Hair straightening treatments are growing more popular but many customers are anxious about them, mostly due to their limited understanding of what those treatments are. Offering detailed explanations and counsel will help put those fears to rest and enable you to help every customer choose the type of treatment that fits them best. But bear in mind that there are some things you must never leave out of your explanations when telling people about hair straightening.
Hair straightening weakens your hair, but it’s not the end of the world
As stylist Lana Grand explains to The Oprah Magazine, permanent straightening solutions, which are Japanese hair straightening and chemical relaxers, both weaken the hair. This happens because they change its very structure. Such is the price of straightening that will last until it grows out. But note that “weakening” isn’t some kind of death sentence for the health of the customer’s hair. All treatments that have a lasting effect, like colouring or perm, also weaken the locks. But with the right care, this issue can be fixed quite fast. This is where you should explain about using hair masks, both homemade and those available from stores or your salon. List ingredients that will be most beneficial for hair recovery, such as Argan oil, coconut oil, and honey for homemade masks and professional products that contain potent natural extracts that provide hydration and protection.
Formaldehyde is dangerous, but we aren’t using it
According to Jane Dawson, one of the people who bring Fanola straightening products to Australia, the most important thing you need to do is to explain the customer that the products you are going to use are formaldehyde-free. There are many stories online about how straightening might be dangerous because of the toxic effects of this chemical. However, as explained by Suzanne M. Olbricht, M.D. of the Harvard Women’s Health Watch, it’s only formaldehyde that has such an adverse effect. Without it, there is no problem. Therefore, you need to reassure your customers that they will be perfectly safe as you are using a safe product free of this ingredient.
You’ll need to care for your hair differently from now on
Chemically straightened hair will require some small changes in one’s hair care routine. Most importantly, if the woman washes their hair every day or even every other day, you should advise them to reduce the frequency of shampooing. It’s also essential to make sure all your clients know not to use shampoos with sulphates as those make hair even drier. If necessary, one can wet and condition their locks, to make them look fresher. The straightening treatment will remove the need to heat style often or at all, depending on the customer’s preferences. Be sure to explain that they should aim to reduce heat damage to the minimum. When they need to blow-dry, using the cold setting will be best. Leave-in conditioners and hair serums are essential beauty tools for everyone with treated hair. It doesn’t matter whether the girl gets their hair straightened, permed, or coloured, they will need to use these products to protect their weakened locks after the treatment. These solutions will also help keep the hair looking fantastic for as long as possible. Chemically straightened hair doesn’t like brushing, so teach your customers how to use a comb to detangle gently. Again, a leave-in detangler will be a great help for those who get the shape of their hair altered using specialized treatments.
Colouring will have to wait
You can colour chemically straightened hair, but it’s best to wait for a few weeks before doing this. The same way one will need to wait for some time after colouring before straightening their hair. This waiting period is necessary to minimize hair damage. During this time, one should be using deep-conditioning treatments and restorative hair masks to help their locks regain their strength. If possible, it’s best to opt for ammonia-free professional hair dyes, at least at first.
To Sum It Up
Chemical hair straightening is a treatment that many people have reservations over due to the abundance of the negative publicity it got over formaldehyde. Therefore, you’ll need to reassure your customers and help them understand how the treatments you use are safe and that straightening once might be less damaging than frequent heat styling.
