What Permanent Hair Straightening Method Is Right For You?

Many people with curly, wavy, or frizzy hair, have chosen to get permanent hair straightening.  It's not just because straight hair is fashionable.  Curves and waves can look great--when you're having that perfect hair day, or when you've spend loads of money and time styling them. But they can also be a hassle.  The slightest bit of rain or humidity, and your hair becomes totally unmanageable.  But permanent hair straightening can give you hair that is sleek, frizz-free, and easy to style and manage.

There are a lot of techniques out there to permanently straighten hair.

Permanent chemical hair straightening is also known as hair relaxing.  There are many different types, and many different methods, but they all involve the use of a chemical or a combination of chemicals to permanently alter the structure of the hair and remove its curls. 

Hair's structure is determined by protein bonds.  These bonds between the molecules in hair lock it into a curly or wavy shape.  Chemical hair straightening involves using an alkaline chemical to break these bonds.  The reaction is then stopped by an acidic chemical.  Enough bonds have to be broken to change the shape of the hair, but if too many are broken, the hair will have no strength, and will be limp and brittle.

If done wrong, chemical hair straightening can cause a lot of permanent damage to your hair.  Professionals can do a test on a few strands of your hair to determine the type of permanent hair straighteners that will work best and be the safest for your hair.  It's also important to find a stylist who has experience doing the procedure and working with those chemicals.

Results with chemicals are usually pretty good, if it's done right--they last for around 6 months, although you may have to touch up new hair growth a bit more often than that.  Also, this often won't make hair completely straight--some waviness or frizziness is common, and you will have to spend some time to manage this. 

A salon permanent hair straightening treatment will usually cost around $100.

This is a relatively new type of permanent hair straightening, also called Japanese Hair Straightening, Yuko Hair Straightening, or Thermal Restructuring. 

This process of permanent hair straightening uses a combination of chemicals and heat to straighten hair.  A chemical treatment is applied to the hair, and left on for 15 to 20 minutes.  This treatment breaks the protein bonds in the hair.  These are the bonds that hold the hair into its curly or wavy shape.  Breaking them allows the hair's natural shape to be reset.  After the chemicals have been give enough time to work, they are rinsed out and the hair is treated with moisturizers to protect and help keep it healthy. 

The next step is the application of extreme heat. The hair is passed through a straightening iron that can reach up to 300 degrees, and then treated again with chemicals to lock in the new straight style as well as protect the hair.   

Japanese Permanent Hair Straightening doesn't work for everyone, though.  People who are ideal candidates report great results with it, but it's important to make sure that you have the right hair type for it.  The ideal candidate is someone with hair that is shoulder-length or longer, has never been chemically treated, is somewhat frizzy and course, and is relatively healthy and undamaged. 

Depending on the length of your hair, and the thickness of it, thermal reconditioning costs can be anywhere between $300 to $1000.  It takes a very long time (for some people, as much as 8 hours!) to perform, and because it is a very complex procedure involving chemicals and intense heat, you need to make sure your stylist has the proper training and certification. 

Also, keep in mind that there are a number of different ways to perform this technique.  Different chemical solutions, different procedures, and different straightening irons may be used by hair stylists.  So it's a good idea to spend some time talking to the hair stylist before you commit to the treatment, and make sure that you understand and do some research on the particular methods they are using. 

For people who have the right type of hair, this method of permanent hair straightening is very effective in giving a sleek, shiny, completely straight look.  It requires little maintenance after the first few days.  The only touch-ups that will need to be done are to treat new hair growth.

This type of permanent hair straightening is also called keratin hair straightening. 

Keratin is a protein that is present in our hair, nails, and skin.  Using keratin is a lot safer than using the chemicals found in many other permanent hair straightening methods.  Keratin doesn't change the internal structure of the hair.  Instead, it coats the hair and protects it, repairing damage while at the same time smoothing away frizz. 

While other treatments can be especially dangerous for chemically treated or damaged hair, this treatment actually has great results for this type of hair, because it takes the keratin in better. 

People who have had this hair straightening method done give it great reviews.  They say it makes their hair smoother, softer, and completely frizz free.

While some call Brazilian hair straightening permanent, the truth is that it typically lasts for a few months.  One benefit, though, is that the hair will more gradually return to its normal condition, rather than having an inch or two of frizzy new growth above perfectly straight hair.  Also, the more times the treatment is performed, the longer-lasting and more effective it will be.

A typical Brazilian hair straightening treatment will cost between $200 and $600, depending on your hair type, length, and thickness.

Permanent hair straightening is a sought-after procedure.  When it is done in salons, though, permanent hair straightening cost can get pricey, especially with all of the touch-ups that are necessary. So, it's only to be expected that a number of cheap do-it-yourself kits have appeared for permanently straightening hair at home.

These kits cost anywhere from $10 to $40, and claim to give you quick and easy results.  But actually, while your hair may be straighter, it probably won't come out looking sleek or healthy.  Some frizziness and waviness is still common with permanent hair straightening at home.  So, you may be saving money in the short term, but you will still have to spend a lot of time and money on managing the less-than-ideal results you'll get with these kits.

Also, remember that the process of breaking hair's chemical bonds has to be timed carefully in order to avoid damaging hair by breaking too many bonds.  You are putting your hair at a pretty big risk of damage by trying to do this yourself.  Finding a professional stylist with a lot of training and experience means that your hair will get a carefully customized treatment that is a lot less likely to cause permanent damage. 

All in all, while other permanent hair straightening usually has pretty good results, with at home hair straightening kits, you get what you pay for. 

If you do feel that you want to try one of these, make sure you follow the directions very carefully.  Don't use it if you have color-treated your hair recently, and make sure you do a strand test and allergy test first. 

First, remember that there really is no such thing as permanent hair straightening.  No matter what you do, your hair will eventually grow, and the new hair will grow in just as curly, wavy, or unruly as before.  No matter what method you use, you'll have to do touch-ups at least twice a year.  These can be costly.

Also, although at home permanent hair straightening is cheap, there are a lot of risks with these harsh chemicals.  Even when done by professionals, permanent hair straightening may not have the desired results and may cause damage.  The chemicals that your hair can tolerate have to be chosen very carefully, and applied very carefully. 

But, for many of us with unruly, frizzy hair, every day that we want to have hair that looks attractive and presentable means a lot of time spent with a blow dryer or a straightening iron.  Permanent hair straightening can make a huge difference in the amount of time you spend managing your hair, and your confidence. 

Imagine waking up every morning, running a comb through your hair, and being done with it.  Imagine never having to be terrified of summer humidity or spring rain ruining hours of styling work. 

For many people, the convenience and confidence boost of having manageable, perfectly straight hair is worth it.  Just make sure that if you are going to get your hair permanently straightened, you find a stylist who knows what they are doing and can do it right.