I Got A Korean Digital Perm — & It’s My Most Complimented Hairstyle Yet

I've wanted a perm for years now, but with the amount of damage my locks went through with multiple bleaching sessions (I had a pastel pink phase), I had to wait until I had a full head of virgin hair. When I told one of my best friends I was finally about to get a Korean digital perm, she was horrified and said I would probably regret it. And look, I get it. The perm is controversial — you probably instantly think of giant fluffy '80s hairdos or tight ringlets like Kath Day-Knight. Unlike traditional perms, the Korean style uses heat technology to create softer curls, which are more natural.

My hair is naturally straight with a slight wave throughout, which becomes more accentuated the shorter it is. I also have incredibly thick and heavy hair, so when I style it with a curling iron, I have to douse it in hairspray to ensure the curls don't fall out. As somebody who's always wanted curly hair (I know, the grass is always greener...) getting a Korean digital perm was an easy decision. Both my older brother and sister have perms, so I was confident going in. I went to my hairstylist Chloe Choi at Chloe Hair & Beauty in central Sydney, and together we discussed what could be done while looking at some photos. She let me know my hair type is frizzy with a slight natural wave, and we settled on a direct digital perm to create some tighter curls.

"Lots of customers want digital perms because they make nicer curls," Choi said. "Normal perms mean sometimes you can't see definition in the curls, but with digital perms you can." The hairstylist used to work at a salon in Myeong-dong, South Korea, before moving to Sydney. She has owned her salon here for about 16 years and offers various Asian hair treatments. Before we started with my perm, Choi recommended starting with a Japanese Tokio Treatment, which helps repair hair from the inside out. By replenishing it with keratin, it helps strengthen, moisturise and smooth each hair strand. "A lot of people really like this brand," Choi explained. "It's a repairing treatment, and it adds moisture to your hair. Some people will come back after their perms get dry and then have another Tokio Treatment."

Choi started by washing my hair and applying the Tokio Treatment, before setting up a hot steam treatment to help hydrate each strand of hair. It acts by using hot steam to open up the hair cuticles, allowing moisture and products to absorb. After getting a small trim, with Choi enhancing my layers, my hair was rewashed with a pH-balancing shampoo. The stylist followed this with a Korean product that protects the hair from the harsh chemicals used in digital perms.

Next, Choi placed the digital perm chemicals directly onto my hair and rolled sections tightly into curlers. These chemicals break your hair's natural protein bonds, so the strands can be maneuvered into a curly shape. The stylist then plugged each curler in, allowing them to be set by heat. My hair was a little bit "strong", so we had to wait over 20 minutes before it started to set. Then we headed back to the basin where my hair was washed with a neutraliser, snapping the protein bonds back into place. Voilà! I was now part of the curly hair club.

To style my hair, Choi gave me a slight side part, which created a more voluminous look from the scalp. She added some curl cream to define the waves and recommended investing in some good products. "If you have frizzy hair and you want to style it while it's dry, mix curl cream with a little bit of water in your palms before using it on your hair," she said. "This helps get rid of the frizz and also hydrates it."

Styling a digital perm at home isn't too difficult, either. I have a sensitive scalp, so I've purchased Clever Curl's Fragrance Free Cleanser, Rich Conditioner and Curl Cream. The hair products are all sulphate-free and vegan. I wash my hair with lukewarm water in the shower before scrunching up the curls with a microfibre towel. Next, I add curl cream to define my curls and continue to scrunch them upwards, before using my Laifen Hair Dryer (a Dyson dupe) with a diffuser to blow-dry the perm in place.

Your stylist will let you know how long you should go without washing your perm à la Legally Blonde. For me, I had to wait a minimum of 48 hours before washing my hair after getting my digital perm.

Yes. A digital perm uses chemicals that alter your hair structure and heat to set it in place, so most hairstylists recommend doing it on virgin hair. According to Neutral Bay's Planet Hair, it's best to steer clear if you have bleached, chemically straightened or very fine hair. "Generally we do not recommend any sort of perm on bleached hair. This is due to the fact that bleach greatly damages the hair, and the perm solutions will not react very well wiht this. When the hair becomes overly damaged, the bonds of the hair will be in a completely broken state which means that the hair will no longer have the capability of holding any shape," their website reads.

There's no way to get around it; getting a perm will increase frizz. However, if you invest in a nice silk pillowcase or even a silk bonnet, you can help keep the frizz to a minimum. It's also a good idea to invest in a hairbrush that will allow you to mimic salon-quality curls at home. I love the Davroe CURLiCUE Curl Brush, $24.95.

Asking for a Korean digital perm is simple, but I would recommend bringing reference photos so your stylist can see what kind of curl you are after. It's also important to discuss your hair health and type, and whether a perm will cause extra frizz or breakage for you.

I can safely say that having a digital perm has led to more conversations about my hair than I've had in years — and it looks much healthier than my pastel pink or purple-silver combo. I'm able to wake up with voluminous hair ready to go, and if I need to style it a little bit, I can just use some curl cream, which also helps hydrate my locks. It's less maintenance than coloured hair, so I'm convinced I'm a perm girl for life.