We all dream of straight, frizz free silky hair. Some of us are naturally blessed, while some of us have to rely on different procedures to straighten hair. Permanent hair straightening works by altering the structure of our hair chemically, and then locking the new structure mechanically resulting in straight hair that can last from 4 to 8 months.

Thanks to technology, we have a number of straightening treatments to suit our budget and our ease.  Let’s explore them.

Keratin Treatment

Keratin is a natural protein found in our hair that not makes our healthy and shiny. It also helps to give it a straight texture. Sometimes, due to the changes in our diet, the keratin level might drop, thereby resulting in frizzy, tangled, or damaged hair.

A coat of chemicals with the main component as keratin is applied to your hair that will help give your hair the smooth, silky.. The chemical is then fixed in your hair with the use of a straightener. After an hour or so, your hair is washed and blow-dried. You will have to return after a day or two for a hair wash. And voila, here you have soft and smooth hair with manageable frizz.

Stylists mostly recommend keratin hair treatment for people with weak and fragile hair.  It cuts down on your frizz by 80 per cent and lasts for about 20 to 30 washes (this is roughly around three to four months depending on how much shampoo you use for your hair. The overall treatment will cost you anywhere between Rs 5,000/- to Rs 15,000/- depending on the length of your hair and the parlour that you go to.

Japanese Treatment

Also known as thermal reconditioning, the Japanese treatment makes your hair dead-straight.  This treatment will incorporate the use of chemicals and heal. However, the chemicals used in this treatment tend to be a lot stronger than the ones used in keratin as this treatment chemically alters your hair by breaking the natural bonds of your hair and realigning to have a straight look.

This is an ideal treatment for those with thick hair, curly or frizzy hair The procedure will last until new hair grows. The newly grown hair will be of the former hair type. So if you had previously extremely wavy hair, then chances are that there will be a visible dent seen from the place the new hair has grown. However, after six months, you can revisit the salon for some touch up to make sure that your mane remains poker straight. The overall treatment will cost you anywhere between Rs 8,000/- to Rs 15,000/- depending on the length of your hair and the salon that you go to.

Hair Rebonding

Hair rebonding rebonds the protein structure in the hair making it straight. This process can take anywhere between five to eight hours of your time. Similar to the Japanese hair straightening treatment, a chemical is applied to your hair and is kept like that for 20 to 30 minutes. After this, your hair is washed, and a hair straightener is used to seal the bonds that have been altered by the chemicals. The process may be repeated depending on the thickness and structure of your hair. Post-treatment, you should not use oil, colour or apply any heat to your hair as it may damage or weaken the hair shaft. This treatment tends to be more expensive and cost you anywhere between Rs 10,000/- to Rs 18,000/-. Rebonding lasts until new hair growth. However, repeatedly doing this can cause damage. So try not to do this treatment very often.

Facts

• All treatments will weaken the hair shaft if you do it often. So make sure you keep it on a down-low
• You can also do it at home if you are adept enough. Keune offers rebonding kits which you can buy from any grocery or chemist shop.
• If you want to naturally straighten your hair, apply mayonnaise regularly and keep the hair conditioned.

Written by Amna Sheikh

(sheikh_amna@outlook.com)