Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Let’s Get One Thing Straight

I’m talking about my hair, ladies. After years of hassling with my thick and naturally frizzy hair, the past couple months of stress pushed me completely over the edge. Between finals, cleaning out my office and keeping up with personal obligations, something had to go. So, I finally decided to cut back on the amount of quality time I spent each day with my blow dryer and trusty hair-straightening products.

A bit anxious but very burnt out, I recently headed to a small Korean salon recommended by a friend at work. There, they gave me a Japanese-style “magic straightening perm” for just $250. Was I nervous? Yes, especially since I used to color my hair, and chemically straightening color-treated hair can be damaging. But the staff at Mr. Lee’s Hair Place really knew their stuff, carefully trimming away a few end pieces that still contained traces of dye, while also explaining things to me each step of the way.

Was the three-hour process good for my hair? Probably not, especially given all the harsh chemicals that were used. But “healthier” treatments, including the more expensive Keratin complex, just hadn't given me the super-straight hair I wanted. Plus, Japanese straightening is permanent, whereas the Keratin treatment eventually washes out.


Now, instead of spending a solid half hour or more styling my hair, I spend less than 10 minutes blowing it dry after just a quick spritz of spray. And if it’s the weekend, I can just let it air dry, no product required, becasue no matter what I do, it comes out straight, smooth and not even slightly bulky every single time. And in my busy world, that’s completely awesome.

Have you ever tried a straightening treatment or other major styling service?

12 comments:

  1. Oh, so awesome! Good for you - I hate, hate, HATE taming my sorta curly, sorta wavy, sorta straight hair every morning. I blow dry and flat iron, and it takes over an hour and gets messed up the minute I walk out into the fog. I am seriously considering having this done. Actually, I'm convinced now. Time to do some research. Your hair looks great :)

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  2. I have the opposite problem. My hair is stick straight and does NOTHING. It just sits there on my head...and I'm thinking of getting a body wave perm after the wedding to change that - my hair won't even hold a curl!

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  3. I haven't done this because I have naturally straight hair though I still use a straightner to keep it smooth. However a good friend did this and loved the results.

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  4. I have naturally straight hair , but sometimes I think it would be nice to have some body to it.

    Your hair looks amazing!

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  5. Oh yay! it looks great. I worked at a salon for three years and every time someone came in for a permanent straightening treatment they were really nervous, but by the time they left, they were delighted with the results!!!!

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  6. I love it! I cant wait to see the front!! I blow dry mine every day and Im getting tired of it! But I do need a cut so that might help! :)

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  7. looks great! glad you found a treatment that works well for you and makes life easier :)

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  8. The magic perm is great and has changed/touched many of my friends' lives. Sadly for me, it makes my hair flip out and crazy b/c my hair is pretty straight... i just wanted the flat iron look ALL the time lol. It looks great on you!

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  9. Your hair looks awesome! My hair is thin and straight, but thankfully there is a lot of it. Unfortunately it doesn't hold much when styled.

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  10. It looks fab and must be so much easier; my hair is quite fine but I still use a straightener so would love to get this done to save me time since at the moment i usually just tie it up!

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  11. not to be the stick in the mud here...Your hair does look fab! BUT, what happens when your hair starts growing out at the root? I have naturally thick curly afro-am hair and I haven't chemically straightened it in years because of the two-texture drama after about 2 months of new hair growth. :(

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  12. That is so great not having to spend 30 minutes on your hair. I remember those days. But once I had children, and everything else, who has the time. Usually just let it air dry. I always had naturally straight hair (really straight) but SUPER thick and LOTS of it. Then after having kids, now I have wavy slightly wavy hair. I get my hair MAJORLY thinned out every hair cut to 'cut' back on the weight of my hair.

    From the picture, it looks like the salon did a great job on straightening your hair.

    - Sandra

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