BY JULIA BENITO
No salon? No problem.
Ah, the Brazilian Blowout — beloved by beauty-lovers for their smoothing, frizz-reducing abilities that, unlike more intensive hair treatments like relaxers, do not permanently alter your hair’s texture. We don’t doubt you’ve heard about it before. Perhaps you’ve even considered getting one yourself. However, with the pandemic still looming upon with its paranoia-inducing omnipresence, maybe a trip to the salon to get one should not be on the top of our priority lists.
But, as beauty-mongers, we must make do with what we have. With a little bit of DIY here and a little bit of online shopping there, the Brazilian Blowout of your dreams may just be within arms reach right there in your homes. Forget the salon chairs, ladies (and our lovely long-haired male readers), because we’re taking matters into our own hands.
First, What Is A Brazilian Blowout?
Because “keratin treatment” and “Brazilian Blowout” may sometimes be used interchangeably, we see where the confusion about what it is can draw from. Long story short, the Brazilian Blowout is actually a specific brand name of keratin treatments that can only be performed by stylists certified to do so.
However, it is possible to recreate the effects of a Brazilian Blowout with the right products and a big dollop of care.
Okay, So What Does It Do?
In essence, Brazilian Blowouts smooth the hair by creating a protective layer of protein around the strands of your hair, smoothing out frizz and sealing the cuticle. This treatment also makes your hair look fuller and shinier.
How Do I Recreate the Brazilian Blowout?
While it is heavily advised to seek professional help — as true Brazilian Blowouts requires professional treatments that can’t be simply bought in local beauty stores, after all — here are a few things you can try from accessible hair care brands to recreate the effect of a Brazilian Blowout sans the professional-use-only formulas.
However, do note that because this is a DIY solution, the effects may not be exactly the same. If you experience any discomfort, irritation, or see negative effects on your hair and scalp during the process, don’t continue. Seek professional help from your trusted stylist.
Start by washing your hair (thrice!)
As with any hair treatment, you’ll need to wash your hair. However, in this case, it would be best to have it washed more than once, as keratin treatments absorb best on porous hair.
Towel dry your hair
Once your hair is nice and refreshed, you can go ahead and give it a good, gentle towel dry.
Apply the treatment from root to tip
Here’s where the keratin comes in. As we’re going against the big leagues here, try to find a treatment that’s intensive yet safe for your hair. Start off by sectioning your hair into quadrants to ensure that you’re applying the treatment equally across your whole head of hair. From there, start applying the keratin treatment from the back section first, working from the root of your hair down to the tip. If you can, use a hairbrush akin to the kind you would use for coloring your hair to create thing subsections in each quadrant to make sure all bases are covered.
We recommend:
Blow-dry the product in
Yup, that’s right — no rinsing just yet! Allow the chemicals to fully penetrate your hair with a little bit of heat. This helps the keratin bond any broken links within the hair to create stronger strands.
We recommend:
Flat iron your hair
With your hair dry and the keratin worked in to rebuild your hair, seal it all in with a flat iron. If you have finer hair that’s more damaged or has had chemical treatments in the past, you can keep the temperature lower.
Go ahead and rinse
Finally, it’s time to rinse! Now, it may sound strange to rinse now that you’ve gone through all the trouble of drying and ironing your hair, but after locking in the goodness from the keratin solution with the heat, you’ll be needing to get it off.
Tip: Use a sulfate-free shampoo. Since sulfates can be abrasive to the hair, can remove natural oils, and can agitate the cuticle, it can make all the hard work you’ve put into your new ‘do to waste. A sulfate-free shampoo can help you increase the longevity of the treatment.
Deep condition
After thoroughly rinsing your hair, apply a deep conditioning hair mask for about 5–10 minutes before rinsing back off. Since your hair has gone through quite the ordeal, it’s important to use a mask for your newly smoothed strands to keep it strong and healthy. Continue to deep condition even after the initial process to ensure your hair stays moisturized and sleek.
Blow-dry it again (if you want)
You made it to the last step! You don’t need to do any precision drying at this stage — even a rough dry would do. You could even opt to air dry if you want to.
Optional: Refresh your hair
Washing our hair constantly — while not necessarily bad in its nature — can be drying for certain hair types. If you find that you’d rather sit a day or two out to keep your shampoo from stripping your hair’s natural oils, you can opt for a refresher product that you can spritz and leave in your hair without the need to wash and redo your hair completely.
Browse through more of ZALORA’s hair care products online today!