My Experience of Hair Smoothing

Tips on Hair Care

I had it planned for nearly two weeks and after doing satisfactory research, I was finally in the salon. This was my first such visit for many reasons. First, I have never done anything to my hair more than a hair cut or oil massage. And today, I came to give my hair what I thought they deserve – smoothing. Second, it was going to be my first visit to a unisex salon. So I was both excited and curious about the upcoming experience.

I can tell from my instincts that it’s one of the nicest feelings to have your hair worked by someone else. And though strange it is but males are more sincere and efficient in handling the long locks than females themselves. So was the hairdresser who gave me a real manifestation of my thoughts.

A thin and fair twentyish boy came over to the door. His hair – a deep curly mesh of copper brown hair. That I thought was cool. Before we could have the chemical episode started, I foisted upon him few questions – if there could be any side-effects – hair fall, graying, thinning or the loss of natural luster of hair, or if a sophisticated maintenance process would need to be carried out? If I would be able to give temporary curls to my hair for parties or functions? To all of these, he had reassuring answers.

On my insistence, he also briefed the steps of smoothing. I was not sure if it was cool to ask so many questions but when I told him that it was first time to ever subject my hair to anything of this sort, he found it alright.

It stared with a hair wash, which for the professional meant cleaning dirt or dandruff, if any sticking to the hair. But for me it was a kind of pampering my hair and the scalp love to have. During those five minutes, what I had to do was to sit comfortably in a chair, rest my head backward into the sink while the hair dresser soaked them in thick suds of shampoo and rinsed with a shower of cold water. While he was carefully wielding his expert fingers through my hair, I could only giggle inwardly with the thought of having a hair wash from a male ever in my life. That was so cool!

Next step as I learnt was to break the natural bonds of hair with a solution. What I learned in technical terms is, ’Hair smoothing is more like hacking the original code of hair, reprogramming it and locking the effect permanently’.

There are many brands available now a days, of which the best ones are L’Oreal, Schwarzkopf and matrix. Although all three are trustworthy and the professional emphasized on L’Oreal but I chose to go with Schwarzkopf on the basis of user reviews I found on the internet.

Here two things are worth noting: 1) choose your brand yourself 2) check if the beautician is using the said product. When my hair dresser poured the hair relaxer into the bowl, I said, “Would you mind me checking the sachet for once?” And he said, “Sure” while handing me over the packet that read ‘Schwarzkopf’ in colorful letters.

He then started applying the white paste onto my hair very carefully starting an inch away from the parting to protect the scalp. Since, it is a destructive process, special care is needed which is where comes the need of an expert and experienced professional. Fortunately, this guy had a good record of four years in good salons.

The only disappointment was the toxic smell that irritated both the eyes and the nostrils for a good 30 minutes, following by another wash and blow drying.

Then came the next step of straightening with the comb and drier after which, another straightening step included pressing with iron rod. Altogether both the things took one hour during which I many a times, noticed the tattoo on the hair dresser’s hand. It appeared something like few drops pouring into a mug. Looking at this, I recalled my plan to have a permanent tattoo someday. I will.

He said to me, “We are setting the new bonds for your hair now, which shall be locked by the straightening cream we shall apply next.”

I once more verified the brand’s name on the packet he was going to use. And gave him a go ahead. But this time, he commanded, “don’t move the slightest for the next fifteen minutes”. By now, four hours had passed and I had started to feel dizzy. It was difficult not to move given that I was constantly feeling the tendency to cough. But thanks for the cup of tea the courteous staff offered me and the candid talks with the two staff girls. Talking with them, I could reassure myself that the hair problems I had been dealing with were common to almost everyone these days.

I came to realize that only clever beauticians or cosmetics merchants tend to trick you into believing that your problems are unique and very serious to be immediately addressed so that you buy into their costly services without giving it a second opinion. Here was a salon, acknowledging my every problem saying, “It’s very normal.”

It was now a time for final wash during which the boy applied a ‘mask’ in my hair and left for 5 minute to emulsify my hair. Perhaps this would give an extra shine.

Finally the hair was washed and blow dried. The result was unbelievable. I never had my hair so straight and smooth. I was asked to keep my hair straight for the next 24 hours and to follow hair care instructions given by the professional.

With this, my curiosity about the results of hair smoothing finally came answered.

What I learned from the process

Smoothing is nothing but breaking the natural bonds of hair, straightening them and locking the effect with a chemical straightener.
Smoothing is a mild form of rebonding and is in very much preferable for those who have only slightly wavy hair.
There are no side effects associated with the process provided the right product is used by an expert professional.

Useful Tips :

Choose your brand yourself.
Don’t forget to check the packet/tube the beautician is going to use on your precious hair, for the brand name and expiry date.
Make sure that your face cut is suitable for straight hair, otherwise most people get it done only to follow the fashion.
A good professional would ask you for another visit the next day for final wash and finishing. If you want to get hair color, a good professional would give hair color atleast 14-15 days after smoothing otherwise the hair might damage.
Treat your hair gently and follow the post care steps recommended by your hair dresser.

Wishing all of you Happy ‘n’ Healthy Hair !!!