Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

Keratin/Brazilian Blow Dry

121 replies

CrispyHedgehog · 27/09/2011 09:17

I got this on Amazon and a friend helped me do it last week. It was a faff - lot of blowdrying and straightening.. probably took about 3 hours in all but it was sooo worth it!!!

My waist length scarecrow frizz is now sleek and glossy.. it looks like I've done it with the big hair but I haven't... it's fantastic!!! I would even go so far as to say that it looks better than when I had it done in the salon for nearly £200.

I reckon I could have done it by myself but it would have taken me a lot longer and I might not have got the back done so well but omg I can't rave about this stuff enough!!!

OP posts:
TheGoldRoad · 29/09/2011 12:56

Ooooh I've just ordered some Grin

Original poster
CrispyHedgehog · 30/09/2011 00:45

good luck goldroad.. it's truly fabulous :o

OP posts:
TheGoldRoad · 30/09/2011 15:42

Thanks! It's here already, well at the sorting office. I'm just wondering whether do it in this heat or will it keep getting sweaty at the neck area and frizz up?!

Original poster
CrispyHedgehog · 30/09/2011 19:26

Whoaa that was fast!!!

mine hasn't gone frizzy at all.. even spent today at the coast and it's still glossy and shiny and swishy :o

OP posts:
trixymalixy · 30/09/2011 19:51

Oh fab. I have had it done a couple of times at a hairdressers, but thought it was a total rip off. I'll be doing it myself at home from now on !!

PetiteMum · 30/09/2011 20:54

Does it make your hair flatter? I already struggle with volume as I have fine hair but lots of it....

glub · 30/09/2011 20:59

i'm really interested in doing this. have crap hair. especially after two kids with odd bits of regrowth and distant afro genes. but having read the reviews on amazon i wonder is there any way of doing a skin test just to see if you are allergic?

practicallyimperfect · 30/09/2011 21:02

I'd like to try this but, I can't blow dry my hair straight. Just cant do it. :(

TheGoldRoad · 30/09/2011 21:56

You'll have to rename yourself 'SwishyHedgehog' Grin

Original poster
CrispyHedgehog · 01/10/2011 00:43

My hair is a bit flatter on top petitemum, it's very fine but plentiful too. My hair needs a good cut tho and probably some layers.

you don't need to blow dry it proper straight practially, because you go over and over it with straighteners too.. I'm a crap blow dryer too but so long as you get it straighter then it's ok I think.

lol @ new name :o

OP posts:
TattyDevine · 01/10/2011 08:51

Hello OP. I'm pondering a question on this. What do you reckon would happen if after blowdrying, instead of using your straighteners to straighten the hair, you used them to do soft waves? Bear in mind when you do soft waves with GHD's they still smooth the hair? Would you end up with a semi permenant but sleek glossy wave, do you reckon?

trixymalixy · 01/10/2011 08:57

When I had it done in a salon they said that the reason they advise not to tie your hair back is that the kink would be there until the keratin wore off. So in theory I guess you could tatty. I'd be really interested to find out whether that works in reality.

virgiltracey · 01/10/2011 08:57

lynlynn please don't do it whist you are pregnant. I have had a few brazilian keratin treatments and they do not just contin keratin. There has to be somehting to make the keratin actually bond to the hair and in most cases its chemicals whihc could potentially do damage whilst you're pregnant.

TattyDevine · 01/10/2011 09:37

I'm going to do it! Because I don't wear my hair straight anyway, I have nothing to lose, because I'm sure the heat action of the GHD provides the smoothness in terms of any frizz or flyaway (which I don't have much of anyway), my hair will benefit from the keratin, and it will either work or not. Worse case scenario is it likes to dry in all directions or something after in which case I either use salty shampoo to get it out quicker or just have to style it out which I have to do anyway to get my waves. For £25 doesn't matter if I spanner it. And best case scenario is I manage to get a semi permanant glossy wave into it.

The main reason I ask is that I can't imagine having to wear my hair straight for 3 days after! I'm going to try it!

Original poster
CrispyHedgehog · 01/10/2011 09:41

possibly tatty.. my hair isn't poker straight now, it does have some waves in it but in it's natural state my hair is very very curly and unmanageable.. like that red haired woman from the news of the world who's name escapes me, but frizzier.

When I had it done at the salon it was still curly despite me straightening it every day of the three day waiting period but less so and the frizz was about 80% gone. This one seems much more effective - the frizz is 100% gone and I've not needed to use any products or styling equipment at all on it since :o

OP posts:
TattyDevine · 01/10/2011 09:53

I'm going to do it.

