Written by Alicia Lartey
Image via Pinterest
I feel like I’ve never been able to enjoy the silk press season, as by the time I step out the house my hair slowly morphs into a heart shaped ball of curls which is cute, but definitely not what I intended. There are so many products on the market that claim to deal with frizz but nothing truly deals with frizz like a brazilian blowout.
In my journey to create effortlessly smooth straight hair, I did consider other straightening methods were explored such as texture release or relaxing my hair, however the issue is not every method of chemical hair straightening would be appropriate for my hair density and curl pattern. When going in for any drastic hair change it’s important to fully understand the process and the potential outcome.
My hairstylist asked me how I typically wear my hair, my regular hair maintenance routine and if I wanted to still keep some of my curls. The answer to all of those important questions are: I typically wear my hair natural or straightened; I love a low maintenance routine! I often avoid doing too many steps on wash day and my curls were a 50/50. The next big change I hoped to make to my hair was to cut it into a classic bob which was inspired by Melissa’s Wardrobe and my dedication to having a quick hair routine that was gym compliant.
The Brazilian hair treatment itself is a slightly long winded process that requires you to dedicate several hours of your time to sitting in a salon. I went to my usual hair studio @shaglondon for my hair transformation! April was in charge of applying my Brazilian treatment which happened in a few stages:
1. Wash and dry my hair, this helps to evenly distribute the Brazilian treatment and ensure all hair strands are saturated.
2. The treatment is then left in your hair for a while to work. It is important to note that some formulas of the Brazilian keratin treatment contain formaldehyde, so it is worth checking with your stylist if that concerns you. You may also notice your eyes watering which is completely normal!
3. Your hair is then blow dried to perfection with the treatment still in there, then rinsed out thoroughly.
4. A mask is then applied before final styling
My Brazilian keratin treatment has helped me maintain whatever style I choose for my hair, cut down blow drying time and given me a lot of shine to my new bob. The best part about all of this is that I only have to touch my hair up once every 6 months.
When maintaining your Brazilian at home, it is important to avoid shampoos with sulfates as they can impact how long the treatment lasts for.
