Gray coverage matte brown dye and layer-fixing cut at Hapjeong hair

My hair's condition and texture had gotten really bad recently and I wanted to change up my style, so I picked a salon carefully, got a cut and a clinic treatment there — but... the cut was just off. So I went hunting for another salon to redo the color and fix the cut, and found reviews saying Recteur Seoul is great not just at perms and color but especially at cutting, so I decided to go.

Recteur Seoul's location and hours near Hapjeong Station

• Location: 61 Jandari-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul (5 min from Hapjeong Station exit 2)
• Hours: Mon–Sun 11:00–19:00

A luxurious, hip vibe with genuinely professional, personalized consultation...

Recteur Seoul is close to Hongdae and just 5 minutes from Hapjeong Station, so it's a great spot for anyone hunting for a hair salon near Hapjeong Station. I booked a day ahead and debated whether to drive or take the subway. Salons usually have tight parking even when they claim to have it, but I was short on time so I just drove.

Turned out the parking was better than expected, which put my mind at ease right away.

The moment I walked in, the vibe was next level — luxurious and hip at the same time.

What I looked for before the atmosphere: cutting skill

But honestly, there's something I care about more than atmosphere — how good the cut is. Perms and color matter, but if the cut isn't right, nothing after that looks good. Sometimes a great cut alone makes your hair look nice without even needing a perm. My previous cut had gone so wrong that this time I really did my homework to find a place known for cutting.

A consultation that checked my face shape and scalp condition

I was seated and the consultation started right away. The designer was super friendly, suggested a style suited to my face shape, and carefully checked my scalp and hair condition. I showed a photo of the style I wanted and said my current style was too round and my grays were showing through in places. She worked through what was realistically achievable with my hair as it currently was and found a reasonable middle ground. For the parts that weren't possible right now, she explained why, and even gave me a plan B: "Let's fix this up for now, grow it out a bit more, and finish it next time — that'll get you closer to what you want."

The transformation into the style I actually wanted begins

Why my hair kept curling inward

What I wanted wasn't a round, inward-curling shape but something more polished with ends that flowed out naturally. I'd shown a photo beforehand, and the designer agreed that style would suit my face shape better. The problem was my existing hair — a previous cut had taken out a lot of layers and thinned it heavily, so no matter how I styled it, it kept curling back into that round shape. That's exactly why the look I hated kept reappearing. She said that to match the photo I brought, the existing layers needed to be cut out to some degree. But cutting them all at once would make it too short, so this time we'd fix what we could and grow out the remaining layers for another 2–3 months before addressing them at the next cut. She also explained that once my hair grew to shoulder length, a straight perm could give a look close to my reference photo. Hearing it all laid out step by step made me think it was smarter to start with what's possible now instead of greedily trying to change everything at once.

How light can gray-coverage brown go?

I also got color done. My grays were starting to show underneath, so I wanted gray coverage, but I'd always gone too dark before — this time I wanted a lighter brown. She said going too light might not fully cover the white hairs, so we settled on something slightly darker than what I originally wanted, a middle ground.

The remaining red tones in my hair could look a bit dated and dull, so she recommended a matte brown that would neutralize the red.

She used L'Oréal color for the dye, saying it gives a subtle shine and a pretty, luxurious finish.

While working, she also checked my scalp closely, noting the back of my scalp was a bit sensitive. She told me it's important to fully dry my scalp after washing and to always apply essence to the ends of my hair.

The color was pretty, but what I loved most was the cut

The finished color and cut — how did it turn out?

When I looked in the mirror after everything was done, I was so happy with the color first. It wasn't too dark, but also not so light that the grays would stand out — a brown that toned down the red I used to have and made everything look calmer and more polished overall. The subtle shine in the light was pretty too. The color honestly exceeded my expectations.

But what I loved even more was the cut. My face shape is already a bit round, and having my hair curl inward on top of that always made me feel stuffy looking in the mirror. This time everything was tidied up overall, and the ends flowed out slightly instead of curling in — much closer to the vibe I wanted. Of course, some of the old excess layers are still there, which was a bit of a letdown.

Next steps and the take-home treatment

The plan is to grow it out for about 2 more months, then go back to my designer at Recteur Seoul in Hapjeong to fix the remaining layers, and once it reaches shoulder length, try a straight perm. At the end, she also gave me a hair treatment to use at home — enough for about 4 uses, along with an instruction sheet, so I could manage the care easily on my own.

Looking for a salon near Hapjeong Station or Hongdae?

If you're looking for a hair salon near Hapjeong Station or Hongdae, the access is great, and what I liked most was that instead of just doing whatever style I asked for, they gave realistic advice based on my hair's actual condition. I was happy with the color this time, but even more than that, I feel like I finally found a place that's genuinely good at cutting. Thank you so much to my designer — see you in 2 months~~