This implies it can be done and after reading this I think it would make more sense to do it with a curling wand as opposed to GHD's because with GHD's you have to go through each section in order to apply enough heat for long enough for keratin bonding but with a curling wand/iron that goes up to about 210 you could wrap the hair and then leave it for 10 seconds to ensure keratin bonding. You could refresh the curl over the 3 days and before washing it because apparently the hair "sets" how it is just before you wash it.

I'm going to do it! Just researching the best curling wand to get. I do have one but I don't like it that much and I'm not sure it goes up to 200 degrees.

Will report back. Have to order products etc, so it might be next week or week after before I actually do it... Grin

maristella · 01/10/2011 09:57

I'm watching this thread with frizzy haired interest!

My hair is very wavy, if left to dry naturally it's very curly, and it's massive.
I had my hair cut short a few years ago, and while I loved the condition of it, it was very high maintenance indeed. I dread washing it because of the time it takes to dry and straighten it, so any product that allows me to have shorter hair with less styling time would actually change my life :)

maristella · 01/10/2011 09:59

I'd also be keen to know if you can swim in the sea and not look ridiculous afterwards. The Amazon link says you must use salt free shampoo after so I'm wandering if salt has a negative impact on it...

virgiltracey · 01/10/2011 10:06

I am going on holiday in 2 weeks time and my hairdresser said to wait until I get back before having keratin since the salt water and the chlorine in the pool will affect the blowdry and it won't last.
I have ignored advice about the shampoo before by the way and after about 2 weeks it was as though I hadnt had the treatment and so it is really important to avoid sodium and sulphates in shampoo and conditioners and any other products you are using.

TattyDevine · 01/10/2011 10:31

Yep salt kinda disolves it quicker and sea water would be a mega salt dose so no sea swimming!

Can someone give a few "legal" shampoos? I know there is a Tresseme salt free one, any others? Just looked at my Aveda Madder Root one and its swimming in salt and all other kindsa shite! I thought Aveda was organic?! Hmm clearly not...

maristella · 01/10/2011 11:08

Do you think the salt would ruin it straight away or do you think I might have a few days of straighter hair? Grin

Staying out of the sea is not an option

TattyDevine · 01/10/2011 11:25

I don't it would disolve it all instantly but you probably would have straighter hair I'd imagine. Its a lot of expense (if salon) or faff (if home job) to go through to get 3 days I reckon. Swimming cap?

TattyDevine · 05/10/2011 12:44

Right, I've done it! I did it this morning. Product arrived yesterday having ordered it on the weekend so very quick service.

In the end I decided against using a curling wand to do it curly, as I love the wand I got but I was worried I'd not get the ends quite right so I decided to do it straight with GHD's then go through it and curl it at the end.

So I shampooed twice with the clarifying shampoo, towel dried, blow dried to total dryness, applied the product in sections combing it through, then blow dried that (it dried much quicker and less heavy than I thought it would like everyone says - you just don't quite believe it till you do it!). I then straightened it very thorougly in sections, going over 7 times, at that point I still hadn't decided whether to just have it straight or curl it, but then thought, sod it, I'm never going to wear my hair straight, not tied up, not tucked behind ears etc etc for 3 days, I have 2 young children and the hair is like a scarf I'll be sweltering, so I curled it with my GHD's into lovely glossy waves, and I have clipped it up away from my neck just very loosely.

What I am hoping is that when I wash it out on Saturday (or even Sunday if I can wait) it will dry with a bit of wave and nice and soft and shiny. Worst case scenario is the waves/curls dont "hold" but I should still have the conditioning effects of the treatment. Whilst my hair still looks fine, it feels a little dry and brittle as I've done lots of naughty things to it so I'm hoping it might replenish some of the protein bonds and improve the condition so I can do yet more naughty stuff to it in future! Grin

Will report back when I've washed it in 3 days!

Original poster
CrispyHedgehog · 05/10/2011 13:41

wooohooo tatty!! I'm very impressed that you were able to do it by yourself.

Just be careful that the clip you've used doesn't 'crease' your hair in funny places. Hope you love the result as much as I do :o

OP posts:
TheWisdomOfSolomum · 05/10/2011 23:55

I've had this done today, but in the salon. I'm planning on doing the one on this thread at home in future but as I don't really have anyone to help me thought I'd get the hairdresser to do it first.

I've been out in the rain a couple of times, it hasn't got wet but did frizz a bit on top, which it would normally do pre-treatment. I've straightened it twice today and will keep using my irons until wash day (im aiming for Sunday)

Is it normal that I will still get some frizz? Will it stop when I wash it? I didn't expect super straight hair, in fact hairdresser told me it wouldn't straighen my hair, but that it would get rid of my frizz. It hasn't though.

Swipe left for the next trending thread