Thermal Hair Straightening/Reconditioning

[rainyday]

Anyone tried this method?

I don't have any plans to do it soon, mostly because of the cost (several hundred dollars depending on length), but I'm really curious about this process nonetheless.

Here's an explanation of what thermal straightening is.

[elle camino]

i've never had it done (too chicken), but i did used to work at one of the only (three) salons in seattle that offered it.
unfortunately i can't offer much more insight into the actual process than you could find on the interweb, since the guy who did it at the salon was really reclusive (as in he showed up three seconds before his appointments and then left five seconds after his clients left - no socializing), and he did the actual service in his own room, behind closed doors. when people called and asked how it worked, all i could do was read to them out of the pamphlet at the front desk.

i can say that the results i saw were pretty mixed. everyone left the salon the day of the service with perfectly straight, glassy-smooth and shiny hair (of course), but i noticed that of the ones who came back, it was about a 50/50 split between still-straight-with-a-bit-of-curly-growout (best case scenario), and totally back to 100% curly and frizzy.


my opinion: save yourself $600, and spend $100 on a chi flatiron. those things are phenomenal, they last forever, and you only have to do it every 3 or 4 days.

[rainyday]

Thanks for the input. I was hoping you might weigh in.

Chi irons--I have one and it is a treasured possession. Treasured! I love that thing.

Only problem is that I've recently gone back to doing water aerobics. I didn't put my hair up the first few times and the salt/chlorine mix fried it terribly. I've conditioned it to death (including leaving conditioner on for several hours before rinsing), but I absolutely can't keep it untangled now even after using the Chi. Of course that makes me want to iron more, and even using protectants I worry that the iron will just hurt it more.

I'm getting a cut soon, and I'm hoping taking off the ends will help.

[Gingembre]

Is thermal straightening like chemical straightening? When I was in India, battling constantly frizzy hair, a girl I knew out there got her hair chemically straightened for, like $10. It looked so sleek and lovely everyday, even in the high heat & humidity, and I was so jealous! I have very thick naturally wavy-curly hair, and I was SO tempted! However, I emailed my friend who was training to be a hairdresser who advised me not to do it, coz it grows out, and I don't think I'd have kept up with the straightening the roots and it would have looked a right mess.

[elle camino]

chemical straightening is just a perm in reverse. same chemicals, just no curlers.

not that i would recommend doing it, but "it will grow out" seems like a really strange reason to not do something to your hair. i mean...everything you could possibly do to your hair will grow out. it's not like you can pay a salon to change your genetics.
just kind of a funny thing for a hairdresser to say.

but yeah, don't chemically straighten your hair. or perm it.
imo: not worth the cost or the damage.
or the smell.

[Gingembre]

Originally Posted by elle camino

"it will grow out" seems like a really strange reason to not do something to your hair.

It's just 'cause normally I never straighten my hair, and he knew I would never have got it professionally straightened when I got back to UK, so as soon as it started growing out it would have looked a bit crazy.