All About Brazilian Hair Straightening

Girls' best friends are diamonds. And the most luxurious natural adornment of the fair half is hair. Every young lady dreams of thick, shiny and healthy hair. Traditionally, girls with straight hair sleep and see picture curls on their heads, and the owners of curls dream of straightening them once and for all.

Brazilian straightening is able to please ladies with any hair type: it is done on both straight and curly curls. The result is a brilliant "waterfall" like an advertising picture.

Brazilian hair straightening (brazil keratin treatment) is a procedure that gives not only healthy shine to the hair, but also saturates its structure with keratin, making it denser.

Why does keratin straightening have such an amazing effect? To begin with, one should remember what human hair consists of: of three main layers - the inner substance (medulla), cortex, protective scaly cuticle - and chemical constituents (keratin, melanin, trace elements containing metal).

With frequent damage to the cuticle by chemical and thermal effects, its scales begin to puff up - like a lump. The complex protein keratin is a protein that is part of the protective coat of the hair. With its lack, the hair splits, becomes disobedient and lifeless.

The amount of this protein depends on race: it is least of all in curly hair of Africans (85%), slightly more in Europeans (90%).The highest rate is among Asians, it reaches 95%, due to the harsh climate with sharp drops and cold winds.

Brazilian straightening is a kind of keratin straightening. Why exactly Brazilian and what are its differences? In the early 2000s. it was in this South American country that innovative preparations were developed that can safely straighten the most naughty and hard curls with a pleasant bonus in the form of a healthy shine. They received the name Keratin Treatment (keratin treatment) and were originally just therapeutic agents. The new format has made a splash in hair care with its incredible performance.

Initially, the composition contained a large amount of formaldehyde (9-15%) and not the best quality keratin of plant origin. The effect was striking and lasted from 6 to 12 months.

Scientists from the UK, Israel, and the USA began to develop a more gentle formula of the product and achieved significant success by creating drugs with a WHO-approved 2% formaldehyde content. Soon, the formula was improved, removing completely the harmful component and adding high-quality hydrolyzed keratin based on sheep's wool.

Over the course of 2 years, this kind of straightening has become incredibly popular in the States. It appeared in the domestic open spaces already in 2010 and instantly won the favor of thousands of girls. Today the technology of Brazilian straightening is unique and effective, has a pronounced healing effect.

In addition to the spectacular look and mirror shine of the hair, Brazilian straightening provides the following benefits:

• modern salon cosmetics practically do not contain harmful substances;
• you can enjoy the result immediately after the end of the procedure;
• the effect lasts for several months with proper supportive care;
• one procedure allows you to solve several problems: straighten hair, give it a healthy shine, make the structure of the keratin layer denser;
• the keratin film becomes a kind of shield that protects the hair from external harmful influences;
• keratin does not weigh down the hair;
• healing effect;
• the hairstyle is easier to style due to more obedient strands;
• allows you to get the desired straight hair for owners of naughty curls;
• after the procedure, curly hair will become so again, however, it will look healthier;
• does not damage hair like chemical straightening;
• minimum of contraindications.

Disadvantages that should be considered when going to the procedure for the first time.

• Straightening is not recommended for owners of short, weak, thin and oily hair.
• During the procedure, there is a risk of scalding the hair if an insufficient amount of the solution is applied to it, since the Brazilian straightening is performed at a very high temperature.
• Formaldehyde, which is a harmful substance, is present in the formula of the composition. Within the limits permissible for human safety, however, the very fact of its presence is undeniable.
• Special care is required. Special sulphate-free shampoos are expensive and only need to be used.
• After the due date, the hair will return to its previous appearance, so you need to visit the salon regularly to maintain a spectacular hairstyle.

Experts who have been working on Brazilian straightening technology for a long time believe that it is suitable for all types of hair, including those that have undergone chemical straightening.But the ideal candidates for the procedure are girls with dry brittle hair that is highly electrified.

Happy owners of healthy hair can also attend the procedure, provided that the master carefully applies the composition from trusted manufacturers.

Keratin straightening is suitable for colored and highlighted hair, improving their appearance, making the shade richer and brighter, gives a mirror shine.

Brazilian straightening is also suitable for extended strands, but only a qualified technician should trust this procedure. The smoothing composition has an effect similar to a conditioner, increasing the glide of the hair, so it should be applied with great care to the area where the extended strands are attached to natural ones.

The procedure is suitable even for men with hair length from 10 cm and children from 13 years old.

There are a number of contraindications:

• taking antibiotics;
• the presence of cancer;
• asthma;
• individual intolerance to the components;
• fresh wounds, damage to the scalp;
• hormonal disbalance;
• alopecia;
• diseases of the scalp (dermatitis, mycoses, psoriasis).

For Brazilian straightening, you need special smoothing compositions with liquid keratin and some tools.

