Whether you’re a naturally curly girl, or plagued by humidity, we’ll hazard a bet that there’s one thing standing between you and the hair of your dreams: frizz. Coarse, curly hair can be difficult to manage, and porous, fine hair can puff up at the mere mention of rain. But, in-salon straightening treatments can transform even the most untameable of manes into a swishy, satisfyingly smooth shape. There’s several treatments to choose from and it’s important to know which technique is right for you, before you go. Hairstylist to the stars Errol Douglas gave us the skinny on all things straightening; from Brazilian blow outs to keratin blow dries to relaxing treatments for afro hair…
By Daniela Morosini
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1 Relax afro hair
First up is relaxing – a chemical process used to semi-permanently ease the curl of Afro hair. Errol told us, ‘Relaxing isn’t necessarily for every hair type, but for seriously curly Afro hair it can work wonders to improve the hair’s manageability. It can be the difference between needing to spend hours every morning teasing and styling, and being able to get up and go.’ The results are long-lasting – Errol advised a top-up in salon every five to six weeks. On the day, block out a minimum of two and half hours for your treatment, and be ready to switch to gentle, pH balanced hair care after – Errol told us ‘Your hairdresser will be able to do a full consultation and give you bespoke advice.’ As for the process, you’ll get your natty salon gown on, then the relaxer comes in the form of a cream which will be applied all over your hair and left to work in until it’s time to rinse out. Errol said that healthy hair is happy hair, so make sure to use lots of conditioning treatment at home for maximum benefits.
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2 Fight frizz with a keratin blowdry
If your hair’s on the frizzy side, a keratin or Brazilian blow dry could be just what your locks are looking for. Errol broke it down for us: ‘A keratin blow dry is a deep conditioning treatment that smoothes frizz and deeply nourishes the hair. It lasts about five weeks, and is a brilliant treatment for fluffy, frizzy hair for a special occasion, like a holiday, for example. A Brazilian blow dry on the other hand is great for really coarse hair and has a semi-permanent straightening effect. It lasts about seven weeks, and can make styling your hair much more painless.’ The added benefits of a keratin blow dry is that the hair-nourishing protein used to de-frizz the hair is super-conditioning, meaning it’ll make your hair healthier as well as swishier. If you’ve been overzealous with the heat styling and bleaching, a keratin blow dry could work wonders. Similarly to relaxing, your hair will be saturated with a cream or liquid, and then rinsed out once it’s worked its magic.
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3 Control curls and kinks with a Brazilian blowdry
A Brazilian blow dry is a slightly more labour-intensive process – you’ll be in the salon for about four and half hours (charge up that phone battery and prepare to finally catch up on your reading). It involves a few different stages of lotions and potions being applied to the hair, and then instead of just being rinsed out, flat irons will be used to lock in the treatment and ensure super-sleek hair. If you battle with daily styling and blow dries, compare this to half a day in the salon for months of bouncy, beautiful hair? Sign us up.