BUZZWORTHY/Taming the Summer Fro

After the Brazilian Blowout...Voila! Sleek and Smooth! Our intrepid Buzzworthy columnist shows her new do.

ALEXANDRIA, VA. - When discovering a new beauty secret, I have found that most ladies fall into two categories.  
 
First are those who keep their secrets closely guarded, not wanting to share their triumphs or new discoveries with the world -- instead choosing to remain tight lipped.  
 
Then there is a second category of us big-mouthed broads who feel we have to share our news with the world, and we will go as far as to stop other women on the street to give away our secrets -- after all who wants to see a sister struggle?
 
Luckily my friends are wonderful women as well as great sources of information.  
 
When I discovered three dear friends had all undergone a relatively new process known as the Brazilian Blowout, I knew I had to investigate the new craze.  
 
The Brazilian Blowout is a method of temporarily straightening hair by sealing the hair with a liquid keratin and formaldehyde solution with a flat iron. The Brazilian Keratin Treatment is a long-term blow dry for hair that lasts about three months. Pioneered in Brazil, the Brazilian Keratin Treatment is able to be performed on all types of chemically treated hair (bleached, hi-lights, colored, permed, relaxed or previously straightened). It is used on frizzy, damaged, unhealthy, dull and mistreated hair.
 
Was I dreaming?  Could my sometimes frizzy fro actually be tamed?  My buddies Michelle Pendoley, Stephanie Germeraad, and Micky Farivar were all swearing by the Brazilian and loving their new dos.  
 
I had to move forward - do not pass go...
 
Now the Queen Bee loves a steal and a deal so I started calling salons around town as well as asking friends far and wide - even on facebook if they had any tips, suggestions, or experiences to share.  
 
After a fair amount of research I learned the process was pricey - average price for the 3-4 hour treatment was about $400.  I called several of the Alexandria spas and salons and conducted reserach on one of my favorite web sites like YELP to price comparsion shop.  
 
When I learned that the spa and salon at Saks Fifth Avenue at Tysons Galleria had a special for $199 I booked right away.  
 
My stylists name was Yum and she was polite, nice and professional.  We got to know each other well over the three plus hours she worked on my mane.  The process starts with a shampoo and the application of a treatment,  then a blow dry and straightening with a flat iron,  then another shampoo and then it's time to style and move on.  
 
Yum has been a stylist for years, but I was the sixth person she applied the Brazilian Treatment on.  She did great!  It has been a couple of weeks now and my hair is much more manageable, looking pretty good most of the time with very minimal effort.
 
The Washington Opera's Michelle Pendoley was also sold on the Brazilian Treatment in the first week, allowing Local Kicks this raving testimonial:
 
"I washed my hair last night, let it air dry...It was definitely not stick straight--a bit fluffy but not frizzy. I wouldn't call it 'wash and go.' But this morning is when the miracle happened. One pass with my flat iron and it was as smooth as when the stylist did it. Cut down on primp time by 50 percent or more. I'm sure if I had blow-dried when wet, it would have been smooth too. I think I'm in love with it. If things continue, ahem, smoothly, I'll definitely be doing this again."
 
Treatments last around 10–12 weeks and repeating the treatment every few months will allow re-treatment of the new growth.
 
This system does not guarantee completely straight hair. It can relax between 50 and 80 percent of the curl depending on texture, if done correctly. And reduces the time spent on styling by 10 to 20 minutes.
 
The treatment however does not allow one to wash the hair for at least 48-72 hours after the solution is applied, nor are they supposed to pick it up with any hair clip, pony tail, or locate the hair behind the ears.  
 
After that you are good to go.  One thing I had not bargained for was pricey shampoo and conditioner - which set me back $90.  That was a bummer, but all and all the treatment and shampoos are a small price to pay to have lovely locks.  
 
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