Chemical hair straightening: features and means for the procedure

Today there are a lot of hairdressing procedures that allow you to change the appearance of hair not only with a haircut, but also curl or, conversely, straighten the curls. To the list of services, thanks to which you can temporarily change the structure of the hair shaft, making it straight and smooth, it is necessary to include chemical straightening. You can achieve a similar result in the salon and at home, resorting to the use of specialized formulations.

Modern hairdressing service, which is called chemical or permanent straightening, allows you to change the structure of the hair shaft. As a result of the influence of specialized formulations, you can make the curls even even after a perm, or you can turn hair that is naturally curly into smooth strands. Translated from Latin, the word "permanent" means "permanent". Based on the name, it can be understood that the result of straightening will be permanent. This is due to the presence of chemicals that break down the disulfide bonds inside the hair shaft. The reaction takes place with natural keratin, which is the main constituent of the hair.

The compositions used in the process of chemical straightening have the most gentle effect on the curls, and the natural ingredients provide the strands with shine, smoothness and a well-groomed appearance, reminiscent of the result after salon styling. Since the procedure provides a long-lasting effect, in the course of natural hair regrowth it will be necessary to correct the root zone., especially if the work was carried out with naturally curly strands. Chemistry of the latest generation does not deform protein compounds in hairs, but only acts on disulfide bridges. And the destruction of cystine and its derivatives is compensated for by protein complexes of a different type, which provide elasticity to the curls.

Straightening gives the following results:

• hair will become straight for a long period;
• hair shafts will acquire additional shine and smoothness;
• the split ends can be removed to some extent.

For chemical straightening, in addition to the desire of the client himself, there are indications such as:

• it is recommended to use the service for too curly and damaged curls;
• most often it is possible to remove traces from a perm;
• permanent straightening is indicated for haircuts that require daily styling in order to give the strands an even appearance.

Contraindications for such manipulations with hair are as follows:

• temporarily abandon the contact of hair shafts with chemicals should be with severely damaged and weakened curls;
• straightening is contraindicated in violation of metabolic processes in the body;
• Japanese straightening is not carried out before the summer season;
• the master will refuse to work with bleached hair, in the course of removing the pigment on which 9% or 12% oxidants were used;
• it is possible to straighten hair shafts after highlighting or blonding no earlier than six months later;
• contraindications to the procedure will be the presence of allergic reactions to any component present in the composition of the drugs used;
• straightening is temporarily contraindicated during the period of bearing a child and breastfeeding;
• diseases of the epidermis, abrasions and injuries belong to the category of contraindications;
• permanent straightening should not be done immediately after a perm.

Among the distinctive features of this hairdressing service, it is worth highlighting such nuances as:

• you can straighten hair not only over the entire head, but also locally, making only the bangs or hair shafts in the root zone even; such opportunities are due to the versatility of permanent straightening;
• despite the slight aggressiveness of the used fixatives, the drugs used nevertheless cause certain harm to the structure and health of the hairs, in light of which they will need special care;
• despite the duration of the straightening effect, after a few months it will still be necessary to visit the master again to correct the regrown roots, which can spoil the appearance of the hairstyle;
• chemical straightening takes a long time; as a rule, the whole procedure on medium-length hair will last about 5-6 hours;
• hair after the procedure will retain its even structure even under conditions of high humidity;
• to consolidate the result obtained, you must refrain from washing your hair for 3-4 days after straightening;
• it would be more correct to entrust such a procedure to the master, at home there is a risk of errors associated with incorrectly selected fixing compounds, which will cause serious harm to the hair.

Any salon procedure with hair has its positive and negative sides. The advantages of chemical straightening include such characteristics as:

• in the process of working with hair shafts, changes in them occur not only on the surface, but also inside the cuticle; thanks to the deep impact, while observing the correct proportions of the working composition, the curls will be much easier to comb and create different styling;
• after straightening, you can abandon the use of irons and pans for a long time;
• you do not have to worry about the appearance of styling, since the hair will remain straight in any weather conditions;
• as a rule, the correction will be needed at least 5–6 months later, and this procedure will only affect the regrown roots, so the hair along its entire length will not be exposed to chemistry.

The disadvantages of permanent straightening include such nuances as:

• this service in a beauty salon will be distinguished by its high cost;
• the clips used contain dangerous components that can cause burns on too dense curly curls;
• after straightening, the hair will need specialized sulfate-free care products.

