Nothing spells frustration quite like frizzy hair. It’s too big when left untied and spilling out when pulled into any hair style; what is a girl to do? While we’ve had many solutions for curls and frizzy manes over the years, the one that’s taking centre stage now is hair smoothening treatments like a Brazilian blowout. This offers your hair the smooth finish you crave temporarily and makes your hair manageable for a while. But before you go running to a salon, join us for a lesson of hair smoothening 101 where we tell you the a to z of a hair smoothening treatment, side effects of smoothening and important aftercare that will help maintain its health.
Are hair straightening and smoothening different?
First, it is important to address that hair smoothening is not the same as hair straightening. Straightening (permanently) will break the bonds of your hair and chemicals are then applied to seal the new bonds giving you pin-straight hair. This permanently restructures your hair until new hair is grown out.
A hair smoothening process, however, is a temporary solution to frizz and softer curls. This technique involves applying the chemical formaldehyde to the hair after a good wash to break the bonds and then locking in the structure with a flat iron. This may last you anywhere between 2-5 or 6 months, depending on how well you take care of it.
Who should go for a hair smoothening procedure?
If frizz and curl control are your primary issues, go for it! But there are a few things to keep in mind:
Do you have freshly coloured or damaged hair?
Do you have tight curls that fall into ringlets?
Do you have extremely thick and curly hair?
Have you opted for hair smoothening in the past 3 months?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you should probably stop in your tracks. This is not the right time or perhaps the right treatment for you as the hair smoothening process consists of harsh chemicals that can damage your hair further or, in the case of extreme curls, not attain the level of smoothness that you would expect.
Hair Smoothening Side Effects
Pictures showing the results of hair smoothening might be tempting you, but there is one question that often holds us back from that trip to the salon—does smoothening damage hair? And the answer is yes but to varying degrees and in different ways. There are disadvantages of hair smoothening that you should be aware of:
1. Hair fall
The straightening craze of 2000s has taught us that excessive heat is a no-no for our hair health. Add to it intense chemical treatments and you have a scary cocktail in sight. Many have noticed hair fall after smoothening as these two aspects can cause the hair shaft to weaken and hence, break.
2. Dryness
If you choose to go for that hair smoothening for shine and maintenance, keep in mind that excessive heat and the chemicals can also suck the moisture right out of your hair, eventually leading it to feel dry.
3. Split ends
Dry hair also means some nasty split ends!
4. Change in hair texture
The side effects of hair smoothening also include a change in your hair texture as you know it. As you know now, the chemicals used during hair smoothening break the bonds of your hair to alter its shape and in this process, you might end up losing a lot of your natural hair texture.
5. Dizziness and breathing issues
Now this is only really a worry during the application of formaldehyde as it is toxic in nature and has known to cause nausea, dizziness and breathing issues in people who people it to their hair. Make sure the salon you go to has good air circulation.
Is this list making you dizzy instead? Is smoothening good for hair in any way at all? Yes, but not in the way you think. Hair smoothening is a luxury treatment and if your issues with frizzy hair seem worth risking a few side effects, who are we to stop you?
So, let us help you take care of it instead by approaching it the right way!
What to do when you’re expecting damage
The damage that hair smoothening does can be scary looking, we know. But hair smoothening side effects are not impossible to deal with. Check boxes off this list after your treatment to make sure you’re doing everything right on your end to reduce damage to the hair.
Tip 1 – Use sulphate-free shampoos after your treatment for a gentle wash.
Smytten recommends:
Tip 2 – Take a break from your hair styling tools. You probably won’t need them anyway!
Tip 3 – Use hydrating hair masks to combat the dryness left behind from the treatment.
Smytten recommends:
Tip 4 – Don’t oil your hair for a couple weeks, after which you can bring them back into your routine for moisturised hair strands.
By following these aftercare tips, you can enjoy the benefits of hair smoothening while minimizing potential damage. If your battle with frizzy hair seems worth the risk, this treatment could be your answer to sleek, manageable hair!
