Thirty-Three At 33: Singapore

I hate going to the Beauty Salon. I honest to God, HATE IT! I hate that your appointment is at 9 am, but you don’t even get touched until noon. I hate that I have to hear everybody’s business and suffer while everybody’s children are running around and subsequently getting beat in front of me. I hate that I have to smell perm and chicken because it’s lunch time. Most of all I hate wasting an entire day there. Now that you understand where I’m coming from, let’s begin…

Judy washing a customer's hair.

Once I arrived in Malaysia, I ran out of hair products. No leave-in conditioner, no Mixed-chicks, and no Motions shampoo… NOTHING! I have nearly five months left of traveling and not having hair products wasn’t going to cut it. I went to the stores and of course there were products there, but not necessarily for my hair texture. For those who don’t understand, a lot of mainstream products have an alcohol base in it to help strip or clean oils out of your hair. In general, black hair needs moisture, so it requires products that balance and maintain the oils in our hair. I picked up what I could for my hair, but still sent up flares to a friend on Facebook asking for home recipes. “Please help! I’m starting to look like a cross between Homie the Clown and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome! I need a deep conditioner recipe that I can make at home or I’m going to the barber shop.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t receive an answer… (you know who you are and you wrong Anna Mae!)

Black hair care products sold there

A week later, my hair started feeling like a Brillo Pad and I swear it was locking at the root. So I started experimenting… I had eggs, white folk’s conditioner, vegetable oil… I went in. I actually felt like I was baking a cake in my hair, but it worked for about a day or two, but I needed more help than that! I can barely maintain my own hair with the right products, so attempting to do without was going to be a hot mess. AND I wasn’t taking eggs with me to the bathroom every other day! I know that some people would say, “Girl! You’re traveling the world! Forget about your hair!”, but I couldn’t do it! I don’t think people realize how much a jacked up head of hair can affect your mood. So, I got to work…

I did a desperate search online for black or afro hair products or services in Asia. Apparently, there’s a small African community in Bangkok and black hair products, as well as braiding can be done there. Damn, I wish I knew that earlier. There’s also a process called “Rebonding.” It’s an Asian version of a relaxer, but it’s not for curly afro hair. Rebonding is more for curly Jewish or curly Malaysian types of texture. Then I found it in a random hair forum online: EXTREME LENGTH BY FLOJUMAR in Singapore. It said: “Dealing with all types of hair: Extensions & Weaving, Braids, Corn Rows, Perms, Relaxers etc. Ethnic Hair Products available for sale.”

The exterior of the salon

My momma use to say that “He may not come when you want him, but He’s right on time.” I think Jesus looked down on my head and felt really bad for me, because finding this salon was a freaking miracle. Thank you, Jesus! I have never in my life been so happy to go to a salon! I didn’t know if the place was still in business, if they were already booked or even how much it cost, but what I did know was that I was going there the minute I arrived in Singapore and I was paying whatever it took.

Now, by the time I actually got to Singapore, I just had a bird’s nest growing on my head. So sad… I made it to Singapore late at night, checked into my hostel and prayed. “Father God, please let this lady’s salon be open. If it’s not, then can you please send your angel Gabriel down with a box perm or something. I’m your child and you know what I need. Thank you in advance. Amen.”

Singpore during the day. If I pan to the right the view is just as grand.

I woke up early! Equipped with a city map and a subway map, I layed them out and the guys at the hostel helped me map a route to salon. “You don’t need to go to the salon. Your hair looks ni--“, before he could finish I politely said “Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” They laughed, but they knew I was serious about this hair.

This mall had a gondola ride in it!

Singapore is a huge city! The entire country is one big ass city. It’s the type of place that you go to live or do business, but not necessarily go for vacation. Someone was once quoted as saying that “Singapore is the only mall to have made it into the U.N.” And it is. You can’t throw a brick without hitting a mall. These aren’t small malls either; these are mega malls with Gucci, Fendi and any other high end labels you can think of. Singapore is very modern, very cosmopolitan, very clean and extremely expensive. The prices of everything (rent, subway, clothes, food etc.) rival that of New York, and that’s saying a lot for Asia. Due to the expense of staying there, I only allotted for four days in the country; however, it’s a small country, so I feel as if that was enough time to see all of the highlights.

To get to the salon, I took two trains and a bus, but I finally made it. I walked in and said, “I need help.” The owner, Judy Buss, said, “I actually have two other appointments right now…” Then she looked at my head and threw me a hail mary, “but I think I can fit you in, if you don’t mind waiting.” Since I have nothing but time, I sat my ass down with the quickness.

The salon is small, but really neat and modern with one side consisting of shelves of black hair products from relaxers to leave in conditioners to snap in pony tails. There are two work stations at the salon, but Judy is the only hairstylist and this woman is busy. I was surprised by all of the calls to the salon and people coming in, but Judy explained that since Singapore is an international city, she receives clients from everywhere. One of the ladies getting her hair done was an expat from New York, while another lady was a student from London and Judy is actually a Canadian who moved to Singapore from the U.K. There was so much diversity in that room, yet we had so much in common. We talked about hair, we talked about politics, we talked about shopping and for once I was really grateful for the genuine sense of community I felt in that shop. Mid-way through I realized that I had taken these things for granted when I was at home; but never again!

I can run my hands though it!!

For those planning to backpack through Asia, if you want to make one stop to get your hair together before continuing on your journey, then I would highly recommend EXTREME LENGTH BY FLOJUMAR in Singapore. Judy is fast, she’s thorough and she’s good! She sat me in her chair and the conversation started with, “So what’s going on here?” By the time the day was over, she had detangled, deep conditioned, relaxed and styled my hair so well that I almost cried when leaving. She blew my hair out so straight that for a minute I felt like I was in NY sitting in a Dominican salon. I also purchased enough products from her to last me until I get to Europe. So, I’m very happy to have found her.

Price wise, she is reasonable by Singaporean standards; but make room in your budget. For the relaxer, the products and tip I paid $200 SD, which is roughly $160 USD. For a backpacker on budget, this may be a bit of a luxury. However, remember that she is the ONLY hairstylist that I found in ALL OF ASIA that does black hair, so quite frankly she can charge whatever she likes. Also, I would recommend making an appointment. I got lucky, but she’s busy enough that she had to turn down business when I was there.

Good Luck!

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR EXTREME LENGTH BY FLOJUMAR

Unit #1. Claymore Drive

#02-14 Orchard Towers

Singapore 229594

Telephone: +65 6733 6396

Open: M- F ( 10am – 7pm) & Sat. (9am-6pm)