Keratin Hair Treatment / Brazilian Treatment

The Keratin Treatment

Keratin Hair treatments promise you silky , shiny, smooth frizz free healthy hair , but does it really deliver everything it promises. Let's find out shall we ? Let's begin with the ingredients what are they; here are some of the main ones :

ker·a·tin:

any of various sulfur-containing fibrous proteins that form the chemical basis of horny epidermal tissues (as hair and nails) and are typically not digested by enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract. In other words what ever you eat turns into protein or fat hence, what ever doesn't come out through your bottom comes out through your top, hair, nails, you get the picture, it ain't a pretty picture but you get it.

Formaldehyde :

a colorless, toxic, potentially carcinogenic, water-soluble gas, CH2O, having a suffocating odor, usually derived from methyl alcohol by oxidation: used chiefly in aqueous solution, as a disinfectant and preservative, and in the manufacture of various resins and plastics. Most Formaldehyde breaks down during the day, the breakdown of formaldehyde are formic acid and carbon monoxide. This is the stuff they use when they embalm a body hopefully after it's died, but some companies add this to their keratin formulas to make the hair relax and stay straight. Think about it do you you really want to put something on your hair that they put into dead people, that's like saying your hair is dead already.

col·la·gen:

an insoluble fibrous protein of vertebrates that is the chief constituent of the fibrils of connective tissue (as in skin and tendons) and of the organic substance of bones and yields gelatin and glue on prolonged heating with water . This is the stuff they inject into all those wrinkles and laugh lines that seem to be out of favor with so many people now a days , go figure .

O.K. there you have the basic ingredients for most of the keratin , Brazilian Japanese hair treatments , of course they add a bunch of other stuff , but these three are the ingredients that do all the work. How do you know if the product you are using has any of these ingredients in them , simple just read the ingredients listed on the label . Usually the highest content in the product is listed first second highest listed second and so on. As always ask a ton of questions to your stylist before you do any new service to your hair, the better informed you are the less surprises you'll get, this way you have an idea of what to expect after the service is done.

The worse thing you can do is go in to a salon with a picture and expect to leave with the same look, you are setting yourself up for a big let down. So many different factors come into play when you decide on a new look, so be realistic and choose a look and style that will be to your satisfaction. We all are beautiful in our own way , the stylists job is to help you discover that look and make it work for you. That's why we get paid the big bucks!

By the way these are some of my signature haircuts





Now back to the Keratin treatments:



The Brazilian Keratin hair treatment, also known as “escova progressiva”, is a costly salon service that promises to transform frizzy, dull, dry hair into silky smooth, shiny strands that last from 2 to 4 months. The cost for this service ranges from $ 160.00 up to $ 400.00 per service , depending on the texture and length of the hair and can take anywhere from 90 minutes to 4 hours to preform .

The Brazilian treatment is made up of “Keratin” a liquid form of hair. It does not use strong chemicals in an effort to straighten it – it only coats the hair. It does not break the bonds of the hair shaft like straighteners do. Keratin is a natural substance which comprises almost 90% of your hair. The Brazilian treatment is not permanent. It naturally fades out of the hair. The wave or curl will gradually come back in about 2 to 3 months. The hair will stay soft, shiny and healthy looking. The more you do the treatment the better condition the hair becomes.

Here are some of the brand names the keratin treatments go by :

• Brazilian Keratin Treatment
• 
  
• Brazilian Hair Straightening
• 
  
• Brazilian Blowout.
• 
  

The Brazilian Keratin Treatment is the one that I offer as a service in my salon , I use it because it uses collagen in place of formaldehyde, but that is my personal preference. People please do not attempt to do any of these treatments at home, things can go wrong and almost always do, so get a professional to do it for you. Trust me one this !




The reality of it all is that the Keratin treatment is neither a relaxer nor a straightener, both of which use caustic chemicals to change the texture of the hair. The Japanese straightening method, also known as thermal conditioning, has fallen out of favor because many users reported damage, especially when the process was repeated. The Brazilian is also different because it can be used on most hair types, even the previously color treated, without causing harm, proponents say. Actually they suggest using the Keratin treatment right after a color / highlight service . If you want to color your hair after a Keratin treatment, you must wait at least two weeks.




A Brazilian Keratin Treatment can be used on every hair type whether natural or chemically treated. This includes virgin hair, color-treated hair, Japanese straightened hair, relaxed hair, permed hair, highlighted hair, gray hair, all hair types get the picture. The results will last longer on ‘non-virgin’ hair. The truth in my opinion is that it shouldn't be used on virgin hair at all , because it really doesn't do anything for it , but that's my honest opinion for what's its worth. The Keratin treatment is not a relaxer, it’s a chemical treatment that straightens your hair, when using a Keratin treatment that contains Formaldehyde; both you and your stylist should be wearing masks while this service is being done.




