Lorana's Straightening: Round 2
When we left off, we’d given Lorana a straightening service using a Thio-based straightening formula. We discussed the results (as we were both not quite satisfied with them) and came to the realization that I had selected a formula that was just too mild for Lorana’s particular hair type. While we both had hoped for more curl removal, we were glad that if there had to be an error, it was one that didn’t end up in damaging the hair.
Lorana has very curly hair that is medium to coarse in texture and somewhat resistant. My concern over her having straightening services before led me to select a much milder thio-formula than I might have otherwise chosen. Lorana also explained that she typically straightens her hair with a flat iron to some extent nearly every day, so I had never actually seen her hair in its natural state.
This time when I arrived, I asked Lorana to go and shampoo her hair without conditioning it. She was recently in from work, and had shampooed and conditioned two nights previous and had used product in her hair, so I wanted to make sure we removed any interfering residue possible before we performed the new service.
Once Lorana was seated before me, I sectioned her hair into the same T-section parting used previously while it was wet. I secured the hair on the sides and all but a slice of the hair in the back with clips and began mixing the waving lotion and the activator.
Knowing that Lorana’s hair was more resistant than initially thought and that I would need a stronger formula, I selected One‘n’Only’s Exothermic Perm formula. An exothermic perm is one that uses an activator that causes a reaction in the waving lotion that generates its own heat. The heat helps the formula to work better on resistant hair types and to process faster.
Application and Processing:
The waving formula is applied quickly and carefully and a styling comb is used to distribute it evenly through the hair. After each slice of the hair is saturated, lower another, working from section to section until the entire head is covered. When the hair is fully saturated with the formula, I continually combed through the hair to keep it smooth and as straight as possible.
In addition, in the areas of the head around the face, where I knew there was the most resistant curl, I added periods of pressure using the edges of my palms to hold the hair flat to the scalp. The hope was that the heat of the formula, the heat of the scalp and the pressure of my hands and their heat would make the formula more effective there.
The formula was allowed to sit on the hair and process for 20 minutes with continued combing and smoothing with the fingers.
Neutralizing and Final Rinse:
The waving lotion is carefully rinsed from the hair with the head positioned to keep the hair as straight as possible during the process. Make sure that the hair is rinsed thoroughly, using water that is as warm as can be comfortably tolerated. Then blot-dry the hair and wrap the towel around the wet hair and allow the moisture to be wicked away by the towel’s fibers.
After the hair is blotted and patted dry, carefully comb any tangles out using a wide tooth comb and apply the neutralizer carefully to saturate the hair fully. While the neutralizer is processing, carefully continue combing the hair with a styling comb to keep the hair smooth. Neutralize for 5 minutes then re-rinse the hair thoroughly. Again, try to keep the hair as straight as possible during these steps.
Finishing Up:
Once we finished the final rinse, we towel-dried/blotted the hair to a damp state and used a blow-dryer on low-heat and high airflow to dry the hair more fully. The results were readily apparent and much more significant. Where the hair previously was left with a lot of volume, this second treatment left the hair much smoother and allowed it to lie flatter.
Lorana and I were much happier with this service and are confident that future maintenance services will help to further provide straightening. We discussed the care guidelines for her hair. I told her not to shampoo her hair for at least 48 hours, and that she should avoid using clips or ponytail elastics for at least four days.
I also gave her a protein-rich conditioner packet to use after 48 hours to help keep her hair healthy and to help seal the cuticle layer of the hair.
As you can see, the end result here was that Lorana's hair is now straighter, smoother and less puffy than it was after the initial service a few weeks ago.
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