My experience with the brazilian blow dry

[bananagirl]

Hello everybody, I'm new to LHC, I've been looking after my hair for the past 7 months and hope to continue my healthy hair journey with you all in the new year :)

I just wanted to share my experience with the brazilian blow dry (BBD). I know that LHC are quite anti-chemical, and I am as well to an extent. But I needed to do something about my hair which was getting me really down.

What is a BBD? So for those of you who are unfamiliar, its a semi-permanent treatment that aims to give you frizz free hair. Your hair will revert back to its normal state in 3-4 months. It's not a hair straightening treatment. If you have curly hair, then your curly will reduce by half. Wavy hair will probably get close to straight. But volume and healthy shine is retained. They claim that it makes your hair healthier, because it uses keratin, but I wouldn't be naive to believe that. The only way it makes it healthier is because you stop using heat styling tools afterwards. Here is the process of the treatment, i think each salon varies, but this is what happened with me :) http://www.brazilianblowout.com/original.aspx. A few years ago there was an uproar about it using a high % of formaldehyde, but in recent years, they have made many BBD treatments formaldehyde free, because of how damaging it is to the clients health and hair, as well as the hairdresser's health too.

Before the BBD... Ok so a bit about my hair, before the treatment I was a 3b M/C iii, it is very very curly, a frizz bomb! It is veryyyy dry and damaged as I am an ex-heat offender.
I used to have MBL hair but it was FULL of dry damaged frazzled hair. I had to take the decision of chopping my locks off because I refuse to have unhealthy hair, and I want to grow it long but all healthy. Even after inches and inches chopped off, my hair still has split ends and dryness, but it's slowly coming out as I grow my layers out.

Unfortunately, my natural hair is disgusting, it frizzes in 10 seconds, and NOTHING can calm it down (trust me I went through all of my teens battling with hundreds of products and methods to keep it calm, none worked). I love how my hair looks after a blow dry or flat iron, however I can't grow my hair healthily if I'm putting heat on it. I physically wouldn't be able to go out looking presentable with my natural hair, and as beautiful as other people think it is, I think I look UGLY with it and my feelings are the most important. So I decided that the BBD was the only way forward.

The results after the BBD.. oh my goodness words can't describe how amazing the results are. The real test was seeing what my hair looked like drying naturally with no products or heat. I'd say I was a 2b?? M iii. Yippee, my curl was reduced, thickness stayed the same, less coarse, and FRIZZ FREE. Honestly before the BBD my hair wouldn't even look presentable tied my hair up, now I can wear it down and look good without heat? Too good to be true! 4 months later and the treatment is still in my hair, my curls are tighter though and there is more frizz, but it's still better than before. I can still get a few months wear out of my treatment. I've had no hair breakage, my hair is actually healthier than ever, but I have not been using heat, only on very special occasions (wedding, birthday and a ball!). My only problem is that the hair stylist either forgot to or didn't put enough product in a section in the back of my hair, so it's a bit more curly and bigger than the rest of my hair, but it's okay :) And when I get my next BBD in a few days I will make sure they fix it :)

Convinced? Well the treatment worked for me, and gave me what I personally think are desirable results. However this may not be desirable for you! Eg. it's safe to say everyone wants frizz free hair (who wants frizzy hair?!) but you may not want your curl to be reduced, then this treatment isn't for you. However it is semi-permanent, so if you don't like it, your hair will eventually go back to natural- this was a big motivator for me. Also its very expensive. My salon had a half price offer, but usually it costs between £150-£250 (don't know prices in the US sorry) and it depends on your hair length. Also you must use salt free shampoo afterwards, and you can't wash your hair for 3 days after the product has been put in.

