A visit to the hair salon usually makes a person feel refreshed, or leaves them with a boost of confidence.

But for one Kelestine Kee, her experience was far from that.

Third and last visit at salon

On Nov. 26, 2020, Kee visited a K A Hair Salon in Jurong West to rebond and colour her hair.

For context, she shared that this was her third visit to the salon in 2020.

The first two visits were for colouring services.

However, she described that day to be the "worst nightmare" of her life, in a Jan. 15 Facebook post about the appointment.

Here's a summary of the events that transpired on Nov. 26, according to Kee:

• Kee had a softening chemical application that was applied on her scalp and hair, which was left on for almost one hour.
• She felt an itch and some burning sensation, but didn't think too much of it and told herself that a "professional knows best".
• When she was brought to the hair wash area, the hairstylist allegedly had a shock and asked repeatedly if Kee had bleached her hair previously. Kee said no, and reminded the hairstylist that she was the one who had been dying her hair in the past year.
• The hairstylist then tried to soak her hair with "some chemical". However, the hairstylist began to panic when a bunch of her hair came off each time she combed through it.
• Kee decided to stop the process immediately when she noticed a "big hole" at the top of her head.

"Big hole" at top of head

According to Kee, the hairstylist apparently said that she didn't notice if the "big hole" at the top of her head was already there before starting the treatment and therefore, she wasn't sure if it was caused by the treatment.

To this, Kee responded that the spot was "so huge" that the hairstylist would have seen it during the application of the chemical.

Here's what her hair and head look like:

She allegedly had to beg to leave the salon while the hairstylist asked for her trust, wanting to finish her services.

"Tell me who will still trust and continue?" Kee asked rhetorically.

She also wanted to pay for the service, though the hairstylist refused to accept payment.

Following that experience, she went to another salon to get a second opinion and to see if there was a way to salvage the situation.

However, there wasn't much good news.

Almost had to shave head

She said: "The damage was horrible. I had multiple balding spots due to the negligence and I was told to be prepared that I might need to shave off."

While she didn't have to shave her head off, she did have to cut her hair to a less-desired shorter length, with what she described as multiple balding spots.

Weeks after the incident, she shared that she is still dealing with hair loss every time she washes her hair.

Here's a look at her hair fall situation:

This has also caused her mental anguish.

"Trying hard to cover the hair holes when I'm outside. Coping with the new hair growth growing all over the direction. The mental torture, it's no joke."

Hairstylist said "hair will grow"

Kee says that she returned to K A Hair Salon two days after the incident, where the hairstylist apologised repeatedly to her.

The hairstylist's colleagues also examined her hair and apparently said that such mistakes shouldn't have been made, and apologised as well.

She told them that she had to get professional treatment for her scalp and hair growth as a result of the botched treatment.

However, she claimed that one of the hairstylists told her not to "waste this kind of money" as her hair would regrow in six months to one year.

Asked for compensation

Nonetheless, Kee sought compensation for the treatment which she had estimated to cost at least S$10,000.

She said that she wasn't expecting them to pay for the full amount, just to "cover a good portion of it", and was prepared to accept just S$6,000.

Apparently, they tried to negotiate for a smaller amount of around S$1,000 to S$2,000, which Kee wouldn't accept.

Kee claimed that the lady boss told her to get a professional quotation for the treatment, promising to speak with her partners regarding the compensation.

Allegedly denied responsibility

When Kee contacted her the next day, however, the lady boss allegedly refused to acknowledge the treatment fee and told her to go ahead with legal action, which she did.

On Jan. 15, Kee updated that she received a letter from K A Hair Salon's lawyer which allegedly denied any responsibility from their end.

In the letter, they also requested for her to go through a hair examination by their professional.

Kee recounted her experience on her Facebook page on Jan. 15, which has since gained more than 4,000 shares.

However, no one picked up the phone, and it now seems to be busy or disconnected.

After numerous attempts to get in touch, the hairstylist seems to have blocked us.

We will update this article if the hair salon responds.

Top image from Kelestine Kee's Facebook page.