Can Black Women Get A Brazilian Blowout On Their Hair?

I have been doing Brazilian Blowouts for a while now and one of the most common statements I have heard was "I thought that was only for white hair?"  Well, the truth is that the product is not intended for specific ethnicities.  Instead, it is intended for hair types.  If your hair is naturally curly and you desire to have it straightened for a few months, or if you just want to take some of the curl out but not eliminate it completely, then this would be a great product for you.  The client featured in today's post has naturally curly hair and some of the thickest hair that I have ever seen on one head.  She was trying to make a decision on if she wanted to get her relaxer again or not.  Doing the Brazilian Blowout allows her to see how she likes her hair straight without the actual commitment of a permanent relaxer.

These are her after pictures.  The good thing about the Brazilian Blowout is that it does last for up to three months, or twelve weeks.  This client really liked her results and thinks she may continue to get the blowout instead of getting the chemical again.

I recommend my relaxed clients get relaxers every four months and the blowout lasts for three, so you would have to decide how long you want to wait for each one.  The only difference is that since the Brazilian Blowout is not permanent, once you do it over again, you do the entire head all over again.  With the relaxer, you only have to do the new growth instead of doing all of the hair each time.

 I get both because since I relaxer stretch for so long (six months) the Brazilian Blowout allows me to still have straight new growth longer, and by the time it wears off it will be time for my relaxer again.  So to answer your question, yes black women can absolutely get a Brazilian Blowout in their hair!  And the next time you think of products not being for your hair, go by the benefits the product offers instead of generalizing it based off what you assume certain ethnicities use.  And as always, keep your hair healthy!!

Full Sew In (With A Tiny Bit Of Leave Out)

This client got a full sew in so I thought I would share her pictures.  She loves the versatility of a sew in and how easy it is to take care of.  She will keep this sew in for no longer than three months before she takes it down and cleanses and deep conditions her real hair.

The only part of her real hair that was left out is just enough to part the real hair and cover the track and a little out around the edges so that when the wind blows it still looks natural.  With all of the rest of the hair braided up, it allows it to grow a little faster since nothing is being done with it and

The Brazilian Blowout Series (week 1) | Finding Out How Long It Lasts

Many of you have asked me to do another series after I did the "How to stretch your relaxer" series, so I have decided to do another one just for you!  Since I recently did a Brazilian Blowout on last week, I will start  a new series on how long it lasts.  Technically it is supposed to last up to 12 weeks, so this series will document how long it takes to wear off.  Once the treatment wears off, it will be time for my relaxer again.

A Brazilian Blowout is a keratin based treatment that temporarily straightens the hair for up to 12 weeks.  It is a great option for naturally curly hair if you would like to have straight hair without the actual permanent commitment of a relaxer.  It is also an option for transitioning hair if it is difficult to handle two textures at the same time.  If you do not want to do the big chop right away, you could get the Brazilian Blowout which would make all of your hair straight.  By the time the treatment wears off, you can then decide if you are ready to cut the relaxed part off or get the treatment again until you can get to a point where you are ready to cut the relaxed ends off.  

Natural Hair Makeover | Short Bob & Permanent Highlights

This relaxer free client was ready for a makeover.  She wanted something different so she decided to cut her hair into a short bob and add a few permanent highlights.  I started by adding the highlights first, then shampooing and conditioning really well with Silk Hydration by L. Jones products.  I used the clarifying shampoo to make sure all traces of residue were off of the hair and start me off with a clean slate.

Next I conditioned the hair well with Silk Hydration by L. Jones Daily conditioner.  After I rinsed the conditioner, I then applied the leave-in conditioner and combed through.  After that I combed the hair straight down and placed the client under a hooded dryer until the hair was dry.  Although she is relaxer free, she has the type of hair texture where she can sit under the dryer and it will turn into these pretty waves that you see here (lucky girl!).

Next step was blowing the hair out and cutting.  Ya'll know I love me a bob so I happy to cut it for her.  She said to go pretty short in the back so I went as short as I could taken into consideration that she does not have a relaxer.  Therefore, when her hair curls back up it will look a lot shorter than it looks straight so if she ever wants to just wear it curly it will still have the shape of a short bob.

