brazilian blow dry - am I expecting too much?

[AGirlHasNoCake]

My DFD is mixed race. SHe has long curly, quite coarse hair - and lots of it. It can be quite unmanageable, and she cannot blowdry/straighten her hair herself, so its down to me to help her.

FOr her birthday, she asked for a brazilian blowdry. SHe wants straight hair that is easy to manage.

Ive never been blessed with curls and have thin, straight, fine hair.

So I agreed, and coughed up a fortune for a brazillian blow dry at our local salon.

She was told not to wash her hair for 3 days and to use her straighteners regularly beofre she washed her hair.

SHe went away to camp after 5 days and, as her hair is naturally very dry, did not wash it before she went.

WHen she came back she had curls. SHe had not washed her hair and yet there they were.

Tonight she washed her hair and its curly again. Ive blow dried it and straightened it and its just a frizzy mess.

As Ive never needed this service, I dont know if my expectations were too high or whether this brazillian was not suitable for her hair type - or if the hairdresser just did a crappy job. SHould she have curls and frizz after a brazillian - with mixed race coarse thick curly hair.

Did she straighten her hair regularly since the treatment and the first wash?

Was it humid at the camp? The weather in the UK has been surprisingly warm and therefore quite humid in some parts.

I've paid to have it done in salon a few times and used the home kit myself many times. In my experience it doesn't straighten the hair, it smooths it. So unless you actually use straighteners the hair will still be curly but shouldn't be frizzy. For me, I find it significantly reduces the time needed to dry and straighten my hair, but I do still have to straighten it.

I agree with previous poster that the current levels of heat & humidity probably don't help. You need to avoid salt on the hair as it breaks down the keratin that's been sealed in. Salt is a common ingredient in shampoo so you have to use salt free shampoo to prolong the effects of the 12-wk blow dry. I'd imagine in this heat if you're sweating a lot that'll get into the hair and have the same effect?

thank you. Can you recommend a shampoo?

I used to get the treatment regularly but at different salons (often chased special offers). Sometimes it was amazing and sometimes not so much. It doesn’t sound like the hairdresser did an amazing job. Was she used to treating the type of hair that DD has? It sounds like her hair might need stronger stuff/higher temperatures compared to typical European hair.

I agree with Life and do a Brazilian Blow Dry every three months. There are loads of sls free shampoos around now. I recommend Organix Argan Oil shampoo or Mixed Chicks shampoo.

Did DD use shampoo with sls in it?

I disagree. SLS free shampoo prolongs a keratin blow dry but not by that much. Washing once/sweating/humidity would not be enough to break it down fully if it had been done properly. In fact the difference between SLS free shampoo and normal shampoo is so slight many professional brands no longer advise recommending as it's expensive and doesn't make much difference.

Either the treatment wasn't strong enough or the flat irons weren't hot enough. Take her back to the salon and ask for it to be redone free of charge.

@AGirlHasNoCake did the salon not provide you/sold you shampoo and conditioner?

@LifeInAHamsterWheel where do you buy home brazilian treatment?

thank you. SHe used her straighteners every day before heading off for camp - 5 days total. plus 5 days on camp.

The salon wanted to sell me shampoo and condition for £33 - it was already a stretch to afford the treatment, so I didnt have that money. I'll have a look today and see how she is looking, give it another iron (she has GHDs) and see how it looks.

Her hair was straightER when she had washed it, and it was easier to blow dry, but its not smooth and its not straight. Its also a frizz ball - I'll take photos when she wakes up.

I guess as this is our first time, we wanted to see how well it would work with her hair. We went to the local salon who know her and the chap has been cutting her hair for 4 years.

He said at the time that if this didnt work well, the alternative would be a relaxer, like you would use with back hair, but that would be a permanent solution, and her hair would grow out curly at the roots, so thats not happening.

I guess I am disappointed, (and she is dissapointed) that this has not lived up to our expectations, but as I said, they may have been unrealistic. Thank you for the recommendations on shampoo - I shall look for something.

It won't be poker straight but it shouldn't be a frizz ball... id go back to the salon and ask for some help. Sounds like they didn't do it properly? Or it just doesn't work on her hair, which I doubt.

i've ordered some shampoo and conditioner - thanks for the tips. I also saw the john frieda anti frizz serum - could I use this on hair thats been brazillioned?

WHile I was online, I saw som home brazilian kits - anyone used one before? any recommendations for next time - I may as well do it myself, as Im having to blow dry her hair anyway!

Thank you for all your help. Its a whole new world for those of us with limp fine hair!

I think the shampoo and conditioner is important. I had one and was also a bit disappointed, I was hoping for straight hair but this procedure is only meant to cut down frizz. If hers is frizzy and she has followed the rules then I'd go back and ask for it to be redone

Whatever you do, don't relax. I've relaxed for years and always end up cutting my hair short. I think it was probably the stylist, could you ask him to do again when safe? Just don't tell him you've used normal shampoo as he will blame it on that. And unless your daughter has washed multiple times with normal shampoo it really should not be out yet. Or did she swim, perhaps? I find brazilian will take out the frizz, not the curl. Good luck with the hair, but yes it is a life long 'struggle'. I am also intrigued by the home kits.

Sounds like a dud!

Hello again OP, you can use Frizz Ease serum but I personally prefer leave-in conditioner. You can experiment and see which works best for your DD.

I used to do it at home myself but now I go to a salon as their price includes a haircut and it's quite reasonable. Doing it on your DD won't be hard at all. I used to order mine from a distributor and would be happy to PM you the details if you want. The product comes from the USA.

I also would go back to the salon if the hair is still noticeably frizzy. It's not a straightening system but it absolutely should get rid of most of the frizz.

I have used this kit from Amazon

I find that for it to work property you have to take very small sections of hair and go over and over it, it's exhausting! And make sure to do it in a well-ventilated room as the fumes can be quite strong.

But I do think she should go back to the salon and see if they can do a better job, given what you paid for it and that he has been doing her hair for years.

and this is the shampoo that I've always used, it lasts for ages (I only wash my hair once a week!)