No-bleach classic blue dye and layered bob at Momentium salon, Daegu

With fall arriving, I decided it was time for a dye job. Every time I dye my hair, once the root regrowth phase hits I always regret it a little... but I just can't resist a fall dye, ugh.

Nothing beats a dye job for a mood switch-up, so I headed to Momentium, a well-loved hair salon in Manchon-dong, to get my hair sorted out too!!

Where is Momentium, and how do you get there from Manchon Station?

Momentium is a hair salon on the 1st floor of 42 Cheongho-ro 96-gil, Suseong-gu, Daegu, near Manchon Station. With so many shops around I wasn't sure I'd find parking, but there's a free public parking lot nearby, Manchon Public Parking Lot, where you can park.

Momentium is located in (real estate-wise) one of the hottest areas in Daegu right now, haha. If the parking lot is full, you can park in the surrounding alleys, and on weekends you can even park right in front of the shop. On weekdays, I'd recommend taking public transit!! It's a 3-minute walk from Exit 3 of Manchon Station.

• By subway: From Manchon Station Exit 3, cross the crosswalk toward Suseong University, go straight through the alley next to the Bbangjangsu Red Bean Bread shop, and it's on your right.
• By bus: Get off at Manchon Station Seohan Forest stop, turn into the alley before the 7-Eleven, and it's on the left side, right in front of Early Boutique Café.

Momentium is currently running a 20% off scalp therapy promotion!

Inside Momentium: a one-stylist salon with a massage-chair shampoo room

Momentium opened two years ago, and its interior stood out as much more trendy than the retro-style salons I was used to.

Since it's a one-stylist, appointment-only shop, if appointments happen to overlap, there's a soft waiting area where you can hang out for a bit, haha.

Coffee and snacks

An illustration that looks just like the owner, haha. It's uncannily similar, so funny haha.

There's a separate shampoo room with those massage-chair-style shampoo seats that are so popular these days, haha. Getting your hair washed here basically puts you to sleep.

The owner keeps your coat and bag stored separately in a cabinet. The keys even have cute keyrings attached, haha. I love these little details so much haha.

Before: overgrown mid-length hair with too many layers

Me before the appointment, haha. I'd had a mid-length layered cut, but with mid-length hair the 'awkward stage' comes on way too fast.

With so many layers, if I didn't blow-dry it, the top would stick out and the bottom would hit my shoulders and flip up, so it was completely unmanageable — I called an SOS to Momentium...!

And my hair, with damaged ends from N rounds of dyeing ㅠㅠ Is there no dye out there that actually improves your hair condition the more you use it, lol.

Why classic blue instead of red brown for an autumn color?

After consulting with the Momentium owner, the fall color we landed on was classic blue. Apparently classic blue, when applied without bleach, gives off an ash-toned brown look.

That moment of decision paralysis that hits every time I dye my hair..;; Honestly I went in determined to dye it red brown, but the second I saw the color chart my mind changed again ㅠㅠ Those pretty idols with red hair looked so good I wanted to try it, but I figured on me it'd end up looking like an auntie dye job...

More than anything, she advised me that even as the color fades, it wouldn't turn very yellow-toned, which sealed the deal for me.

They brought out a drink and snacks. Since I'd already had a coffee that morning, I asked for water instead.

How the classic blue dye was applied, and the 20-minute wait

The owner mixing up the classic blue dye with god-tier hands. Please protect my precious hair, haha.

She sprayed on a hair mist — a scalp-protecting mist? — evenly, then applied the mixed dye all over. Apparently a lot of people do self-dye these days, but this is exactly why a professional's touch matters — it gets applied so evenly everywhere.

Self-dyeing is something I could never do;;; After applying the dye, we waited about 20 minutes, then she shampooed it out. Such a healing moment, haha. She washed it thoroughly with lukewarm water and it felt so refreshing.

The layered bob cut: only length and thinning adjusted

After the dye, she dried my hair lightly and went straight into the cut. Since it already had a lot of layers, she just trimmed the length and thinned out the volume a bit.

After: what classic blue looks like without bleach

I'm so happy with the after !! I'm basically a full-on fall girl now

Since my base hair color was already dark, there wasn't a dramatic color change, but the soft brown that glows through in natural light is exactly what I wanted!! And my hair felt even smoother after the dye, haha.

Before and after at Momentium, side by side

Seeing them side by side, I feel like this was a total image transformation success, and I'm so happy about it haha. If you're debating a fall dye color, just go for classic blue without overthinking it..! And I highly recommend Momentium, a hair salon in Manchon-dong, Daegu~~!