Healthy Hair Checklist (for relaxed hair)

Being a relaxed haired woman myself, I am a little bit more partial to women with relaxed hair.  As a result, I tend to want to give a lot more tips to women with relaxed hair.  My main goal in doing this is to let everyone who chooses to have a relaxer fully aware that they can most definitely have healthy, long, thick, hair WITH a relaxer.  I have created a checklist of the basics for my relaxed haired ladies to get you started on the right track to having healthy hair.

healthy hair checklist for relaxed hair

Again, these are just the basics, but if you get these things down into your routine, you are well on your way to having healthy relaxed hair.  Join me in a later post as I elaborate a little further with more steps on keeping your relaxed hair healthy.

How Brazilian Blowouts Are Done (And My Results)

I have been performing many Brazilian Blowouts on many of my natural clients, especially in the summer months due to silk presses just do not last on people that are very physically active and sweat in their scalp, or live in humid conditions.  Also, some natural women just want a break from the curls and want to enjoy straight hair for a longer period of time than the silk press can provide but do not want the actual permanent commitment of a relaxer.  For these reasons, a brazilian blowout is the answer.  I will be the first to admit that I have been using the phrases "keratin treatments" and "brazilian blowouts" interchangeably.  However, they are slightly different.  Brazilian blowouts are keratin based treatments that do not contain any carcinogens or aldehydes, making them the more preferred choice.  They last up to twelve weeks and after that the hair returns to its natural state.  Keratin treatments contain formalin which, when heat is applied and the hair is flat ironed, turns into formaldehyde.  Once applied the hair can not be wet for three days, unlike the brazilian blowout which can be wet the same day without affecting the results.

I did the Brazilian Blowout on myself and am about to share my results with you.  I did it because I am at the halfway mark in my stretch and wanted to get it to help me get over the hump.  It will straighten my hair for up to twelve weeks, and at that point I will be ready for my next touch up.  This will help me in my stretch.  Relaxed women can also get keratin treatments, but I personally do not see the point in getting them if you are not significantly stretching.  Most people wanting brazilian blowouts get them to enjoy straight hair, and since relaxed hair is already straight it is not the preferred choice of relaxed women.  However, when you are stretching your relaxers out, they can be excellent to help with that, especially when you do not wear weave.  They do not do any damage to the hair so it is safe to do on relaxed as well as colored hair.

Check out the video results of my brazilian blowout.  WARNING**** THE SERVICE YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS BEING PERFORMED BY A LICENSED COSMETOLOGIST.  THIS SERVICE SHOULD ONLY BE PERFORMED BY A PROFESSIONAL.  PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.

Natural Hair Twist Out

This is a client who does not have a relaxer and is on the last leg of her keratin treatment.  She has a job that demands a lot of physical activity therefore having it straight is really not an option for her unless she is off.  Today she wanted to try a twist set in hopes that it would last a bit longer than wearing it just straight.

twist out on natural hair front view

I started by shampooing with

Relaxed Hair Or Natural Hair?

With going natural seeming to be the "in" thing to do these days, a lot of women are asking themselves the question "Should I go natural??"  Whether you are natural or relaxed, you can have healthy hair either way.  I do think that women with natural hair tend to see their hair growing faster than their relaxed counterparts, and for obvious reasons.  No chemicals and no over-processing!!  However, women that go natural but still want to wear their hair straight come to realize that sometimes it can be more work.  You have to work that much harder to get those roots straight, and keeping it out of humidity can be a job in itself!  This isn't a problem if you go to the salon and let your stylist do the work, but some women that try to straighten it themselves don't have the patience and just throw in the towel.  I've personally seen many try to go natural, then change their minds when that new growth starts getting thick.  As a stylist, I support any decision my clients make in terms of going natural or not.  I will inform them of the pros and cons and allow them to make a decision.  But as I said before, you can still have healthy hair AND have a relaxer.  You just have to take care of it.  Ultimately, there is no right or wrong choice. Either way, just keep it healthy!! Until next time...