I love the weather in the UAE but it’s certainly not kind to my hair. Call it a blessing or a curse, but I have naturally curly hair and, of course, we always want what we don’t have so, for me, daily blow-drying my hair straight is a tedious, time-consuming chore. Then there’s the hot, humid summer weather that makes any attempt to straighten my hair totally pointless as it goes frizzy within moments of stepping outside. With all this in mind, I set out to try the hair treatment favoured by celebrities such as Madonna and Halle Berry: the Brazilian Blowout.
Different from other straightening treatments such as keratin – that I tried a couple of years ago and, due to my hair being very fine, was left with flat, lifeless, poker-straight locks – the BB promises smooth, soft, shiny, frizz-free hair that maintains body and curls/waves if desired. Plus, after the 90-minute treatment, you are ready to go and do anything with your hair – other treatments stipulate not washing or tying your hair back for two to three days. Feeling excited that I could be on the verge of discovering the hair miracle I’ve been searching for all these years, I headed to the latest branch of NStyle salon in the newly opened World Trade Center Mall in Abu Dhabi.
The salon’s interior is all sleek and white, and the friendly staff specialise in nail service while offering a range of body, face and hair treatments.
My stylist first explained the differences between the NStyle Brazilian Blowout and other straightening treatments – that it doesn’t use dangerous chemicals such as formaldehyde but instead is an intensive conditioning formula that works best on damaged and colour-treated hair. I was whisked over to have my hair washed with an anti-residue shampoo after which the stylist carefully applied the trademarked treatment mask to my towel-dried hair and combed it through.
While I sipped a cup of tea and scanned a few magazines, the treatment mask worked its magic and, after about 15 minutes, my hair was carefully blow-dried straight in the style I would usually wear it, and then, using a flat iron, painstakingly straightened so that each and every strand had the treatment sealed onto it.
When this process was complete, it was over to the sinks again to have the treatment rinsed off – a bit of an odd sensation to have had all that time spent on meticulously blow-drying and straightening only to go and wash my hair again. After another blow-dry and going-over with the straighteners, I was finished.
My hair was soft to touch, bouncy and sleek and three weeks on, it still is. It’s so much easier to manage; If I’m in a hurry I can just blast it with the hairdryer and be ready in a few minutes, rather than the 20 it would normally take me. It has body and shine and I can still wear it wavy if I style it with a curling brush. The spiral curls I had have temporarily disappeared, but hey, I was always trying to straighten them, anyway. My stylist said that after three months – the time the treatment usually lasts for – I should get just the roots retreated rather than the whole head of hair, and I’ll be good to go for another three months. Just in time for the cruel summer.
• The Brazilian Blowout costs between Dh1,500 and Dh2,700, depending on hair length. NStyle has branches across Abu Dhabi and Dubai. To make an appointment, call 800 678 953 or visit www.nstyleintl.com
sferguson@thenational.ae
