Hair, part two

So, those of you following along will know that we left off with the ‘before’ for my keratin treatment. That was three days ago. The process of getting the treatment took slightly less time than I was told, and all went smoothly, if you will pardon the pun.

When I arrived they put me directly into a smock and sat me down to decide which product to use. Apparently there is one that retains more of your natural body and one that is ‘heavier’ and makes the hair quite straight initially. I was inclined towards the one that retains more of the hair’s natural body, but he told me I should smell it first since anytime your scalp sweats or you wash your hair you smell the formula. The formula unfortunately smells quite strongly like compost. Louis, my stylist, tells me that it is supposed to smell like bananas, but maybe he meant composting bananas. Anyway, in the end we decided that we would go with the smoother, less smelly one and they took me back to wash my hair with some kind of special shampoo that supposedly gets your hair extra clean so the hair shaft can absorb the formula better. And just by the way, I got an excellent scalp and neck massage out that process. Then back to the chair to get my hair thoroughly dry.

Formula applied and setting prior to the drying

Once the hair was dry Louis brought out the formula and applied it very carefully and very completely to every strand of hair, going over sections several times to be sure every hair had been coated. Then the formula was allowed to set for a few minutes and then both Louis and his assistant took hairdryers and thoroughly dried my hair once more. At this point we were almost two hours in so we took a short break and I walked around for about 15 minutes before returning to the chair.

After the flat irons and before the final washing and drying

During the next phase, the formula is bonded to the hair with heat. So both Louis and his assistant used flat irons heated to around 450 degrees (!) and went over small sections of hair, and again went over them several times to be sure that each strand had been bonded. After they were satisfied that they had accomplished the process my hair cooled off and we went to wash it again. At this point I was offered an optional (extra $30 optional) masque for the hair to help prolong the effects which (being cheap, and unsure whether or not I will like the effects anyway) I declined. Then back to the chair once more for another round of hair drying. Louis ended the drying by using a round brush and a couple of large curlers to give the ends a little shape. Since it was the first time I was doing this I was allocated a discount, though they did try awfully hard to sell me some expensive shampoos and conditioners to help the keratin stay bonded to my hair, but I resisted. I was told to use only shampoo and conditioner that do not have Sodium Chloride and Sulphates, but being a good planeteer I already have those (thank you Nature’s Gate), and to use a hair dryer or some kind of heat on my hair at least once a week to prolong the bond. The process started around 12:30, and by 4pm I was walking back to our apartment with VERY straight and VERY smooth hair.

Back home with FLAT hair!

I haven’t yet washed my hair, though I have rinsed it out twice after a work out, and I’m still getting used to it. It almost looks a little greasy or too flat to me since I’ve spent all my life with poofy hair, but I am enjoying how it doesn’t frizz up and how much longer it looks all flattened out. Louis tells me that the first month it will look quite flat and after that, over a period of about 7 more months, it will regain more and more of it’s natural properties, the body, the curl, but also the frizz. I’ll keep you posted on the changes, and I’m sure my own feelings about the process will change as the formula washes out. Hopefully I won’t experience the hair loss or breakage that some women have, but I’ll let you know. In the meantime, I have a holiday party to get ready for, and I’ll need to wash my hair!

Hair, part one

Those of you who know me well know that I have a head full of unruly hair that often looks like I walked through a hedge backwards. Even on the best of days it is fuzzy with little hairs curling up in funny places while other parts are board straight. The humidity here is fairly high and constant so a bad hair day is just that much worse.

before haircut

I’ve worn my hair long for nearly all of my life except for a terrible pixie cut when I was five (it’s okay mom, I’ve forgiven you), a brief Dorothy Hamill period in my tweens, and one disastrous foray into short hair in my late 30’s. Short just doesn’t solve the problem of frizzy and unmanageable, it just makes it more work to get it out of my face. Also, since I have a fairly slender frame and maybe kind of wide shoulders, and not awfully feminine jaw line, the times I have had short hair I’ve been mistaken for a boy, even the time I cut it short in my 30’s, and that isn’t really what I was going for. So, I associate my long hair with at least looking feminine, if not tidy. I never mastered any of the female arts of proper make-up application, nail care or the art of blow drying or styling my hair and since it tends towards dry and frizzy anyway I try not to put any heat on it, meaning that ‘styling’ is down to washing it and going to bed with it wet. Various products that were recommended to tame the clan-of-cave-bear-hair have never lived up to my hopes and have cost far more than I care to think about. Since I’ve been here in Singapore I’ve pretty much only worn my hair in a bun since this gets it off my face and neck, and at least doesn’t look like just rolled out of bed. When it’s down it looks like I’ve just rubbed a balloon all over my head. But there isn’t much point in long hair if you only wear it up.

Pixie cut

It’s a drag being taken for a boy in as a woman in your thirties…..

I was due for a haircut anyway, so I did my research and found a few salons that specialize in caucasian hair, and if you think that isn’t a big deal you should read a few of the hair-horror stories from those who didn’t seek a stylist who understands the differences between asian and caucasian hair. Eventually I narrowed it down to two salons and went in to speak with the stylists. I’ve had plenty of poor haircuts in the states from people who didn’t understand my hair and the way it waves/curls/frizzes, so my hopes weren’t high. The first studio was nice, and the stylist was patient in explaining that my hair should remain long and should have a keratin treatment to smooth out the frizz and a proper cut, I thanked him and said I would do more research.

For those of you just as uneducated as myself in the mysterious female arts of looking nice I’ll explain that the keratin treatment and a good blow-out (I said OUT) is what makes all those celebrities look like they have super smooth, amazing hair. Hair and nails are pretty much made of keratin and so the treatment involves coating the hair with keratin and other more horrible chemicals (uhm, like formaldehyde. Yeah.) and then heat treating the hair (to about 400 degrees. Scared yet?) to set the formula semi-permanently onto the hair shafts. The coating closes the shafts, and prevents them from absorbing so much moisture, which is what causes the frizz in the first place. There are numerous, frightening stories online from women whose keratin treatment went terribly wrong resulting in everything from acute illness to hair loss and the need for severe hair cuts and regrowth. But, there are also tons of very happy ladies out there sporting lovely, silky tresses who are more than willing to shell out for their quarterly treatments. And, it doesn’t come cheap. Most salons charge between $300-$600/per treatment, depending upon how thick and how long your hair is. This information obviously resulted in a lot more research on my part and several more conversations with salons and stylists. Who needs hair trauma added to culture shock?

I eventually settled upon a stylist and a salon close by at Clarke Quay Central and decided I would get a haircut first and see how that went before making a final decision on the hair treatment. Louis sat me down and asked the kind of questions a good stylist will ask, what activities do I do, how do I want my hair to look, how willing am I to spend time styling my hair (not willing at all really), how much am I willing to put into products and tools (very little in all honesty, I don’t even own a hair dryer, or anything besides shampoo and conditioner and a few hair ties). Once we established how cheap and unskilled I am in dealing with my hair he began his cut. Two hours later I walked out of there looking like a very much nicer version of myself and have been very happy with the cut. During the cut we chatted about Keratin treatment options and by the time I left I had booked an appointment for the treatment, which is about a 4-5 hour process for someone with hair as thick and long as mine. Today is that day. My appointment with Louis and staff is at 12:30 today, with luck, by 5pm I will have several months worth of smooth, not-frizzy hair. Wish me luck!!

After haircut, but before keratin treatment