I discovered INOA hair coloring at Straight and Smooth Salon!

The very first time I had my hair chemically treated was when I had it digitally permed last June. During that session, I remember the last thing the stylist told me. He said I should try having my hair colored next. I really wanted to but I distinctly remember my mom telling me that hair dye ruined her hair.

A few months after my first digiperm, news broke that a new ammonia-free, professional hair color (called INOA) is being used by select salons. I knew that I had to find a great salon which offers INOA and try it for myself. It was important for me to find a salon with lots of great reviews because international reviews on INOA has been mixed. From what I've gathered, stylists have to be well trained with mixing and applying INOA and your hair has to be in good condition or else you could end up with   dry, brittle and thin hair. That's when I read about Straight and Smooth Salon. Not only do they treat your hair well, they also spoil you.

When I arrived at the salon, I thought I was early for my appointment. But lo and behold, I think I scheduled my appointment at a wrong date. If the ladies of Straight&Smooth are reading this, so sorry about that. Luckily, they still accommodated me even if the stylist was servicing someone else.

Check out the cute door knobs, a hair blower and a round hair brush 

Ms. Honey, the stylist, asked me if I had a color in mind. I absentmindedly said dark brown, which garnered a chuckle from her. I was about to get offended, so it was a good thing that she explained to me that since my hair is already black, the dark brown shade won't have as much effect on my hair. I, on the other hand, also explained that it was my first time to have my hair colored so I didn't want to delve into the loud colors. She then cheerily suggested the Deep Auburn Blonde shade. I was hesitant. The term blonde scared me and made me forget the deep auburn of it. It also looked quite pale and gray-ish in the INOA color chart. At this point, I decided to trust Ms. Honey completely and so I agreed with her choice. When she excused herself to mix the colors, they lent me a laptop and asked if I wanted something to drink.

Before I share my INOA experience, I would just like to remind you that I've never had my hair colored before so I won't be able to compare my experience to a regular-color treatment. Okay, so, here goes..

The solution she applied was creamy and it smelled nice (floral). I actually thought that it was just conditioner. After 20 minutes of leaving the solution on, Ms. Honey checked on my hair. We then waited for another 5 minutes.  She then applied (I suppose it was) a second layer of the solution to color the roots and ends evenly. At this point the treatment felt really cold on my scalp. After 3 minutes, I felt my scalp itch a bit and asked Jane (Ms Honey's assistant) if it was normal to feel like so. While waiting for the 20 minutes to finish, the itchiness and stinging grew worse until eventually it vanished.

Starting to feel the itching and stinging

Ms. Honey then checked my hair again and I was immediately ushered to the shampooing station. I loved that they put attention to detail, such as asking if you prefer warm or cold water and massaging your scalp after shampooing.

The final step was blow drying and styling. I really appreciated that Ms. Honey styled my hair wavily (haha, if there's such a term). Since my curls have turned into waves, she tried to go with it and give me big sexy waves. It felt great when she exclaimed "Wow" when she achieved the gorgeous waves! Sadly I wasn't able to take a picture of it. Seriously, I've never seen my hair with so much volume.

Anyway, from my previous jet black hair, it now looks like so:

With flourescent lighting and no camera flash

With incandescent light and camera flash

My verdict: The color is perfection! Under normal light, the new color isn't that noticeable. It looks as if it's my natural hair color but in reality it's not. I like that the change is subtle yet it has the effect that I wanted. It is exactly what I hoped for. :)


Wallet damage: Php2,400 for INOA treatment for super long hair

Straight and Smooth Salon is located at the Upper Ground Floor of Vernida 1 Condominium, 120 Amorsolo St. , Legaspi Village, Makati City, Philippines. It's next to the CAP building and is at the same street as Makati Medical Center. You can reach them at 759.51.05.