Before (1st pic is wet hair, and 2nd pic is probably 3/4 dry):
http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad190/coolpineapple/after_zpsd9a4a155.jpg (http://s934.photobucket.com/user/coolpineapple/media/after_zpsd9a4a155.jpg.html)

http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad190/coolpineapple/68fca184-f067-4596-bd01-f3f51d013e35_zpseb7b07a5.jpg

After (air dried with no products):
http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad190/coolpineapple/8c5950b4-db93-498a-af86-69240d39e34a_zps1f31e968.jpg

http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad190/coolpineapple/after3_zps6c1291b0.jpg

[AmyBeth]

I think you got lovely results, and I'm glad you're happy. I liked your "before" texture very much, too! But as you say, your feelings are more important. And you're the one who had to spend all that time with the flattening iron. It must feel SOO liberating to be free of that. My hair is very fine and flat, mostly straight. I haven't always liked it- we always want what we don't have. But I've never had the motivation to do anything about it. I gotta give credit to those of us who are so dedicated and energetic!:)

[meteor]

Bananagirl, I'm glad that you had a great experience with Brazilian Blowout.
I understand that there are lots of different procedures (with different products) that are called Brazilian Blowouts, so I don't know if I can comment on exactly what was done to your hair, but you provided a link and there are a couple steps there that are not hair-friendly:
4. Stylist will then blow-dry your hair as straight as possible with a flat or round brush.
5. Once the hair is dry, the Stylist will divide the hair into four sections and begin using a flat iron to further straighten the hair in 1 - 1¾ inch sections.
8. The Stylist will then blow dry the hair straight one final time and style as desired.

I understand that the heat application is necessary to help penetration of the straightening solution, but this damages the protein bonds in hair quite significantly. Sure it's not a relaxer in terms of damage, but I really recommend not doing this often for those who want to grow healthy hair long.
Everybody I know who had Brazilian blowouts enjoyed the results for the first weeks and even months (extra shine, smoothness), but they saw some damage (white dots, splits) after a few months, unfortunately. But maybe it was a coincidence and something else caused the problems... I honestly don't know, and I haven't seen any research on this relatively new procedure yet.
Try to pamper your hair with deep treatments and oils to stave off potential problems.

[Maktub]

Must say that I do really understand the struggle with curly hair - and damaged curly hair because of heat and years of struggling with it - and I am happy that you are happy (that is the only thing that is important !)

This being said, I really liked your before hair much better. I think you have absolutely beautiful curl structure and shine, even if damaged, and if someday you want to grow them out natural and damage/frizz-free, I'm absolutely convinced your hair would be stunning !

It took me 26 years or so to understand that I actually had NO idea what my natural curls could be. I was convinced my hair was naturally dry, frizzy, and such a nightmake to control. LHC really thought me so much, and 3 years later, I am convinced that there is no such thing as "bad hair", only "unhappy hair" !

Really happy curly long hair is not often seen IRL, but so beautiful !

Welcome to the boards :flower:

[AmyBeth]

Must say that I do really understand the struggle with curly hair - and damaged curly hair because of heat and years of struggling with it - and I am happy that you are happy (that is the only thing that is important !)

This being said, I really liked your before hair much better. I think you have absolutely beautiful curl structure and shine, even if damaged, and if someday you want to grow them out natural and damage/frizz-free, I'm absolutely convinced your hair would be stunning !

It took me 26 years or so to understand that I actually had NO idea what my natural curls could be. I was convinced my hair was naturally dry, frizzy, and such a nightmake to control. LHC really thought me so much, and 3 years later, I am convinced that there is no such thing as "bad hair", only "unhappy hair" !

Really happy curly long hair is not often seen IRL, but so beautiful !

Welcome to the boards :flower:

That's so sweet:blossom: I agree with everything you said wholeheartedly! In my case, it's much easier and satisfying to just let my hair be fine and straight instead of trying to force it to have wave and body. Not going to happen, unless I want to trade volume and body for split ends and dull hair.

