English-Speaking Hair Salons in Japan ( NUMBER International)- Affordable & foreigner friendly!
It's also not easy to learn and be proficient in the language, in my early years after moving Japan I was once in that situation too hence I felt shy and ashamed to even book a hair cut worrying the stylist might screw up my hair because of miscommunication (on my end). It was either I waited for the danna to get a cut together or when I'm back in Malaysia with my regular stylist lol.
It honestly wasn't easy to find an English speaking hairstylist in my area because when you google, most recommendations only pop up in "Tokyo" (ugh & always same salon too, honestly i find their services normal & rather overpriced- guess too overhyped by influencers 😏).
Heck I'm not going all the way to Tokyo just to get my hair done, you know how expensive one shinkansen ride is? 😂
I might be desperate for a hair cut but not THAT desperate enough to throw money like water sia lol.
Disclaimer: My Japanese has definitely upgraded compared to when I first moved here 4 years ago but it's always nice to have a bilingual hairstylist just to ensure both of you are on the same page with communication. And it would be a big bonus especially if they are familiar with overseas hair trends and textures!I've heard many horrid stories of how local stylists here are not equipped with the knowledge on how to deal with foreigner hair textures as their training was only done locally. You'll definitely need to take note of this when inquiring at a hair salon in Japan. Not all hair textures are the same!
With Covid-19 ongoing, I haven't been able to visit Malaysia for exactly 2 years and that's a very long time to not have my hair done lol (I need a trim at least 2-3 times a year minimum!) and visiting Tokyo is out of the question for me, but thank goodness the heavens answered my prayers because last year a friend on Instagram recommended me to give this salon a try as they have overseas trained staffs, biligual and best part multiple branches (24 to be exact) around Japan, not just Tokyo and overseas.
NUMBER INTERNATIONAL HAIR SALON REVIEW
I'm not going to lie about feeling super nervous when I bit the bullet and made my first booking because I didn't know what to expect of this as I'm a creature of habit, new things are exciting but it scares me alot too. When I like something, I'll be a faithful customer for life (unless quality drop la, then no choice have to change😂) so it's hard to get me to try new stuff especially when it comes to things like my hair- the risks are simply too high for me to gamble away despite knowing it WILL grow back haha! This likely because my childhood consists of constant bad hair cuts resulting trauma and anxiety carried on to adulthood/ *emotional damage*.
The most I've done in Japan before knowing NUMBER International were minimal trims and simple colouring (no bleaching) at the danna's usual local hair stylist .
My hair before Yuri-san worked her magic
I really deserve a pat on my back for getting out of my comfort zone this round and no regrets because after I've seen how well Yuri-san (my current stylist in Osaka) handled my hair, I started recommending this salon to other friends living in Japan too!
Made two salon visits to date and with my third upcoming, each round the colour faded quite well over the course of few months (not 2-3 weeks yo) giving it different looks which is good given my packed working mom schedule, I don't have the time to go in every month for maintenance.
You can easily tell a bad hair dye is when it doesn't fade evenly causing it to look patchy and damaged at the same time (frizzy). Twice I've bleached and coloured, never had any issues with it!
My last visit was end of Oct 2021 and today marks 4 months, I still get friends complimenting on my highlights when it's actually faded remants of the previous dye job 😆
Not joking, it looks rather intentional to be honest lol, must be the coloured shampoo my stylist advised me to use to tone down the "yellow-ish" hue.
My Oct 2021 hair
When I'm not very familiar with certain cut/ style terms, I could easily explain to my stylist in English, you have no idea how relive I am to finally have a reliable hairstylist near me!
If you are in Kyoto/ Osaka I would highly recommend Yuri-san from N° +uta* 天王寺 (Tennoji).
Some of you might be confused with the different salon names that appear but rest assured they are under the same company- NUMBER International.
Aside from usual cut & colouring, I would highly recommend checking out their treatment range as it really makes a difference in your hair quality especially if you tend to bleach or use heated tools on a daily basis (hair dryer, curler, straightener). I have naturally thick coarse hair and most home treatments usually last for a few hours before it goes all frizzy again but whenever I do a treatment here after dyeing it would stay stright and smooth for a few days. I heard they recently launched a new type of hair treatment, can't wait to try it out next month and give you guys an update!
Their rates are considered affordable with cuts starting from 3200yen~ and ranges depending on the type of services (dye, bleach, treatment, etc). You can easily inquire via LINE messenger in English or Japanese and a staff will get in touch with you as soon as possible which is usually almost immediately during working hours.
If you are not familiar with hair salon rates in Japan, just walk by a couple of salons down the street and you'll see cuts starting from 5000-8000 yen for ladies hair cuts LOL (totally normal), I honestly do wonder how much women here spend annually on beauty maintenance- hair, eyelash, skin, the whole shebang, they must be quite high maintenance sia. Even myself who does lashes like 2-3 times a year, already cry each round whenever I see my total bill (around RM400+) ki siao wei, but at least the lash salon I usually visit is good la :') The price of vanity lol *ouch*
And to end this post with a special treat for my readers, if it's your first time giving NUMBER International Salon a try, follow them on LINE and redeem a mini hair spa session* during your visit.
Find a branch close to you and give your hair a well deserved care session today!
*while stocks lasts, NUMBER International reserves the right to change/ stop the promotion at any point of time
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