Imagine never having to blow dry or flat iron your hair again EVER. This is my reality, thanks to Japanese hair straightening. I’ve been liberated from styling products and devices by doing it twice a year for 17+ years. It’s a technique I discovered while living in Hong Kong, because believe it or not, quite a few Asian women chemically straighten their hair.
Finding Japanese hair straightening in San Diego is a challenge and, to be honest, I hadn’t been able to find someone to get it as pin straight as my Hong Kong salon (QG Private i, located in the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong). But, FINALLY, I have a go-to person after many years of misses.
Salons In San Diego That Offer Japanese Hair Straightening
After two very expensive, but OK, attempts at my prior local salon (with gratuity, it was around $600-650), I turned to the internet for help. Let me clarify that I am not price-sensitive for a job well done. I felt the quote I received from Diesel Salon in La Jolla was too steep, given that I wasn’t sure they’d do a good job. I can’t explain it, but I didn’t hang up with a good feeling though I know plenty of people that go there.
Moda Salon, near Mitsuwa Marketplace, told me to come in for a hair consultation without an appointment. I decided to stop in, but they were closed. It turns out they are closed on certain Mondays, and they failed to mention that, nor is there any mention of this online. I was mad enough to strike them off the list because my time is valuable. However, I know a lot of people who love this salon.
I turned to another salon called Hair Delight in Clairemont. The fact that they could fit me in quickly combined with a promotional price of $350 sold me. A stylist with rave reviews on Yelp named Lana used to do Japanese hair straightening there, but I am unsure where she went.
Hair Delight Salon isn’t fancy, but I only care about straight hair. I am not sure if it is family-run, but it feels that way based on the seemingly tight-knit relationships I observed between hair stylists and their clients. Don was the poor soul tasked with taming my unruly mane. 100% of hair stylists underestimate the time it takes to cut, blow dry, or straighten their hair. Don used the Yuko system, and it took almost 6 hours the two times I had him do it. It fell out the second time, so I needed to move on.
(To be honest, in my discovery process, I found it extremely difficult to get any stylist to explain the pros and cons of iStraight versus Yuko system or other systems.)
Finally, Good Japanese Hair Straightening in San Diego
I stumbled upon Montblanc Hair Field based on the recommendation of Yelp, something I never ever do. But the reviews, in this case, did not steer me wrong.
Disclaimer: I’m a half-Japanese person who has lived in Asia. As soon as the Japanese receptionist answered in that kind tone I’m used to, I knew this would be a win. Asian salons like this tend to focus on small details like drying my ears thoroughly and a little bit of acupressure here and there. Not a drop of water hit my clothes… things like this.
Plus, I love the contemporary, zen decor and even the sencha green tea. This place is professional, not the type where people chit-chat excessively. Not a towel was out of place.
My stylist, Masa, owns the salon and was the one to straighten my hair. He left a salon in Costa Mesa to study the latest hair trends in Japan before opening Montblanc Hair Field in 2012.
After asking what kind of system they use, I was told that it was Japanese without any other details. It’s not Yuko or a big-name brand. It’s Japanese, from Japan. This oddly put me at ease because my stylist at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong used to say the exact same thing. Trust me, I asked during booking and tried to get the details from Masa. It’s from Japan already!
My hair is very thick, and I have a lot of it, so Japanese hair straightening takes much longer on me than others. That being said, considering that I also received a very good haircut.
The process was a little bit different than what I was used to. My hair was examined and washed (with a short head massage, always a nice bonus).
Next, they usually blow dry it (a step that takes forever with my hair) before applying a solution to each hair that sits for about 30 minutes. The solution was applied to my wet hair and I wasn’t put under a dryer as I have been in the past. Next, it was washed out, blow-dried, and flat-ironed. The neutralizing solution was applied and washed out. Masa cut my hair and dried it to make sure the strands were lined up correctly.
One thing to note is that he only touched up my wavy roots (I had a least 6 inches worth) because, after a very thorough examination of my hair, he thought using the straightening solution on all of it would actually cause a reverse effect of more waves.
The ends of my hair are actually a little bit wavy, but not nearly as crazy as they are normally. Unlike Brazilian keratin treatments, once a strand of hair has experienced Japanese hair straightening, it stays straight. Like highlights, you touch up the roots. So, it’s possible that after five years of subpar Japanese hair straightening my hair was damaged and not taken to it well, so my ends were wavy. I listened to him, and since the part, he touched up is extremely straight, I have high hopes that as my hair grows out, I can achieve the pin-straight look I like.
An easy experience? Yes, actually.
Caring For Japanese Hair Straightening
In Hong Kong, no one gave me care instructions. I even used Finesse shampoo and conditioner, which is probably chock-full of chemicals and managed to maintain a perfect hair. I am not sure if it’s the Yuko system or not, but Don at Hair Delight suggests using paraben-free shampoo and conditioner for chemically treated or colored hair, which makes perfect sense. I think the salon in La Jolla I used to go to recommended sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner.
I have tried a few versions of organic, fair-trade shampoos and conditioners from Whole Foods, and they don’t provide enough moisture. You’ll wreck your expensive hair by using products like this, even if they are paraben-free or meant for dry or chemically treated hair. If you have a product you like, please share it in the comments.
Masa at Montblanc Hair Field said it doesn’t matter what kind of shampoo I use… another sign that this technique is closer to what I’m used to in Hong Kong. Just to be sure (after prodding him for details… I think he really meant that I could use whatever shampoo I wanted), I bought some Japanese shampoo and conditioner that he said would work well for my dry scalp and newly straightened hair.
Since then, I’ve used hotel shampoo several times and it’s had zero impact. I like the Japanese shampoo but am convinced that I can use whatever shampoo I want (though I don’t dare).
The Bottom Line
I’m very pleased with my Montblanc Hair Field Japanese hair straightening experience and hope that you will be, too.
Where do you go in San Diego for Japanese hair straightening? What products do you use to maintain it? I’d love to know.
Katie Dillon is the managing editor of La Jolla Mom. She helps readers plan San Diego vacations through her hotel expertise (that stems from living in a Four Seasons hotel) and local connections. Readers have access to exclusive discounts on theme park tickets (like Disneyland and San Diego Zoo) and perks at luxury hotels worldwide through her. She also shares insider tips for visiting major cities worldwide, like Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Shanghai, that her family has either lived in or visits regularly (or both).
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