Most of the time my hair looks really nice, but the truth is, it takes a lot of effort to get it sleek and straight. And during the summer, it is almost always a waste of time as the heat and humidity turns it into frizz faster than it can melt an ice cream cone. My hair, in fact, sucks. Its natural state resembles a mound of steel wool, only not as useful. So this summer I opted to get a Brazilian keratin treatment. Here is what happened.
A good friend, who happens to be a hair stylist, knows the struggles I go through to make my hair presentable and recommended a colleague who just started doing the Brazilian hair straightening treatment. She said my tresses, which are thin — or fine as they say in salon parlance; nothing fine about them, I say — curly and frizzy, were perfect for the treatment. She explained that it was temporary, lasting three to four months and that it would actually make my hair stronger. That is because with a Brazilian blowout, as it is sometimes called, the hair is coated with keratin that is fused on to the strands with a super-hot flat iron. The structure of my hair remains the same, but the coating keeps the cuticle nice and flat. This coating wears off over time, depending on your hair, how you take care of it, what products you use to wash and style it, how often you wash it and so on.
I asked her what she thought about me getting a permanent hair straightening like the popular Japanese one, and she advised against it. The permanent treatment can be damaging and is not recommended for a lot of hair types and you have to go through an awkward grow-out stage since the treated hair stays stick straight until you cut it off.
Well, I had it done and I couldn’t be happier. It still has a wave to it, but it looks nice without having to put on lots of product. When I do straighten it, it takes maybe 10 minutes, not the 45 minutes or so it used to, and it doesn’t react to humid air. It is the most carefree my hair has ever been — perfect for summer!