Millions of people move abroad for work every year and when they make the difficult decision to do so, several thoughts run through their minds; Where will I live? How will I learn a new language? Will I like the food there? Do they have Netflix? All of these questions are completely normal. However, when I made the decision that I wanted to live and work in South Korea, my first question was, Do they have products for my natural hair? Now if you aren’t a person with a specific texture of hair who has to use specific products, this question may seem irrational, but it’s not for your average naturalista. As a natural, not having access to products that cater to my hair type is a huge problem.

What I expected

Before I moved to South Korea, I didn’t expect much to be offered in terms of hair care. Being that South Korea is a homogenous country, its beauty standards and products that are offered are pretty linear in who they are made for; people with bone-straight type 1 hair (type 2A if you’re lucky). I assumed the worst for the future condition of my hair, so I decided to pack a suitcase full of hair products (because I’m dramatic) as well as a box of essential hair care items to be shipped to Korea upon my arrival. This is no exaggeration. I could have opened my own store with the number of products I packed.

What I found

Once I settled into SK, I discovered black-owned beauty companies that cater to naturalistas and their unique hair through Facebook groups like Natural Beauty in Korea and Black Women in Korea. Honestly, thank God for spaces like these that were created by ex-pats of color for ex-pats of color, because they allow us to share our experiences here in Korea, as well as tips and advice.

Fast forward to my 9th month in Korea and I’m running low on eco-styler, edge control and I’m fresh out of hair oils and a daily moisturizer. To make matters worse, winter and its dry air are well on their way. I decided to check out some recommended sites that I found in one of my Facebook groups.

iROK Curls

Like a kid in a candy store, I perused this website and found a great selection of natural hair products all for affordable prices. Reasonably priced hair care products are sometimes hard to come by in Korea considering the cost to ship the products here. After I scoured each tab of this website, I only ended up purchasing an olive oil edge control for the affordable price of $11 (13,000krw shipping included). I know that might sound like a wild price for the product, but factor in lack of easy accessibility and it’s worth it.

Honey Hair Korea

Just like iROK Curls, I love that Honey Hair is a black-owned company. There is a store located in Pyeongtaek in addition to the option to purchase products online. Unfortunately for me, Pyeongtaek is a bit far from Busan. After exploring their website, I didn’t find the products that I’m accustomed to using, but I did find that they carry their own line of essential and natural hair oils ranging in price from $4 to $16. I do plan on purchasing hair accessories from them in the future as they have a good selection of items.

iHerb

Honestly speaking, I went to this website looking for vitamins (they’re crazy expensive in Korea) and what do I end up finding and purchasing instead...my beloved hair products. WHAT ARE THE ODDS?! This site carries the entire Giovanni Avocado & Olive Oil line, which makes my hair so happy. I ended up purchasing Giovanni products, natural oils, Carmex (because dried lips), and get this, shipping to Korea from California only cost $4 (it’s free if your order is over $25), and my package got to me in 4 days. I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m definitely digging this site.

Not-So-Honorable Mentions

Jane Carter Solutions is another line of products that I’m accustomed to using on my tresses, but I’ve had a hard time finding them over here. There are Korean websites like Gmarket and Coupang where you can find natural hair products to purchase, but the prices are ridiculously high. The little Terry Crews inside my wallet won’t allow me to spend 68,000krw ($57) on a Jane Carter Moisturizer. Although there was a time (3 months into my stay in Korea) when I purchased a 2-Pack Olive Oil edge control on a Korean site for $27.72 because the one I packed from the states fell out of my luggage. This is a product that is usually a little over $5 in the states. So I instantly became $22 poorer while a Korean person was most likely walking around with laid edges on my behalf. It wasn’t one of my finest moments, but I was desperate to keep this hair under control during the humid Korean summer.

Lastly, Amazon is always an option for purchasing goods that you can’t find in Korea. The only issues are making sure that sellers are available to ship to Korea and that the shipping doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. The shipping costs and time tend to vary depending on the seller. I’ve gotten lucky and received an order from Amazon in a week, but there were also times when I’ve found reasonably priced products, but the shipping was so high to the point where it didn’t make sense to purchase the product. All-in-all, Amazon, for me is hit or miss.

How I make do

For starters, when the bottle says to use a dime-sized amount, I LISTEN! I find that I’m a lot more intentional and mindful of the types of products I purchase over here and my usage. I purchase oils since they’re affordable and accessible and I wear my hair in more protective styles that involve pinning and tucking. This allows my hair to stay hydrated longer compared to a twist-out, and fewer products are used. I do a majority of my hair care shopping on iHerb and whatever Jane Carter Solutions products I have are shipped to me in a care package via my mum (pray for me when I run out).

All-in-all, my experience with purchasing natural haircare products in Korea has been a lot less daunting than I had imagined. It requires patience and some research to find what’s available and suitable for your needs. So to answer my question, Can Korea lay these edges? Yes, it can, but for a price.

Yours,

Kenny

#DoAllTheThings

Korea, Can You Lay These Edges?