After the treatment you must wait 4 full days before doing anything to your hair. This includes washing, wetting, using any type of hair products, wearing a ponytail, headband, etc. Nothing can be done to the hair until after 4 days – this will allow the hair to ’set’. During these 4 days the hair is in a " neutralizing phase ", that's way it's important that you don't do any of the things that will leave a ridge or bump in your hair. Good luck taking a shower and not getting your hair wet without tying it up, pulling it back or twisting it.
If your hair does get wet you blow dry it immediately. After your 4 day feel free to treat your hair as you normally would.




Now the fun really begins, you didn't really believe that just by getting the Keratin Treatment all your frizzies and difficult hair problems were just going to go away did you ? Surprise !!!! This is where all the fun starts and that fun is known in the Industry as " Home Maintenance ", a huge money stream for any salon is retail and by putting together a home maintenance package for each client helps sell products : the real money maker for any salon.

I hate it as much as you do , but it never ceases to amaze me how much money people will spend on their hair if the promise of making it look better is the outcome. Let's begin with the shampoo and conditioners , of course they have to be " sulfate free " and of course each company has the home package that rarely sells for less than $ 35.00 for the pair.

Then the ionic blower which has negative charged ions that seal your hair shaft and keep the moisture locked inside your hair shaft in order to impart that healthy shine and manageability, with the added bonus that it cuts the drying time by at least 50 % saving you in electricity as well , you should be jumping for joy about now. But wait, the blower cost about $ 200.00 for a low end professional one, then the state of the art flat iron with ceramic tourmaline cover plates also ionic that reach the optimum temperature of 450 degrees, and this wonder of technology only sells for about $ 150.00.

Looking good doesn't come cheap, don't play if you can't pay! None of that really matters though, because it's been my experience that women want what they want no matter the cost or damage, I love my job ! Every beauty company in the world banks on that one reasoning , women will pay what ever to look their best. I'm not here to judge, hell I throw money away everyday on stupid stuff we all have our vices, bottom line is that to live and cope in this crazy world we have to reward ourselves with the things that make us happy, and if looking good makes you happy , then I'm happy to help you.

Carlos

Bautiful Hair

Beautiful hair is the single most sought after thing most people desire to ac hive. The billions of dollars spent by advertisers will attest to that fact, but the reality of it all is; the best advertising is word of mouth. And who better than the poster child of beautiful hair than Farah Fawcett, not only was she an iconic figure of the 70's and 80's and her poster was hanging off more young men's walls than a Bruce Lee poster. Farah Facett represented what hair at it's glorious best should look like , I can't tell you how many women walk thru the doors of every hair salon in the world wanted to emulate her trademark look.

So it is today with a deep sadness in my heart that we should all take moment to reflect on the death of an American icon. She helped make the hair industry thrive and progress our talents to new levels. In my opinion Farah with the likes of Sasson and Paul Mitchell help transform the beauty industry to where it is now. It is a shame that we loss two American icons on the same day Micheal Jackson a legend in the music industry as well as the fashion world and Farah Fawcett, it is a shame that the death of M.J. will over shadow that of Farah but to those of us who are in the hair business will never forget what a wonderful ambassador of beauty Farah Fawcett was to our industry and to the world and later on as an ambassador to millions suffering from cancer. We will miss both of these wonderful iconic figures , the hair and music industries have loss leaders in their respective fields. I will never forget looking at that pin up poster on my wall as a young man and thinking.................. how could I achieve that look on my moms poodle. Rest In Peace Farah and M.J.

The Hair Room

Hello and welcome to yet another blog on the Internet, yes I know what your thinking or do I ?
Hell I don't know .What I do know is that for years my clients have been telling me that I should write a book or have my own TV show, like network TV or cable needs another show so they can sell 20 minutes of advertising to the mind numb masses clicking their remotes at 2:30 in the morning. So blogging is the suppose to be the vehicle that allows us to post meaningful information to a direct demographic group who are interested in the same topics we share a interest and passion for. In other words we like the same shit and want to share our thoughts and ideas about them, yeah I can get with that.

So I'm guessing that if you are reading this you like hair or have a question , comment or opinion about hair. Otherwise you must be real bored with yourself and got nothing better to do with your free time, if that's the case I kinda feel so sorry for you, now I feel obligated to make this worth your while, damn it the pressure! Well here it goes I'll give it my best shot.

I'm not going to bore you with statistics about what percentage of premature hair loss is directly link to stress caused by your job, marriage , extra martial affairs or snotty ass kids who have no respect for you and your money. And I hope that you are not one of the many of millions of consumers who buy all those hair products with outrageous claims about hair growth this and repair your hair that and bullshit bullshit bullshit. Don't get me wrong there are products that are actually good for your hair and do what they claim to do , but the vast majority are what was once considered to be "snake oil" sold by the same slimy salesmen. And then like now many people buy into the sell, well I'm no knight in shinning armour by no stretch of the imagination actually I'm more like the short, funny rotund sidekick to help you sort out the good from the bullshit.