[bunnylake]

I'm glad you are enjoying your hair now, and I hope this isn't taken as an insult or a rain on your parade but these kinds of treatments are ultimately extremely damaging. As it wears off and you get another blowout over and over the natural condition of your hair will just get worse and worse. Maybe after a while you should experiment with the curly girl method, or try other techniques that work well for curly hair.
I know someone who has been getting the Brazilian blowout for years and her hair is DESTROYED. Absolutely destroyed. She just never learned to care for curly hair. I would hate to see that happen to anyone else! Definitely don't give up hope on your quest for frizz-free beautiful curls. It's totally possible to achieve without damaging the structure of your hair. :)

[Islandgrrl]

Did you also color your hair? Or did the process change your color? There is a big difference in the before and after pictures, color-wise. I'm trying to understand that. :)

[Etna]

I must admit that I'm in totally love with your curlsin the "hair before" photos. Gorgeous! The after photos look nice too. I'm happy it made you happy and I hope you enjoy your different hair texture now that it has been done. Your hair doesn't seem damaged at all now which is great, but I have also heard personal accounts that repeated treatments over the same hair can accumulate damage. Good luck with your hair. It's lovely.

[bananagirl]

Did you also color your hair? Or did the process change your color? There is a big difference in the before and after pictures, color-wise. I'm trying to understand that. :)


Nope ive never had my hair coloured in my life. It's just the lighting in the photo
Also when my hair is wet like in the before photos, it appears black! When it dries the colour gets lighter :) but my hair is very much always has been the same colour as the after photos! The process definitely didn't change my hair colour

Because I like to use heat on my hair, I made the decision that id never colour it, as I already damage it with heat (not so much anymore) so I don't want to risk any further damage, especially since my hair is so dark it will need a potent dye to change the colour lighter. Plus I love my hair colour so don't want to change it anyway :)

[bananagirl]

4. Stylist will then blow-dry your hair as straight as possible with a flat or round brush.
5. Once the hair is dry, the Stylist will divide the hair into four sections and begin using a flat iron to further straighten the hair in 1 - 1¾ inch sections.
8. The Stylist will then blow dry the hair straight one final time and style .

Oh goodness me, I don't think I read this link very thoroughly
The step 5 is a bet extensive and thorough, none of this 1inch sectioning stuff happened. They simply put the treatment in, blow dried and straightened the hair (as I can't physically have straight hair from blow drying alone)... Then they washed the treatment out. Then they straightened it again.

Oh yeh totally agree with you, this is a lot of heat. And yeh it is damaging. But hey that's how the procedure is done, and I knew this before I had it and I was fully aware of any consequences and was willing to take the risk.
I don't recommend ANYONE have this done if they haven't don't their research, and if they aren't prepared for any consequences. I was mentally prepared to cut lots of inches of anyway so It was okay for me :) luckily I haven't had any damage 5 months on, but I do think that's because the BBD has stopped me from using heat. If I didn't have it done I would have been blow drying my hair every week anyway so the pros and cons were balanced :) it was a win/win lose/lose situation

Thanks for you input :) xx

[ErinLeigh]

Oh goodness me, I don't think I read this link very thoroughly
The step 5 is a bet extensive and thorough, none of this 1inch sectioning stuff happened. They simply put the treatment in, blow dried and straightened the hair (as I can't physically have straight hair from blow drying alone)... Then they washed the treatment out. Then they straightened it again.

Oh yeh totally agree with you, this is a lot of heat. And yeh it is damaging. But hey that's how the procedure is done, and I knew this before I had it and I was fully aware of any consequences and was willing to take the risk.
I don't recommend ANYONE have this done if they haven't don't their research, and if they aren't prepared for any consequences. I was mentally prepared to cut lots of inches of anyway so It was okay for me :) luckily I haven't had any damage 5 months on, but I do think that's because the BBD has stopped me from using heat. If I didn't have it done I would have been blow drying my hair every week anyway so the pros and cons were balanced :) it was a win/win lose/lose situation

Thanks for you input :) xx


I loved my my first one and swore I would do them for life. But having mega increased shedding and increased dryness Had me worried but I ignored it. I found out when it fades off the infused keratin takes with it your natural keratin as that keratin was sealed with the heat imposed one. There are many google reviews of people who loved the first and then found severe breakage with repeated use. Also due to sealing the strand it is believed you are preventing moisture from getting in properly. This is why you aren't frizzing anymore.

