Hot Hair

By Contributor July 18, 2011July 19, 2011

Three City News writers are transformed by the renewing of their hair at the hands of Perry Goh of Ooosh!

Contributed By Jeremy Chua, Annabelle Low & Yong Yung Shin

Jeremy Chua: Why it pays to pay more

I’m not exactly the most fashion-forward guy around. I look that way in my “before” picture because I am too darn lazy to cut my hair, and too “plain and simple” to try new styles when I do make the perfunctory trip to the barber’s. Moreover, the pragmatic (read: cheapskate) side of me has never understood the value of going to a nice hair salon.

But two hours in Ooosh!’s posh seat and I am a changed man. Most of my haircuts comprise nothing more than just a light trim. This, however, is an entirely new look; a combination of short and long, and to my surprise, I like it—it’s daring yet versatile and easy to maintain, and according to Leslie, my hairstylist, it brings out the shape of my face.

With the exception of my mother, I have been told that this cut perks up my look: I look younger, more “awake.” And most people don’t recognize me at first glance! So, to all my penny-pinching friends, the adage “you get what you pay for” applies when it comes to getting a quality trim.

Annabelle Low: From bedhead to turning heads

My hair tends to sit on my head like a limp rag. To create volume, I resort to the “bedhead” (i.e. backcombed) look, but more often than not I end up looking dishevelled.

To tame my overgrown hair, Leslie created layers that took the weight off. For this style, maintenance is key—a trim every now and then is recommended to keep it in shape. Also, I happen to have a heart-shaped face. Leslie cut me a fringe to draw attention to my eyes, and to divert attention from my cheeks to my chin. The ultimate result is an illusion of a slimmer face: every girl’s desire.

To finish, Leslie created big, blow-dry curls to pump volume into my cut. I floated out of the salon feeling like a Japanese doll.

Yong Yung Shin: Short and sassy

A lifelong dislike for long, girly tresses (they make my face look long) has consigned me to super-short ‘dos for the past 10 years. This year, however, my hardwired female side insisted that I grow my hair out just a bit.

Perry studies me for a few minutes, and decides on the answer: a chin-length asymmetrical bob to bring out my eyes and cheekbones while making the bottom half of my face look shorter. He would angle it at 45 degrees for a chic silhouette that would make my features look sharper. Because my hair is thick, Perry gave me an inner cut, thinning out the layers underneath so that when the hair grows, the shape will be intact for a longer period.

To add some pizzazz, his colorist added streaks of blond using a silk lift, where the black pigments are removed gradually. It takes a longer time than conventional bleaching, but is milder on the hair. The streaks are placed at three points using a foliage technique for a peekaboo effect: flip it this way and the blond lock frames the left parting, flip it the other and another look appears.