volume and a layered cut near Hongdae, check out Arish too. I finally got hair I like after a long time, and it was a proper mood boost!👍🏻💇🏻‍♀️🤎