I had 2 treatments that fried my hair beyond belief. I mean fried. I had to cut off a lot of hair to recover. Be careful about loading up on the keratin shampoos they suggest you use as you start to get protein overload. Do everything you can to moisturize the hair. I won't lie. I had four good ones. Mine weren't as good as the first though. But they were good none the less. But the 2 fine wrong. Wow.

Try and stretch the treatments to no sooner then 6 months apart.
I want you to enjoy this so don't want to pee on your parade but if you saw my pictures from 2 very damaging ones you would be shocked. They lure you in.. But in the long run they aren't the miracle I expected them to be. I have learned getting my hair moisturized properly is what keep my hair frizz free and smooth now.

I have several friends in the same boat as me and we lament about how we wish we wouldn't have done it. You will always be seeking that first keratin high but it's usually never the same after the next few. If the stylist makes a mistake and uses cheap keratin or does too many passes with iron it burns the hair. Also since hair is still damaged under the treatment the additional severe heat and multiple iron passes over the chemicals leave you susceptible to damage on later treatments.

I am am happy to share my photos if you ever want to see them but I would like you to get to enjoy this for now. Just take extra good care of hair. I actually gained a lot of length doing them since i never had to heat style. Sadly I lost that length and more once my hair was burned.

Good luck on having nothing but success with these in the future. I truly mean it. I want to to be happy. But please read the keratin gone wrong reviews on google just so you are going I to additional blowouts eyes wide open.

[Agnieszka]

ErinLeigh, thank you for sharing your hair story. I'm sure it will be helpful for many people.

[meteor]

ErinLeigh, I wanted to join Agnieszka in thanking you for sharing the details of your Brazilian blowout and what happened after.

I have nothing against salon treatments, but I insist on getting all the information on risks that they entail.

Probably everybody knows that bleach/dye, relaxers/perms, heat styling are bad, but there are a bunch of new treatments out there that have a reputation for being "healthy" - e.g. glazes/glosses, Brazilian keratin treatments and blowouts, Japanese straightenings... I really hope that people get all the information about them before the treatment. After all, salons often offer healthy alternatives (albeit with less obvious results), like hot oil massages and deep treatments.

[bananagirl]

Thankyou SO MUCH for this ErinLeigh

Please I would love for you to share pictures?!?

I'm so glad I did research and went through with the procedures with lots of knowledge.
I was never naive Enough to think that I won't be damagin my hair
I can't say that this is something I'm gonna do for life (pretty sure is end up with no hair left hahaa).
Yes my plan was to stick to 2 In a year.".

The lady who did my BBD yesterday, told me that he has hers done very 3 months, her hair is definitely coloured a very unnatural colour. And she straightens it every day, I actually died at the condition her hair was in, it was disgusting and frazzled, her hair stuck out like wires. She didn't seem phased and has been doing this for 3 years... But she's a typical example of someone who does not look after her hair at all.

Honestly I'm not phased by the hair damage comments, I've built my self the expiation that it may happen, and I'm willing to suffer the consequences. I deep condition my hair twice a week, and have all the right products and oils that I know my hair needs. My aim is for this treatment to give me a few inches of length, and then I will take a break. Even though I will miss how the BBD makes my curls. I know it's for the best :)

I'm enjoying my hair at the moment, but I'm very clued up on what to expect :) if you have any pictures, I'd love to see? Good and the bad haha??


Xxx

[palaeoqueen]

Been there, done it, killed my hair. Yes really, I had one BBD in January 2011, it was great for a while but within a year I was suffering from extreme protein overload and huge amounts of breakage. My end are still suffering, I should just chop them off really..