THE PERMANENT BLOW DRY
When I mentioned on Twitter and Instagram that I was having a permanent/Brazilian blow dry, SO many of you asked for a review so today I’m going to talk through the process and results from my personal experience.
I’ve had this done a few times before but never before at Hershesons. As you guys know, my natural hair is very curly but it has relaxed a bit over time from straightening so now when it’s natural it’s just coarse, frizzy and very unmanageable. The ‘before’ photo above isn’t natural but that’s how it looks in the mooring even when it’s straight. I have to straighten it every single morning and after washing it takes about 45 minutes to straighten. The idea of the permanent blow dry isn’t necessarily to give you dead straight hair, but it helps to remove frizz, add in moisture and in general make your hair easier to manage. I tend to have this done in the Summer or before any holidays (quite a bit before, as you can’t swim in chlorine for a while!). The permanent blow dry at Hershesons (which is actually semi-permanent) uses a natural keratin and glycolic acid to reduce frizz by re-building the keratin in the hair semi-permanently. The cost can vary but at Hershesons costs start at £250. Don’t stop reading…. it’s worth it I promise!
They start by shampooing the hair using a sulphate-free shampoo and no conditioner is used. The hair is then rough dried before the product is applied. It’s applied with a brush just like when you get your hair coloured and they make sure to cover every inch of hair concentrating at the curly roots. The product is then left to soak into the hair for 10/15 minutes and I was given one of those strange drying machines that goes round your head. This is the bit that’s not that comfortable… they then blow dry your hair straight. It feels like blow drying your hair with loads of shampoo and conditioner still left in your hair. It can also sting your eyes but I find if you just close your eyes then it’s not too bad. I’m personally not fussed about the “chemicals” causing the stinging as it’s something I don’t do regularly and it’s completely worth it. After they’ve blow dried your hair they then use straighteners to make sure the hair is completely dead straight. For some reason the hair doesn’t feel like it has lots of product in it at all, in fact it feels soft, healthy and really nourished.
It’s important to keep the hair dry and straight for the 3/4 days to follow. Tying it up or curling it might cause semi-permanent kinks in the hair and you should also use sulphate-free products to get the most out of the treatment and make it last for up to 3 months.
When I have this done it’s something I can feel instant results with. I woke up the next morning and my hair was straight! It’s 100 times easier to straighten after washing, it doesn’t curl in the heat, my roots aren’t as frizzy… it’s a bit of a miracle really. I always let my hair dry naturally after washing and before straightening to avoid extra heat damage from the blow dry. As you can see in the photos above my hair was always super frizzy and coarse… it’s like different hair now! For me, it’s worth investing £250 on something that’ll change my hair for the entire summer. If you want to watch me getting my hair done, watch this vlog and if you have any more questions about my experience, tweet me @lilypebbles I go to the Hershesons in Harvey Nichols and have Katherine for my cut and Jason for my colour/permanent blow dry.
I hope this helps!
