Funny that Friday’s class is on Alterations to the Self. We’ll be looking at the ways we alter our bodies (tattoos, piercings, weight lifting, steroids, hair dying, and CERTAINLY hair straightening) and how those things impact our body image. I’ve had straight hair for the last 3 hours and I don’t know that I’ll feel any different than I usually do– right now, I just feel like I had my hair cut (because I always have my girl straighten my hair when I get it cut since I don’t have the patience or talent to do it myself). It’ll be interesting to see if this process gives me manageable hair everyday and if it does then if and how that impacts how I feel about myself. More on that later.
For now, I’ll give you the play by play of the process.
Woke up, showered, put some hair product in, actually got the diffuser out (I had forgotten that I owned one) so that I could dry my hair the RIGHT way and make sure that I was still down with the straightening (I was although when BF walked in and said, “Ah, I am going to miss the curls,” I faltered for a moment. And then just wanted to smack him in the rump because, seriously, I’ve been having stress hair dreams for a week that I have told him about every morning and he choose TODAY- THE DAY- to tell me this. I didn’t (smack him) and I didn’t change my mind)
Thus, I began my day with hair that looked like this…
So, I got to my appointment and my girl washed my hair with a Keratin clarifying shampoo that stripped my hair of any products that were on it and just got it down to the essence.
Next, she dried it like she normally would and then she applied 2 oz of Keratin straightening product all over it (in small little sections) with the type of brush she would have used to paint hair color on if I were getting color done.
The product itself sorta smells like suntan oil (Bain de Soleil circa 1988. Don’t use that stuff, though. Use sunscreen).
So here is my hair all gooped with Keratin. Then, she put a shower cap on it and I sat there to let the stuff soak in for 15-20 minutes.
Next, she blew my hair out. And this was the crazy thing. There were flakes flying around and I was like, “Do I suddenly have the world’s worst case of dandruff?” It turns out I don’t. The product just does that as the hair is blown out for the first time. And then it is done with that phase.
After the blow out, she divided my hair into 1/2 inche sections and flat ironed each section 5-7 times. 90 minutes after she started, she did the last section and I was no longer a curly girl.
The end result…
So, here’s the company line from the Keratin folks…
This treatment will reduce curls by at least 80%, frizz by 100% and make one’s hair humidity resistant. You can’t wash your hair for 3 days after you have the treatment done and you can’t put barrettes or pony tails in during that time either (I am going to be looking FLY come Sunday). The treatment washes away over time so the less you wash your hair, the longer it will last. And you have to use Keratin shampoo and conditioner to wash it (which came free with the treatment). My hair dresser did her hair in the fall and took her about 4-5 months for her curls to come back and they came back un-frizzy and not quite as wild. So, we’ll see what it looks like the first time I do it (although my very first experiment is going to be to just wash and go since that is my dream, really) and we’ll see what it looks like each month as the curls start making their way back. I’ll definitely keep you posted.
* Thanks to Poppy and BF for hanging with Happy so I could go get my hair did. I appreciate both of you!
Looks good! Interesting treatment process-what I did to str8n mine in high school was much different and probably much harsher on my hair. Keep us posted!
I hope you are pleased with the results! I am getting a haircut tomorrow. I never “do” my hair either. I don’t even look in the mirror before I leave the house so it’s often a ratty mess. But I still like my curls.
Wow – your hair looks so shiny and beautiful!
As a fellow curly girl, I’ve been toying with the idea of some sort of straightening – my hairdresser’s been telling me about Japanese straight or a Brazilian straight, which I’m considering. But, they’re expensive and I’m afraid that in 4 months my hair will be both curly again anyway and breaking due to the chemicals.
How’s your hair looking today? Do you like it? What finally made you do it? My hair is much more tightly curled than yours, but I’m running out of patience. 🙁
Hey Joanne!
So, the Brailizan straightening is what I did which is organic (from a plant product) and not harsh. I wouldn’t have been willing to do something harsher and so knowing that this more gentle option was available was helpful in my decision. My hair dresser says this will last 3-5 months depending on how often I wash it (everyday washers see their curls come back in 3 months, a few times a week washers see their curls come back in 5). She did it to her hair and her curls are back but without frizz and not quite as tight as they were before– she’s happy with them and they look good.
I finally decided to do it because it honestly doesn’t look good right now curly– I am not sure what was going on with it; my sense is hormoes. And while I don’t have much time to get ready right now with the toddler, I do still need to look presentable a few times a week for different things and I wasn’t looking presentable or professional. I have no hair skill whatsoever so it seemed like this might be the best solution for a woman without brush skills or time. We’ll see how that works out over time.
Today is the first day that I can wash it so I am doing that in just a bit. I’ll give you a report on how it looks when it dries soon!
Let me know what you decide!
Hi Rosie!
Thanks for the reply. How cool! Funny thing is – first the hairdresser and I discussed Japanese – but I’m sooo reluctant to put harsh chemicals in. Got convinced to do anti-curl about 7 years ago and I like for about a year until I had to chop 8 inches off because it was breaking so bad.
She mentioned the Brazilian, but she’d only had the product for about 1 day and hadn’t done it on anyone yet. So, she asked for some time to test it out. Maybe I’ll go check in with her and try it. Except my hair is sooo thick, you think it will work? Is your hair thick?
Joanne,
In terms of thickness, my hair isn’t as thick as it used to be (again, aging and hormone changes, I think) but my hairdresser’s hair is crazy thick and she also did it on her co-worker whose hair is crazy thick and it worked well on both of them.
What I wasn’t prepared for after the first wash was the crazy, pin straightness. I let it air dry yesterday and it just sorta hangs down limply straight. I definitely need to style it, I think, to get the best look out of it. I’ll keep you posted!