Apgujeong Rodeo hair salon root magic for 20-year severe curls: Biorn

I've been suffering from severe natural curl for like 2N years now haha. I have the worst kind of stubborn curl — the kind where you absolutely have to get a straightening treatment every four to six months just to keep it manageable.

After 2N years of trying different salons for straightening, I've learned that not every salon can actually smooth curly hair properly. You really need somewhere that straightens it thoroughly and carefully!!

Then I heard there was a curl specialist among the Apgujeong Rodeo hair salons — a designer named Hyunbin known as a curl sniper — so I went in curious about that reputation. Turns out it really did straighten beautifully and I'm so satisfied, you have to see this in photos... let's get into the post.

Where is Biorn Hair Apgujeong Rodeo, and what are its hours?

• Address: 8 Seolleung-ro 161-gil, 3rd floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (Sinsa-dong 664-2)
• Nearest subway: 1-minute walk from Apgujeong Rodeo Station, Suin-Bundang Line
• Hours: Wed–Mon 09:30–20:00 / Closed every Tuesday
• Parking: Available, paid parking and valet

Biorn Hair Apgujeong Rodeo is a 1-minute walk from Exit 6 of Apgujeong Rodeo Station on the Suin-Bundang Line, so being so close to the station made it really convenient. From the building's location on the map, turn right and go up the stairs to the 3rd floor!! It says Biorn Hair on the stairs so it's not hard to find :)

The interior of this Apgujeong Rodeo hair salon is so clean and the lighting is genuinely great, so I felt good the whole time I was getting my hair done. Overall it has such a stylish vibe I felt like I was at a pretty café instead of a salon.

I booked in advance through Naver. If you book through Naver Reservation, you can get up to 40% off on your first visit!! That 40% discount is genuinely huge so make sure you grab it haha.

Why designer Hyunbin advised against a setting perm and did root magic only

To deal with my stubborn curl haha, I wanted to be seen by curl specialist designer Hyunbin, and he checked the state of my hair and set the direction for the treatment.

Honestly I wanted both straightening and a setting perm, but because my hair has been through regular strong chemicals for straightening my severe curl, doing a setting perm would mean breaking the bonds even more, which carries a big risk of damage and might not even hold curl. He was really honest that while he could try, he couldn't recommend it, so — heartbreaking, but — we went with root magic straightening only!! Him recommending exactly what my hair needed instead of pushing extra treatments made me trust him even more.

Before: severe curl from the bangs to every baby hair

Let me show you the before first haha — this isn't a perm, this is just my natural curl............... Actually when I was younger it was even worse, and it's toned down a lot with age, this is...

Even my bangs are curly. I also have a lot of flyaways, and those curl up too, springing up like little coils, so overall it looks puffy and frizzy — basically the worst-case state.

Designer Hyunbin told me he'd suffered from severe natural curl himself, so he understands even better how to smooth out curly hair!!! Rather than just straightening, he looked at my whole head shape and designed it overall — reducing volume where needed and filling volume where it was lacking.

The shampoo room and what Biorn Hair serves while you wait

First up was the shampoo. Ugh, it felt like all the buildup on my scalp was just washed away? The hand technique at this Apgujeong Rodeo hair salon is no joke haha. The shampoo room was also luxurious and a bit dim, so it felt like being pampered in a cozy space — I went to get my hair done and ended up genuinely relaxing :)

My hair got a thorough scrub. They said the stylist is a gym rat, and wow, the hand strength was amazing. It was genuinely so refreshing haha.

They kindly prepared a drink and snacks for me :) Since I came to this Apgujeong Rodeo hair salon right after waking up I was a bit hungry, so the snacks and drink took the edge off.

From softening to neutralizing, one baby hair at a time

The softening process started first. His hands were genuinely fast and thorough. You can really tell right away whether a stylist is doing a rush job or putting in real effort, right?! But he seemed to genuinely want to eradicate my curl with all his heart, working so passionately, carefully, and attentively that it moved me... truly moved me..... Since my bangs and flyaways were all curly, he applied the softening agent with attention to every single strand.

He applied heat to help the softener take.

Then he washed it thoroughly again. Straightening really takes a lot of hands. Since I get it done regularly, one session always drains me completely — and Hyunbin does this every single day as a curl-straightening specialist... I have so much respect for him....

After the softening was done, it somehow looked even curlier — is that just my imagination? Seeing my stubborn curl laid bare in the mirror at this Apgujeong Rodeo hair salon, it really was severe. All I could think was I want the root magic done fast so I can get shiny, smooth hair....

As you can see, the bangs, sides, and flyaways were all curly with no exceptions, but Hyunbin straightened every single flyaway completely and smoothed out the curl along the hairline cleanly too. And instead of straightening in big chunks, he divided it into fine sections so it would straighten properly — you could just tell this was going to come out great.

Maybe because he's a gym rat, his strength for straightening hair is really impressive.

A square head shape: different volume for each section

I also have almost no side volume, a wide temple area, and a flat square head shape with no top volume, and he checked all of that too — adding volume to the sides, pressing down the angular parts, and letting the top volume come back to life, giving different volume by section. So overall my head looked rounder and even a bit smaller. If you're looking for a meticulous, skilled hair salon that designs around your head shape too, I recommend designer Hyunbin at Biorn Hair Apgujeong Rodeo :)

Can you see the volume filled in at the crown? My hair also felt so straight and glossy — I was already in love with it!!!

Next was the neutralizing process!! He applied it just as thoroughly and quickly, and put in hair rollers so the volume wouldn't die down. Now let's go see the results, let's go.

Root magic results at Biorn Hair: before and after

I can't believe I'm seeing angel rings in my own hair....... Somehow it felt like the straightening even improved my hair's overall condition. All the frizz was tamed and my biggest concern — the curl — was cleanly smoothed out, I was so happy about that ㅠㅠ!!

Comparing it to the start, it's like this — the before and after is seriously dramatic. When he was first called a curl sniper I was a bit skeptical, but he really is a curl specialist, a true curl sniper. Not a single curly flyaway was left behind, everything was smoothed out completely... totally satisfied.

I've been so stressed lately about my curly bangs that I didn't even want to look in the mirror, but after getting this root magic volume straightening in Apgujeong, it's so much easier to manage, I don't need to style it every morning, and it's just so, so convenient and satisfying.

Straightening is one of the more damaging treatments out there, but he took such care with it that I got smooth, shiny hair with no damage!! If you're looking for a great hair salon around Sinsa, Apgujeong, or Apgujeong Rodeo, definitely visit Biorn Hair Apgujeong Rodeo! For curly or severely curly hair straightening, go see designer Hyunbin haha.

I'm really, truly satisfied, so I grabbed a business card to make this my go-to salon whenever my curl comes back, hehe. If you're struggling with stubborn curl or frizzy hair, get your straightening done by designer Hyunbin. The best choice.

How does the root magic look the day after washing?

On the actual day I liked my hair so much I worried it wouldn't look the same after washing, but even after shampooing, that smoothness and volume held up really well :) I'm so, so satisfied ㅠㅠㅠㅠ