Makeover your hair with the Brazillian Blowout!
Merritt, our Assistant Nutrition Editor, is always solving our diet dilemmas, so when she came to me with a hair crisis - I had to help! She tells us what happened below.
--Alex
I like to think of myself as a low-maintenance kinda girl. On a recent vacation I went a whole week without makeup or coffee! But, I do have one small beauty habit that is becoming an obsession as the summer gets hotter and more humid - straightening my hair. It started off with my very first Conair flat iron from the drugstore in college, but once I realized how awesome it was to run my fingers through my hair without creating tons of extra frizz, I swiftly moved on to the nearly $200 CHI Turbo Ceramic Flat Iron.
And now, suddenly, I'm the girl who has to get up 45 minutes earlier for a morning workout so that I'll have time to blowdry and iron my hair before work. Not a sustainable habit this summer - I'm training for a half-marathon! So, Alex suggested I talk to the pros at the Serge Normant at John Frieda Salon in New York City about their exclusive Brazilian Blowout, a keratin treatment that is supposed to unwind and de-frizz hair for up to three months. My overworked flat iron was begging to know more, and after hearing about Lucy's great experience with the treatment I booked my appointment.
The smoothing strategy uses keratin, the protein that hair is made of, and other ingredients to create a semi-permanent straight style. Did it work for me? Read on to find out!
Here's a picture of my hair before the treatment - washed, blow dried and brushed out in all its glory!
Achieving glossy, healthy strands doesn't have to be a battle. Pros at the Neil George Salon in Los Angeles helped four women conquer their toughest style issues.
Then, the stylist Ty, applied the keratin formula, blow dried my hair again, an then sealed it with a flat iron. The whole process took about two hours! Here is his bag of tricks:
Afterwards, my hair was SUPER flat (hmmm, never had that complaint about my hair before!) and I was instructed not to get it wet for three days - that meant no washing, sweating or even steamy showers! I strolled out of the salon with a head full of keratin and hoped for the best. Three days later I washed my hair and waited patiently for it to dry (who knew it was so tough being low-maintenance?). Here's a photo of my hair that day, sans product or styling:
I was thrilled! The soft waves make my hair look more natural and summer-y than any straight iron ever could. Not to mention the zero-effort factor. Hello, extra five hours per week!
My new obsession? Making sure this newly smooth style stays put for as long as possible! Luckily, that's pretty easy - I just switched to a sulfate-free shampoo. Ty recommended Paul Brown Hawaii's Hapuna line, which smells delicious and makes the effect last longer.
Do you have any tips for streamlining your summer beauty routine?
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