<p>Some background: I have naturally curly, THICK hair. When I was little and my mom would make haircut appointments (my hair was to my waist in Kindergarten through the third grade) for me and my sister (whose hair is even thicker than mine) she would say, “You need to schedule extra time, because my girls have a LOT of hair.” They would scoff and laugh, then when they finished (about an hour behind schedule) would look at my mom and say, “Your girls have a LOT of hair.” Ha.</p>
<p>Fast forward: I’m currently wearing my hair pretty short (just at shoulder level) with lots of layers. I love it because it’s easy to style and much lower maintenance than wearing my hair longer, plus I think it ages me a little which makes people take me a little more seriously.</p>
<p>But, I’ve always loved the way my hair looks straight. My problem is that I can’t just straighten my hair; I have to wash it, then blow it dry, then straighten it. It takes at least an hour, even with my hair as short as it is now (in fact it takes longer now, since it’s short and has no weight pulling it down.)</p>
<p>I inevitably get frustrated when I try, give up halfway through, and just get back in the shower and wash it so it goes back to being curly.</p>
<p>One of my grad school classmates says I should get a Brazilian Blowout. I tried getting my hair chemically straightened when I was in high school and it just didn’t take, and I know these processes get pricey pretty fast. I also don’t want to wreck my hair for nothing if it doesn’t work; I get a lot of compliments about how beautiful my hair is (“is that curl NATURAL?” “What do you do to it?”), but it’s just so undependable day to day. You never know if you’re going to have a good hair day or not.</p>
<p>And okay, I’ll say it: I don’t like getting up earlier just to style my hair when I can wash and scrunch it within half an hour and it’ll look decent.</p>
<p>Any experience? Is it worth spending the money or should I just buy a better straightener and really learn how to do it myself?</p>
<p>I recommend learning to live better with the hair you have instead of trying to straighten it. Shoulder level is still long- “pretty short” would be chin length or shorter to me. I have naturally perfectly straight (limp with humidity, fasteners of all kinds slip out) while my sister would get hers thinned and complain of frizz. One style does not fit all and you really should consider a style that flatters you and your face/hair instead. I see far too many with long hair that does nothing for them- on TV and in real life. Long hair is no style.</p>
<p>wis–shoulder level is short to me! lol. Last year when I chopped it off I chopped off 8 inches and it was still longer than shoulder length.</p>
<p>I will talk to a stylist and discuss options. When I first cut it short it was above my shoulders and I loved it, but it hasn’t looked as good since.</p>
<p>I used to work with a lady with beautiful, curly red hair. She would occasionally get those expensive hair treatments and in a couple of days, her hair would quickly go back to its natural, curly state. Just like wis, I have straight hair and I am willing to trade with you! I agree, get some advice from pros and a cut done by a reputable stylist who knows curly hair - it could make a huge difference.</p>
<p>Bunsen, I have enough for 4 or 5 people–we don’t have to trade, I’ll just give you some! Ha.</p>
<p>At least I’ve grown to like the curl. When I was in high school I hated it because sleek, straight hair was the style. Now curl is “in” and all my girlfriends are jealous of my natural curls. Muahaha.</p>
<p>The short cut I loved was done at an Aveda salon–the 2 or 3 times I went there were the best haircuts I’ve ever had. I’ve found an Aveda salon in the town where my new job is, so I’ll probably be going there once I get my first paycheck.</p>
<p>I’ve been getting Brazilian blowouts for a while now and my adult daughter gets them as well. We have different hair. My hair is wavy and the blowout makes it smooth and pretty straight. My daughter started with long and very curly hair. She also has a ton of hair. (One of the most liberating days of my life was the day she learned to wash her own hair.) Anyhow, she doesn’t do it to get the curl out, she likes the curl. She does it so she doesn’t have to spend time on it. Without it her hair would be overly thick and hard to deal with. The blowout smooths it down some and it’s a lot easier to manage which saves her a lot of time. Her hair is just a lot tamer now. The thing that straightens is using a hair straightener during the process. If it’s gone over just once it will maintain some curl. If it’s gone over more it will get straighter, so there is control. An experienced stylist can adjust the amount of straightening that happens according to a client’s desire. </p>
<p>I do a Keratin treatment twice a year which I believe is similar if not the same thing as a Brazilian Blowout. I have long hair and it works great for me. Smooths everything out so blow drying is quick and my hair does not frizz even in humid weather. Just a more polished look. I would talk to a professional at your salon who has worked with the treatment to get a better idea of what results to expect with hair like yours. It is expensive but salons often run specials. </p>
<p>So true that with hair, we always want what we don’t have. :)</p>
<p>I have very thick, wavy, curly coarse hair - so I understand the hassle of “wasting” time each morning to make it be a way it doesn’t naturally want to be! I now wear it quite short and appreciate with my time and activity that I can wash, scrunch and go! </p>
<p>D1 has the hair you describe. At some point in her older teens she decided to embrace the curl and not fight it. She was with us this weekend and one morning thanked me for her curly hair - I thought that was cute that she has grown to love it. </p>
<p>If you decide to get the BB let us know how it works!</p>
<p>I have had several BBs and LOVE how it makes my hair feel and look. I have never, ever had as many compliments on my hair as I have had with BBs. AND it’s way less trouble to deal with. </p>
<p>YES BBs are pricy, but do find a stylist who knows what they are doing should you decide to try one…</p>
<p>My cousin’s D has been getting them for years (she is late 20’s now) She doesn’t have to do anything but wash her hair and it dries completely straight. She has very long and thick hair and her natural hair is very curly and frizzy. </p>
<p>I have thick, wavy hair that tends to frizzy if I don’t spend time on it–flat iron, lots of products, blow dry, etc. I did the Brazilian Blowout when it first became available. No frizz! It looked great and I got lots positive feedback. After I did that first treatment I started reading about formaldehyde in the product. I guess I should have known–I had to wear a mask and so did the stylist. I didn’t do another treatment. </p>
<p>A few years later I heard about the Keratin treatment that has the same results without formaldehyde–so I did it. The results were just OK–it tamed my hair a bit but nothing like the BB. Also, it didn’t last as long. Then I gave up. I have a new stylist who keeps telling me to try again–I’m reluctant. Both treatments were somewhat expensive–around $300.</p>
<p>I get frizzy hair. Not lovely luxurious curls, just frizzy puffy stuff, but ringlets on the bottom. It seems that only the first brazilian blowout worked, after that they never worked again for me. It’s not the person getting them that’s an issue, it’s the stylist. But there’s more formaldehyde in new carpet and I don’t hear anyone saying don’t buy new carpet.</p>
<p>My salon uses Aveda products and she says they won’t do any straightening treatments because Aveda isn’t very good. I’m thinking of trying the keratin.</p>
<p>When the first one worked it was like heaven on earth. I could just wash it and towel it dry and have straight hair. </p>
I agree, get some advice from pros and a cut done by a reputable stylist who knows curly hair - it could make a huge difference.</p>
I will DEFINITELY be doing more research before I make any decisions.</p>