Indonesian Style Starts with the Hair Dryer

Empowered by a booming economy, young women in Indonesia are becoming increasingly fashion conscious. Some are also trending away from traditional dress and embracing the styles of their counterparts in Japan and Singapore, wearing more modern styles reflecting the current fashion trends. In fact, the number of women wearing the jilbab (a type of head covering) is said to be decreasing, sparking a profusion of trendy hair studios in Indonesia, including voguish Japanese brands as well as salons directed by local stylists who learned their art abroad.

Panasonic makes its products and technologies available to a diverse range of consumers around the world. These articles show some of the ways the company is changing lives in different cultures from the views of local reporters.

Hi, I'm Hisako. I recently explored Indonesia's growing hair care culture and met up with Darti, a bubbly 19-year old student at Universitas Nasional and bank worker. She was more than happy to show me how she uses her Panasonic hair dryer and hair iron to recreate the latest styles.

Light and powerful for fast, no-fuss drying

The lightweight Panasonic dryer makes drying from the top down less tiring.

Following Islamic teachings regarding cleanliness, Darti showers twice a day. But her long hair takes quite a while to dry, and the lengthy drying times coupled with hair damage and spreading caused by low-power, domestically produced dryers led her to eschew them in favor of a simple electric room fan.

Then one day her friend recommended a Japanese hair dryer. Darti opted for a cute, pink Panasonic model and was astonished at how soft and moist her hair was after using it. "It's hard to believe that I spent so much time fussing with drying," she exclaimed. "I love the fact that my hair feels moist and bouncy after using the dryer, and I never worry about damaging my hair."

Devout Muslim sister shares the convenience

Family ties are strong in Indonesia with entire families gathering on holidays. Darti poses with her close sister (middle) and bother-in-law.

Darti shares the dryer with her sister -- a devout Muslim who lives in the same home -- on a daily basis. As is customary, her sister covers her hair with a jilbab soon after washing, so in the past it never really dried properly. But the Panasonic took care of that. "Even women like me, who wear a jilbab, can get a lot out of this dryer," her sister said. "My hair really feels smooth after drying."

Hair iron easily straightens long hair

After drying Darti uses her Panasonic hair iron to straighten and smooth her long hair.

Indonesia women generally have either thin, fine hair or thick, frizzy locks. The latter is unpopular with many, who regularly use a hair iron to straighten unruly hair. An oft asked question of women with straight hair is whether or not they had a perm, with the increasingly common response being, 'No. I did it myself.' Darti is one of them. Her Panasonic hair iron effortlessly straightens and smooths hair, making it easy to create strikingly fashionable styles.

Adding curls when hanging out

Darti curling her hair.

Jakarta's stores are filled with hair irons made exclusively for straightening. Her Panasonic, though, has the added attraction of being able to curl hair. Darti usually does just the ends but when running around with her friends, it's another story. "I really love the full, curly look when out on the town," she said.

She just purchased her Panasonic hair iron at the end of 2012 but has already mastered it, and is constantly experimenting with new looks. "It used to be a real pain to try different styles on my own but not anymore," she beamed. "The iron is loads of fun and I can create some really cute looks."

Darti's Panasonic hair dryer is part of her daily grooming routine.

Darti before (left) and after using her Panasonic hair iron. Lovely, do-it-yourself curling has never been easier.

A home-grown solution for high-fashion looks

Contemporary thinking regarding hair care is being driven by Indonesia's strong economy, exposure to the internet and Japanese hair studios -- such as Shunji Matsuo and Nobu -- along with Indonesian master stylists Rudi Hadisuwarno and Johnny Andrean, both of whom trained abroad. But fees charged by these studios are out of reach for most, so when Indonesia's less wealthy discover a new look in a magazine or web page, they pick up their hair dryers and hair irons and go to work. For women like Darti it's fun and has them looking their best -- with a big assist courtesy of Panasonic hair care appliances.

(Reported by Hisako)

Darty and her university friends. All have long hair and love to dress up.
While researching this article in January 2013, Panasonic beauty care products were being featured in Jakarta shopping malls, drawing a great deal of interest from the city's young and fashionable women.

In September 2012 Panasonic Asia Pacific began introducing new beauty products in Southeast Asia with the aim of furthering the new wave of Asian beauty. Click on the links below to stay abreast of our beauty activities in the region.

September 2012 Launch