Permanent hair straightening

AubreyMac

There seems to be various names for this - Brazilian, Japanese, keratine treatments.


Anyone ever had permanent straightening? if so, is it really permanent where you can wash your hair with only shampoo and leave it to dry naturally and it still looks smooth and straight?

Fire_Fox

AubreyMac wrote: »

There seems to be various names for this - Brazilian, Japanese, keratine treatments.

Anyone ever had permanent straightening? if so, is it really permanent where you can wash your hair with only shampoo and leave it to dry naturally and it still looks smooth and straight?

The process is similar to the Eighties poodle perm (oh yes I did! ) or to 'relaxing' the kinky-curly hair of someone with African heritage.

Anyone who claims permanent straightening is not damaging is either a bare-faced liar or has a questionable grounding in cosmetic science. There is no way to subject human hair to alkaline agents and intense heat without damaging it. There is no way to permanently restore or repair hair that has been structurally altered (= damaged).

The outcome depends on the (true) condition of your hair at the start, the skill of the hair stylist, and how curly your hair is naturally. Expect to use conditioner and intensive conditioner regularly before and after, never shampoo alone.

Worst case scenario your hair will look frizzy-yet-straight, or start breaking off, afterwards. Best case scenario your hair will be smooth and straight and easy to manage until there is decent regrowth at the roots.

Misslayed

I had the Brazilian treatment for two or three years with no problems at all, I have extremely thick, slightly wavy hair, and after the treatment it was smooth and straight and I didn't do anything differently when washing it - I was working then so regularly washed it without conditioner (I'm not very organised in the mornings). It made my unruly hair very easy to manage, quick blow dry and it just fell into place, no straightening needed! I did read scare stories about the damage/dangers of the treatment on tinterweb, but my hairdresser reassured me that the products she was using did not contain the nasties in the scare stories. IIRC it was L'Or!al.

HTH

AubreyMac

Thanks.


Issue is that I have fine hair, it's not very coarse or curly but it is frizzy and I do all I can to avoid any form of moisture in the air!


I'm trying to grow my hair (had a bob for decades) but it gets to a point where its too high maintenance so I give up and cut it. Was thinking if it was easier to manage then it'll be more tolerable.


Guess I'll go a for a consultation next time I'm at the hairdressers.

Spoonie_Turtle

AubreyMac wrote: »

Thanks.


Issue is that I have fine hair, it's not very coarse or curly but it is frizzy and I do all I can to avoid any form of moisture in the air!


I'm trying to grow my hair (had a bob for decades) but it gets to a point where its too high maintenance so I give up and cut it. Was thinking if it was easier to manage then it'll be more tolerable.


Guess I'll go a for a consultation next time I'm at the hairdressers.

Head on over to forums.longhaircommunity.com if you want to try growing your hair again. You will almost certainly find tips on how to get past that awkward stage and keep going, and the vast majority have experienced that longer hair is lower maintenance (and cheaper! Some of us are quite a frugal bunch :cool:)

Frizz is usually caused by undiscovered waves or curls studying up whatever moisture they can get, by the way I thought my hair was pin straight but frizzy, but now after a more moisturising routine for a couple of years my hair is wavy! Still frizzy, but much less so *and* I'm happy to know why it was so frizzy, not that it was just unruly.

spirit

I almost had a Keratin treatment a couple of weeks ago. but I didn't fancy the idea of having formaldehyde on my hair. The hairdresser said we'd both have to wear masks whilst he did that bit.


That and them having to 'iron' the stuff into the hair made me change my mind.


That treatment lasts about 6 months or so and would have cost me £120. There is another one called the Brazilian blow wave that is a bit cheaper but only lasts up to 12 weeks.


Not very MSE


There are over the counter anti frizz serums you can use, so i'll be sticking to those.