Report No. 2
Report No. 2: My Own Korean Digital Perm in Seoul, 24 March 2026
Report No. 2. I had a Korean digital perm on my own hair in Seoul: the timeline by the clock, what was done and how it lasted.
Oksana Prisyazhnaya, founder and editor. 24 October 2026
In short. For five years I looked at Korean women's hair and for two years I wanted to have a Korean perm done in Seoul. On the evening of 24 March 2026, after the seminar (Report No. 1), I had a digital perm on my own hair in the academy salon in Gangnam. It took about three hours by the timestamps on my videos, from 17:12 to 20:11, and cost 250,000 ₩, about $189. The result was a soft wave on mid-length hair, and in the third month it was still there.
How it was
The timeline below is from the timestamps of the photos and videos taken that evening.
Time | What happened |
|---|---|
17:12 | Wet hair, a professional cape, the solution applied by brush, section by section, then a plastic cap |
17:42 | Under the machine for the first time |
18:51 | Heated rods wound and wired to the machine |
before 20:11 | Neutraliser, rinsing, blow-drying |
20:11 | The result filmed: a soft wave from mid-length |
From the chair I saw the same thing that struck me at the seminar that day: more than one person worked on my hair, and the end of the procedure, drying and shaping the wave, got as much attention as the winding.
The procedure is chemistry. A digital perm is a solution that softens the hair, heat from rods connected to a machine, and a neutraliser that fixes the new shape. Korean solutions work in a neutral to mildly acidic range, which is why the hair stayed soft.
What I got
A soft, mobile wave rather than a tight curl. In early July, in the third month, I filmed the hair as it was, without make-up and without styling, and posted the video. It has been watched more than 560,000 times. The wave was softer by then, but it was still there, and the regrowth at the roots did not leave a hard line.
Who it suits and who it doesn't
A digital perm suits hair that is fairly thick and straight, from the shoulders down, when you want a curl that shows on dry hair. It does not suit bleached hair straight away, and it is not a "wake up with curls" procedure: it is a perm for easy styling. Who gets the best result is in Korean Perm: Who It Suits, How Long It Lasts.
Verdict
8/10. Held 4.5 months and faded gently; by month three the wave was softer than I wanted.
Questions
How long does a Korean digital perm take?
Mine took about three hours on mid-length hair, from 17:12 to 20:11 on 24 March 2026, with more than one stylist working.
How long did the wave last?
In the third month it was softer but clearly visible, and the roots grew out without a hard line. Digital perms usually hold for up to six months.
How much did it cost?
250,000 ₩, about $189, in March 2026, for the digital perm alone. Other salon prices in Seoul are in Korean Perm Prices in 12 Cities.
Did you have a second perm?
Yes, in August 2026, at the same academy. That is Report No. 3.
From the editor. In Moscow I do the Korean digital perm I had in Seoul, on Korean solutions, at the Versiya Lab studio near Mendeleevskaya. Book a Korean perm in Moscow