Has anyone had there hair chemically straightened?

[helips]

I'm moving abroad in a couple of months time for 2 years and the thought of having frizzy hair for 2 years is filling me with dread! I'm thinking of having it chemically straightened but don't know much about it so was wondering if anyone on here had had it done.

My hair is shoulder length and wavy but in humid conditions will resemble Monica's from friends in Barbados! I have it coloured but not bleached but will probably go swimming quite a lot so am wondering if this will damage my hair. At the mo I live in Essex so can anyone recommend a hairdresser that does this, and give any general advice like how much it will cost, how long it takes, how long it will last? Will it damage my hair?

Thanks

[helips]

Interesting what you say about still having to iron your hair, my friend had hers done a few years a go and she said she could wash her hair and leave it to dry and it would be poker straight. I don't want to wreck my hair but the thought of never having to straighten my hair is so tempting!

Lawrieislucky I wil be moving to Singapore and reckon they might do it out there, just a matter of finding a reputable hairdresser!

Passionfruity thanks for the recommendation...

[passionfruity]

I've had Yuko five times - every 6 or 7 months - and it's brilliant. I haven't experienced any dryness or split ends, in fact quite the contrary as it made my hair very silky.

Try Ash Salon in Covent Garden and ask for Ringo - she did my shoulder-length hair recently for only 200 pounds and it took four hours. Before I found that place, I'd been paying 350 pounds a go

[aJumpedUpPantryBoy]

Thread hijack - lawrieisluckybutnickyisnicer, you must be an Antoni. Forest fan. I'm just rereading The Cricket Term and you name made me smile.

[lawrieisluckybutnickyisnicer]

i had yuko twice. i have thick hair, coarse frizzy, curly but not very curly. it did make me glossy and neat and i woke up feeling glam. it did not take away need to use irons, but was a 5 min not 45 min job to get smooth and straight.

wrecked my hair though. hairs with four or five split ends. also, curly roots looked weird. if you are away for two years, how are you going to get it redone? far far too expensive

[amummy30]

i've had mine done, but i hd it done while i was pregnant so not convinced it worked as well as it coud have, mine is normally really fluffy curly horrible as soon as any moisture hits it, it did tame it slightly but i did still have to straighten it. my friend is a hairdresser so she did it me for £30 and I have masses and masses of hair, most hairdresses would do it i imagine

[helips]

Thanks Nancy, I have tried the permanant blow dry but it doesn't straighten the hair at all, just takes out the frizz which means it is quicker to straighten with the irons. However, this won't be enough in a humid environment!

Where did you get yours done? Will swimming damage the hair? It is expensive but a small price to pay for not having to iron your hair every day!

[Nancy66]

I have mine done using the Yuko system.

My hair is corkscrew curls though - wavy hair I could put up with.

It's permanent so the sections of your hair you have straightened remain straight - it' the new growth that needs to be addressed - I get mine done about every 4 months.

the upside is that it works brilliantly, there is no frizzing, and it improves the condition of your hair by sealing in a 'shine'

the downside is that it's very expensive and takes ages. I pay £350 and it takes about 5 hours

I also have shoulder length coloured hair

there are other, cheaper, 'permanent blow drys' but they wouldn't be strong enough to fight my curl - they might be ok for you though