My best friend has thick, very wavy hair, but you'd never guess it from looking at her. That's because she goes in for Japanese thermal conditioning, a treatment that leaves hair straight for months. Now I have to tell her about a newer process from Brazil called escova progressiva. According to the New York Times, it can be used on most hair types, even color-treated hair. And now it has migrated from South America to the States.
"Right now, it’s blowing everything away," said Meryle Nemeth, the nuBest stylist who administered Ms. Epstein’s treatment, one of about 500 she’s done since February, when it became available at the salon [in Manhasset, NY]. "I've never seen anything take off like this as far as relaxing hair."
For details on this treatment, read more
Brazilian hair straightening takes up to four hours and costs between $150 and $600. The Times explains the process, which truthfully sounds a little... un-fun:
A stylist applies a solution made with active keratin, a protein akin to a component of human hair. Using a 450-degree iron, the hairdresser seals the formula onto the outer layer of the cuticle. The formula adheres to the cuticle’s inherently rough edges. Thus, it is said, it traps moisture, hydrating the hair, and adds a glossy veneer.
Buried deep in the article is this little nugget: "The formula often contains formaldehyde, a known carcinogen that can irritate the eyes and lungs if the fumes are inhaled." Yikes.
Are you interested in getting this treatment done, or are you happy with your curls and waves?
Stila
Tibi
Aftershock
i love this site!!!!!
1i love beauty!!!!!!
2no thanx, I love my curls wayyyy 2 much
3I think it's one of the hallmarks of human nature - or at lease woman nature - that we seem to always want the hair we didn't get. I have fairly straight, but thick, hair, and I always wanted curls. I have so many friends who are desperate to straighten theirs out, though!
4thats so true rachi99, up until a year ago I used to straighten my hair but now I'm jus fed up and have learnt to love my curls.
5no thank you. my chi works just fine.
6I want curls but soft curls.
7Interesting! I think I will stick with my Japanese straightening though!
8I did it! It´s wonderful!
9i blow dry and use ionic brush and it works wonders
10I couldn't do either of these procedures for two reasons:
1) The harsh ingredients that go into straightening it...formaldehyde in my hair? Yowza!
2) The lack of being able to experiment with other hairstyles at any given time. Once it's done, you're stuck with it for a while.
11I'm more interested in the Japanese straightening...where can I find out more info about that!?
12oh man i'd love that. probablly expensive. i have thick curly/wavy/frizzy confused hair and i'd love to have it straight without it getting poofy.
13Nah, I like my curls and I'll keep 'em - y'know, sans formaldehyde. Now if only I could get rid of the frizz.....
14As a girl with straight hair, I say be proud with your curls, girls. I'm jealous.
15I have straight hair and I like it. I would never do this to my hair!
16I have straight hair but I did the Japanese straightening and it made my hair shiny and got rid of my flyaways. I highly recommend it! The only thing is you have to sit in a chair for 5 hours (depending on hair length) and it's a bit pricey but worth it. (I paid about $700).
17I rather style my hair everyday... don't like the idea of these things doing permanent changes to my hair.
18i have the curliest natural curls ever.. lol
19seriously- picture those victorian (or far west saloon girl) banana curls: that's me. it's called "jewish hair", according to my grandmother, and i've always hated it being a victim of the "rachel cut" generation.
i used to straighten it like a maniac, once i even did a pixie cut in hope that it would stop the curling. guess what- it didn't.
i've just recently learnt to accept it. am working on liking it.. all thanks to my german boyfriend whose whole family is comprised of blue eyed blond(e)s with straight hair. apparently my curls are the first physical thing that attracted him to me!
My hair is a little wavy and i like to try this process, i asked it to my hairdresser, he told me it's impossible for my highlighted hairs, because it could harm my hair badly. The best results comes on a natural hair with no highlights or dye or anything else.
20LOL I chemically straightened my hair using Dark and Lovely and it came out super curly. It looks cute though but i find it funny that i got curls when i wanted straight hair.
21I would give this a try. Price doesn't seem tooooo bad when you figure it will last at least 4 months....
22My hair is neither straight or curly it's just wavy-frizzy I HATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
23i like my hair.. its super wavy.. which makes it super easy to get ready in lets say... 10 mins!
lol
24yeah i hear you about the not straight not curly not wavy......its just ugh...no definition and lots of frizz..so i stick with japanese straighteningbut i might try this
25curly hair is exy. i don't think anyone should pay hundreds of dollars to straigten their hair. I have curly/wavy hair, and I wouldn't make it straight for anything! if you ask me, the before pic is better.