Permanent straightening can be classified according to the type of composition used. Manufacturers today offer several product options.

• Sodium hydroxide clamps. These substances belong to the group of aggressive substances, since alkali is capable of corroding the structure of the cortex. As a rule, such funds are used to work with curls after a perm.
• Products based on guanidine hydroxide. They are distinguished by a moderate degree of aggressiveness; they are absent in the composition of alkali. The substances dry out the hair quite strongly, so after using them, you will need to regularly moisturize the curls.
• Compositions based on ammonium thioglycolate. These are modern products for straightening strands that act on hair very quickly. Usually, the master uses products from this series for strands that are distinguished by the minimum presence of curls.
• ISO amine retainers. These are new generation substances that do not contain acid or alkali. They allow you to smooth hair and get rid of split ends.
• Means containing ammonium sulfide and disulfide. These clips are recommended for weakened hair, as well as colored hair. The result of their use will be a light straightening effect that has a minimum duration.

Among the most popular hair straightening products, several options are worth noting.

• Goldwell. It is an elite class Japanese technology that stands out for its long lasting effect. After using the products from this line, correction of straightened hair will be needed no earlier than after 1 year. The fixatives are additionally enriched with lye proteins, betaine, keratin, vitamins and essential oils. After straightening and simultaneously restoring, curls can be dyed or laminated.

• CHI Transformation. This is a popular system that also stands out for the content of additional natural ingredients. Among them it is worth noting olive oil, aloe vera, extracts of various herbs and algae. American companies are engaged in the production of clamps. The preparations can be used on bleached and damaged hair.

• LakMe K-Straight Ionic. The fixatives have a gentle effect, do not contain formaldehyde, so they can be used on any hair. Straightening of the hair shaft structure occurs due to the penetration into the depth of a special lotion with ceramides. The result lasts about 3 months on the hair.

• Relaxer. It is a sodium hydroxide based formulation without ammonia.The manufacturer offers three specialized series for hair masters, which are recommended for different types of hair shafts.

The straightening process consists of several successive steps.

1. First, the master must assess the condition of the hair, on the basis of which to choose the most effective composition. After choosing a product, the skin on the head is lubricated with petroleum jelly or other fatty composition, which creates an additional protective film on the surface that can prevent burns in case of accidental contact with chemistry.
2. Further, the strands along the entire length are treated with an emollient. After that, the entire volume of the hair is divided into strands, on which the reagent is applied.
3. After a quarter of an hour, the hair is washed and smoothed using a special ceramic iron. The result obtained is fixed with a retainer.
4. The next step is to wash your curls to rinse the rest of the fixer off the surface of the hair shafts. After washing, a special restorative preparation is applied to the hair to neutralize the alkali.
5. At the final stage, the head is washed with shampoo and balm.

Despite the fact that modern products for straightening curly strands contain natural components, chemical components still cause some harm to hair. It consists in the fact that due to obtaining even hairs, their destruction occurs. To return the curls to their original state, you will have to trim them, wait until the effect of straightening completely grows back. After the strands become even, the volume of the hairstyle will noticeably decrease. Exposure to chemistry on hair will require the use of specialized formulations for care, which will entail the need for additional spending.

Subsequent care for curls involves compliance with the following recommendations:

• within 5 days after permanent straightening, you should refrain from washing your hair, as well as using hairpins and elastic bands, which can cause kinks on the hair shafts; high humidity should be avoided and hair should be protected from precipitation;
• in the process of caring for straightened curls, it is necessary to use a brush with rare and soft teeth;
• curls will need a nourishing mask, which must be done at least 2 times a week, and it would be more correct to use baby shampoo to wash your hair;
• you need to dry your hair in a natural way - without using a hair dryer.

The available responses from girls who have tried the salon procedure for chemical hair straightening are positive. Clients note a significant external transformation of the curls, due to which any haircut becomes more accurate. As a rule, if you follow all the recommendations regarding subsequent care, the result of straightening will delight you for 5 months.

Many women have used the local straightening technique on curly hair, when the work was carried out with only bangs. As a result, the clients completely no longer needed to use irons on a daily basis. At the same time, natural curly curls in the remaining mass of hair were preserved, which had a positive effect on the appearance of the hairstyle.

For information on how the procedure for chemical hair straightening goes, see the next video.