• A hairdryer with a cold blower function, with which the strands are dried after treatment with keratin.
• You will need a round comb to pull the hair out while drying.
• A flat comb is needed to evenly distribute the composition through the hair.
• Iron fixing the keratin layer. The salon uses expensive professional equipment with ceramic or tourmaline work surfaces and the ability to set the desired temperature.
• A protective mask and 2 pairs of gloves: latex gloves will protect the skin from the applied agent, and thermal protective gloves will be needed to work with a hot iron.
• Capacity for the composition.
• Application brush or spray bottle.
• Hair clips.
• Protective glasses.
• Ear pads that protect the client from accidental iron burns.
• Air extraction. Since most products contain formalin, which releases formaldehyde when heated, keratin straightening is carried out only in well-ventilated rooms. In salons in the cold season, mobile hoods are relevant.

The above tools are used in showrooms. At home, you can also carry out a similar procedure, for which you will need:

• hairdryer;
• iron;
• hairbrush with different teeth;
• bowl and tassel;
• gloves and mask;
• clamps;
• a room with a window and the possibility of ventilation.

At home, the procedure can be carried out with the presence of tools, professional cosmetics and experience. Therefore, it is preferable to entrust the beauty of your hair to the hairdressing specialists in the salon.

For Brazilian hair straightening, they use products from different manufacturers, the main difference between them is the composition and method of application. We offer for review several of the most popular products that can be found in salons.

• Brazilian Blowout - a well-known line from an American manufacturer, until recently widespread in the USA and Canada. Jennifer Aniston became the face of the advertising campaign. The composition includes many natural ingredients, most of which are from Brazil: acai, camu-camu, annatto. An important feature of Brazilian Blowout products is the ability to perform various manipulations with hair after the procedure, without waiting 72 hours. The line includes: shampoo, balm, mask, smoothing serum, thermal protective agent.

• CocoChoco Is a popular brand that is popular in many salons.Israeli cosmetics for keratin straightening consists of the following products: smoothing serum, thermal protection agent, nourishing mask, shampoo with conditioner. Unlike other formulations, CocoChoco preparations have a cumulative effect, which allows in the future to reduce the number of visits to the salon, as well as a longer period of action - up to 6 months. But after the procedure for 3 days, no manipulations with the hair can be carried out.

In the salon, the procedure consists of the following stages.

• The master thoroughly combs the hair with a comb with rare teeth, after which he washes his hair using a professional cleansing shampoo.
• Hair is rinsed with warm water and dried.
• Next, a smoothing serum is applied to the hair with an indent of 1-1.5 cm from the roots. This is done with a brush or spray gun.
• Depending on the chosen cosmetics and the manufacturer's recommendations, a cap is additionally put on the head, which is removed after 10 minutes.
• Then the composition is dried with a hairdryer in a warm setting.
• After that, the composition is "sealed" on the hair using a hot iron. This is the longest stage of the procedure, since each strand must be passed 8-10 times.
• Hair is washed with warm water and a mask from the same series is applied.
• The procedure is completed by the process of drying and styling with a hairdryer.

Keratin straightening can be done at home by purchasing a kit from a professional store. In terms of cost, it will be about the same as going to the salon, but it is extremely difficult to achieve the same efficiency at home.

It is important to carry out the procedure in a well-ventilated area. In general, it does not differ from the salon in terms of stages: first you need to wash your hair, dry it, and put a film on your shoulders. It is better to pour the product into a spray bottle if you are doing the procedure yourself. Collect hair in a bun and, pulling a lock from it, process each one. An important point - the product should not get on the skin!

Having received the long-awaited smooth and straight hair as a result of Brazilian straightening, you must properly care for it so that the work of the master in the salon is not in vain.

So, the first 72 hours after keratin exposure is impossible:

• wash your hair;
• do hairstyles with hairpins, elastic bands and other accessories;
• dry and style your hair with a hairdryer;
• use a curling iron, iron;
• apply any styling products;
• wear hats (caps, hats, baseball caps).

In order for the beauty of the hair to last as long as possible, it is important to follow a number of rules between procedures:

• wash your hair with sulfate-free shampoos (for example, Estel Otium Aqua, Natura Siberica, L'Oreal), since lauryl sulfate, which is contained in many shampoos, destroys the keratin sheath, and the hair will become unruly and fluffy again;
• you can get a haircut no earlier than a couple of weeks after straightening;
• the same applies to staining, and the paint should be chosen only without ammonia;
• you should refrain from visiting the saunas and baths - hot steam will make the keratin disappear from the strand.

Any hair requires attention and proper care, so it will not be difficult to follow simple rules after keratinization. In this case, the result will delight you in due time.

The reviews about the procedure are mostly positive. Owners of unruly curly hair call it their salvation and admire the smoothness and mirror shine of the strands. Instead of a "washcloth" on the head - soft and manageable hair.

There are reviews noting that the hair has to be washed twice as often, the roots grow greasy much faster, and after each wash the effect becomes less. Girls with long frizzy hair also note that the effect is dubious and imperceptible. There are frequent comments that after 4 shampoos, the hairstyle returned to its previous state. The volume was drastically lost and even collecting a simple ponytail became problematic.

To do such a straightening or not is up to you. You can study sites with reviews, listen to the opinions of experienced friends, but the main thing is to consult a good master who will competently assess the condition of the hair and be able to carry out the procedure with high quality.

Next, see the master class on the Brazilian keratin hair straightening procedure.