26*sexy
27I blow dry my hair to straighten it, but I embrace my curls and am happy that I can easily switch from one look to another.
28Wash and wear curls. And Nexxus Versastyler.
29Daaang. I wish I could afford to do something like this, but hundreds of dollars for a hair treatment is WAY outta my price range (hmm...pretty hair, or rent? LOL). That being said, I'd be up for it if I could afford it. I have really unruly hair...it's not curly, but it's just wavy and not very smooth, and it drives me nuts!
30It sounds great for a change of pace, but I try and be health/environmentally conscious, so no go on the formaldehyde.
31450 degrees farenheit
32its gonna burn my hair of
eeeeeeeek!
The NY Times neglected to report that earlier this year a young woman in Brazil died from respiratory failure after having this treatment. Her autopsy confirmed that she had a reaction to the formaldehyde. Apparently negative reactions are not uncommon since other women came forward reporting incidents of severe reactions to the process. Hair looks great after intitial treatments but this process ultimately damages hair. Should you decide to try this proces make sure you do it with a salon you know and that your hairdresser is absolutely sure of the provenance of the the solution.
33I get the Japanese straight perm every year, and I love it! It leaves my hair sleek and lightweight, and it's much easier to shampoo my hair. Also, you can still curl your hair or style it however you want.
34i would probably get it..i already have a relaxer and my hair is still curly and unmanagable.
35My hair turns into a frizzy nightmare in the slightest humidity. If this really works I would definitely do it.
36Love your curls! Don't straighten them!
37I'm gonna repeat my comment in simpler language. A girl DIED after the formaldehyde solution was applied to her hair! She was only 24 years old. Others burned their lungs and eyes from the fumes and are damaged for life.
We still don't know how many regular users might get cancer in the future from formaldehyde.
Is curly/frizzy hair so unacceptable that it's worth risking permanent damage to your health or even death?
38As much as I hate straightening my hair, and would love to go to the beach and actually be able to get my hair wet, I'd have to say NO!
391) The fumes could kill you
2) 600 dollars is rather expensive when you think about the upkeep. I can't imagine getting it done and then constantly have to retouch it because it's starting to grow out. That has to cost a ton!
I remain a fan of the Japanese technique. I wish I had great curls or waves. But I don't. If I do not blow dry my hair (45 minutes - 1 hour) and flat iron bits of it around my hairline, I do not have any kind of style at all. My hair is thick and coarse so the ends prick my skin. In humidity, even if I've used product to smooth and relax my hair, it frizzes up and gets 2-3 times bigger. I envy people who can do nothing, even a ponytail, and go. Yeah, that's right ponytails, braids, buns - don't work on my hair. I've tried cut after cut, invested in all kinds of products and nothing helps except straightening and blowdrying and flat ironing.
40Brazilian hair straightening is the way to go! I offer it here in South Florida and the girls (and guys) love it! I used to get the japanses hair straightening but t didn't last too long. The brazil style lasts on average about 3 months.
I have some before and after photos on my website at http://www.sickoffrizz.com
It's crazy to see the difference once it's done. It looks awesome!
- Alex
41It's little bit expensive.. but it does look awesome ! i like sleek straight hair.. i did hair straightening, my original was big wavy and sooo think that made me looks like simba the lion if i dont wansh it for more than 2 days !!!
42I want to try this, I have wavy hair and a chi, but it takes so long!
43i smoothen my hair every 6 months
44Facts about Brazilian Hair Straightening:
1. It does not damage your hair, even if it's highlighted or colored/dyed.
2. It has to be done by a well trained/expert hair stylist.
3. It lasts months.
4. Your hair will look amazing.
5. You should definitely try it!
I have wavy hair and do this treatment every 6 months. Results: My hair is less damaged than it was when I used to blow dry it every day.
After this treatment will no longer need a hair dryer, you will walk out of the shower, towel dry your hair and comb it as usual.
45Allure has a really good article about this in this months issue . It basically talks about the risks of this and how many salons are not really aware of the chemicals in the Brazilian version. They even talk about people using like military grade gas masks while getting it done..
46interesting. It looks so beautiful. I'd like to get rid of my flyaways.
47pretty hair.
48I love my super curly natural hair.
49seriously, why would you do something with formaldehyde? That stuff can cause all types of wackiness in your body
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