MM found an article about the Brazilian Blowout over the summer and sent it to me. It sounded intriguing, but WAY too expensive to “try just for fun.” So, when groupon.com had a deal on the process for more than half off, I jumped at it. For those who are not in the know, a Brazilian Blowout is when a hair stylist applies a particular formula of stuff to one’s hair to control curl and frizz. I didn’t have a lot of faith that anything would be able to tame the curl in my hair, but since it has reached the “so curly it’s turning frizzy” point, I was willing to try. To be clear, the process involves the stylist washing one’s hair four (yes FOUR) times, combing it out, applying the solution with basically a stiff brush in the shape of a broom to every strand of hair, waiting while the solution takes effect, drying the hair out completely, flat-ironing it in small pieces, washing it again (!), applying a “masque” solution, and drying it again. The website says it takes about 1 1/2 hours. Those of you who know me (and my hair) know that if it takes 1 1/2 hours for someone else’s hair, it’s going to take 3 hours for mine.
The results are amazing. My hair is smooth and soft. The first day after was the best, since I didn’t get it wet and, over the course of the day, my hair picked up some curl at the end. (A friend of mine called it “romance novel hair” reminiscent of the heroines on the covers of Harlequin bodice-rippers.) Even so, I washed it on Friday. It’s still soft and smooth, but the curl is definitely back. It’s MUCH more manageable, though. I would imagine it will look even better when I have my hair cut and colored again in a couple of weeks. It’s been since the end of July, so some of the frizz caused by the many split ends just can’t be repaired. More importantly, my hair currently has no style, because, after 3+ months, whatever style there was is WAY too long to still show up.
Why has it been since the end of July? Because I’ve been having “issues” with the stylist I’ve been going to since I moved up here in 2001, and it’s hard to move on from a stylist. The Groupon was a great way to try a new treatment at a new salon and maybe find a new stylist. If it didn’t work out, I could always go back to my old stylist and say “it was a great deal, I love the effect (or not) but I don’t trust them to cut my hair” or some other excuse. But the real fact is: she cut my bangs so short in mid-July that, in the first week of November, my bangs are just now reaching the end of my nose. They’re clearly too long, but with previous haircuts and neglect, my bangs would be down to at least my upper lip by now. MM says its been a long time since she’s given me a good haircut. I think that’s probably only half true. It’s been a long time since she’s given me a good haircut that I wanted. The haircut has been well-executed, she just didn’t listen to what I wanted. The same is true for the color I’ve wanted. Is it a guarantee that the new stylist will be any better? No, but after my Brazilian Blowout experience, I’m willing to give her a try.
Oh, and the salon’s chairs at the hair wash stations have back-massagers in them. Big perk. And it feels really good to go to a place that isn’t in a strip mall. And they had really good snacks (if you’re going to spend 3 hours at a place, I am now firmly convinced they should have snacks). I’ll keep everyone posted on the progress.
