Permanent Hair Straightening Questions!

[JosiePosie]

Hello everyone! So for the last week or two I've been seriously considering getting my hair permanently straightened. I have colour-treated, fine, long-ish hair (down to near the bottom of my shoulder blades). It is kinky and frizzy in the back, and then sort of wavy in the front, with a kink through the layers underneath. I have 3 different textures to my hair, none of them pretty. I would say my hair is resistant as well, even when I straighten it, I still get kinks in the back at my root, and no matter how much I straighten that part, it will eventually kink. I also wouldn't say my hair is damaged or dry, it's still soft and I treat it once a week with a Moroccan Oil hair mask. So because I have such a wavy/curly/frizzy texture, I straighten it a few times a week, put it up in a bun for the lazy days, and only wash my hair every 2-3 days to get the most out of my style when I do straighten it. I'm just tired of the extra hour I have to take out of my day to do my hair. I just want to be able to wash and go. So I was researching different systems and still have no idea what I should do. I have read a lot about the Bio Ionic Retex System. This is supposed to get really great results (totally straightening the hair), but A LOT of people have said to not do this on your own, and to get an experienced stylist to apply the system for you. Another option I've been looking at is the Japanese hair straightening. There are a few salons in my area that do this system for a decent price (starting at $170). Another is a DIY system from One N' Only called the Keratin Brazilian Tech System, which I bought at Sally's but haven't used yet. I was just wondering what your guys' views are on this and if you have done this before and what method you used and the results you got. Did you like it, would you do it again? Did you experience any hair loss? I would really love your help on this! Thanks so, so much in advance!! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[MerriCat738]

No, never ever use any of these systems at home.  The chemicals they contain are pretty harsh and you can cause severe damage with them unless you know exactly what you are doing.  I also have naturally curly hair with an uneven curl pattern (straight on the top, curly in the back and on the sides.)  My stylist uses One 'n Only Curl Remover, technically a professional product although Sally's sales it directly to consumers.  It has been on the market forever but the results last for around six months. 

My former hairstylist actually used a straightner (I can't recall the name) that was designed for African American hair and talk about bone straight...  And it lasted until I got the treated areas cut off!  I think usually products that are designed to straighten African American hair are marketed as "relaxers" but they do the same thing as the One 'n Only albeit they are truly permanent!  I wish I could find another stylist who uses these.     
 

 

[x3meggiex3]

It definitely sucks taking so long to have to do your hair... especially if it's going to rain that day lol What a bummer!
I know someone who has done the Keratin Brazillian treatment, but she already had straight hair.... so I couldn't give you my opinion on whether it works for that or not however, her hair is more beautiful than ever. It's extremely shiny, super healthy looking and soft as ever. It literally looks like the hair commercials on TV, so that's always nice.
I've had my hair "Relaxed" before because I wanted to have my hair permanently straightened as well.
Well, with relaxed hair it's not permanent and will have to be done a couple times a year. It's not too expensive, probably $100 or even less now. The only problem is... I have thick, wavy/curly, coarse hair... nothing out of the ordinary. It didn't work. It was straight and silky smooth and beautiful for the first day, but the next day it was back to the curls. I definitely think I wasted my money! I wouldn't suggest that you take that chance, but there are people who it's worked for, so that's your choice.
Now, I just deal with straightening my hair. That way I can have my lovely curls and waves, or have straight and both works out for me in the end... unless it rains, like I said.

Hope this helped a little bit on your direction.


 

 

[JosiePosie]

MerriCat738, did you experience any damage to your hair after using the One n' Only treatment?  What about hair loss or stuff like that?  I've seen this at Sally's and online, is it just the regular treatment you used or did you use a specialized one (ie. for colour treated hair).  The results you got sound pretty amazing!

 

[kawaiisquawks]

Between the ages 13-17 (I'm now 21) I used to get a Japanese straight perm every 6 months because my hair was absolutely impossible to deal with. The process takes the entire day, I used to go in at 8AM and she wouldn't be done until 5-6PM. It was so boring I got so tired of having to do that even if it was only twice a year that I had my hair hacked to a short pixie cut. Strangely enough after I decided to grow my hair out again, it went from frizzy/wavy to nice defined curls, so now I rarely even use my flat iron, I just let my hair air dry. The chemicals they use also smell absolutely awful and the smell lingers since you're technically not allowed to wash your hair (or tie it up) for 3-4 days after you get the perm. I never experienced any excessive/unusual hair loss afterwards. It makes your hair pin straight, the only time you'll see curls/frizz again is when your roots start growing in. The results are great if you don't mind dealing with the smell and sitting in the same place for hours.

 

[Steff]

I have noticed that people with naturally curly hair can use WEN Cleansing Condioner and just follow with a blow out using WEN styling cream and they get beautiful shiny straight hair. This is also wonderful for African American hair! I have a lot of natural curl and I've been using WEN for 7 years. My hair has never been so healthy. My friend who is African American stopped using straighteners and relaxed and just uses the WEN products and her hair is shiny and very hydrated. She wears it straight or let's IT dry naturally and it feels so soft and silky.

 

[Steff]

USE WEN PRODUCTS. You will not believe the changes it makes in your hair. Don't use straighteners, they take out all the hydration!!! WEN PRODUCTS are so natural with no lather to dry or strip color. I love it. Wouldn't use anything else ever.

 

[puffyeyes]

I really like Renpure Organics keratin straightener.  You wash with the prep shampoo, then add the keratin serum, wait about an hour, and blow dry & flat iron it.  It only lasts 2 weeks but it's not damaging.  Downside: if you're allergic to peas it may not work for you.  That's what the keratin is derived from.

 

[ZeeOmega]

In my family, my mother has been getting brazilian blowouts done at the salon for a couple of year now and my brother has been getting the Japanese hair straightening for almost a decade, I think. Their natural hair is very similar to mine: fine, low porosity, type 3 curls. My brother hates having curly hair. My mother wanted a change and something that was easy to style as she had a ridiculous commute before she recently retired. 

I can't speak for the procedures or chemicals for either, but you can see Norther's post above about Japanese hair straightening. I can tell you that visually, my brother's hair is extremely straight to the point of almost looking severe next to my mother, whose hair is straight but with a softer look to it, if that makes sense. I notice that my brother is able to just let his air-dry and will run a brush to neaten it up afterwards and will still look perfectly the same. My mother can let it air dry, but needs to blow dry it to get a more polished look. While he sometimes will complain about the time and the cost of doing the Japanese straightening, he always caves and gets it done again because he just can't stand his hair otherwise.

 

[MerriCat738]

JosiePosie to answer your question it did dry my hair out a little bit (it's the nature of the beast that these products do that) but it didn't cause any breakage.  Keep in mind that my hair was completely virgin at the time.  To combat the dryness I used Matrix Sleek conditioner and Sleek Blow Down Leave In Creme.  FYI I highly recommend the Matrix Sleek system.  I use the Blow Down Creme as a leave in conditioner even when I'm wearing my hair curly.

The One 'n Only formula was she used was "normal."  Here's a link: http://www.sallybeauty.com/curl-remover/ONEONL14,default,pd.html?cgid=Hair07