Sometimes here at the Wingate we are lucky enough to serve as models for the latest services and offerings. I was lucky enough to bump into Tina who was looking for someone to work with on our latest in hair care – the Keratin Hair Treatment. The Simply Smooth Keratin Hair Treatment is a formaldehyde free straightening formula that provides high-performance smoothing using a safe, natural process.
My hair is not curly, but it does get big and frizzy at times so I thought this may be a great taming mechanism for my unruly hair. My hair responds poorly to weather changes like humidity and I had heard the service is a great remedy for that. Also from what I understand, for women with curly hair that are looking to relax and soften – it is a great treatment.
Before I had it done I decided to do a Google search. You will see a lot out there about these treatments. The first important thing I learned is that our service is formaldehyde free. Many people are opposed to the Keratin treatments that utilize formaldehyde because of the prolonged exposure to the chemical. It has also been known to cause hair loss. Due to that the staff felt it was of course important to chose a treatment that offered a formaldehyde free choice – pheww…cross that off my list of concerns! I have had chemical treatments done to my hair before and wondered if that would be a problem – but all sources pointed to “no”. The product is safe and does not harm your hair, even if a chemical has treated it previously. The chemical does not affect the internal construct of your hair. It only works on the cuticle. Okay…all set.
The next thing on my list was the timing of the service. You will need to let the treatment set in your hair for three (3) days. Some people don’t wash their hair every day, but I happen to be one of those people that do! So I knew I needed to plan this out in a way that it worked out with work and home schedules. It is not good for the hair to be put up in a ponytail or in a baseball cap because it may cause breakage…so those are not options. I was also told that it is a good idea to wait and have your haircut after the treatment so you can trim away any of the dead ends. It is smart to color your hair beforehand because you will have to wait at least two weeks after the treatment to do any hair color services. I worked this all out and found the perfect day to make it all happen!
I knew the process would take a bit of time so I rounded up a few good magazines before settling into the seat. You know…the required intellectual reading like People, US Weekly, In Touch…good stuff like that! The actual service can take up to three hours depending on your hair length and type. The stylists will set up a free consultation with you to go over all the details beforehand. As a mother of two young boys the thought of sitting in that seat for hours sipping coffee and reading about Jon & Kate Plus 8 and Jon’s many foolish mistakes…was heaven.
First Tina took me to the sink and washed my hair with a clarifying shampoo to make sure it was very clean and ready for the treatment. After that my hair was dried completely. From there she started to divide my hair into a few sections. She began to apply the treatment to the sections until my hair was thoroughly wet with the Keratin. After this she again dried my entire head with a blow dryer. Finally, Tina utilized a special heated iron to seal in the treatment. Tina took a lot of precautions to make sure the iron was never in actual contact with my scalp…and I appreciated that! I relaxed and learned more about Brad and Angelina breaking up…again. I still consider myself "Team Aniston" so this is great reading material. There was no smell and it did not irritate me at all. I found the entire service kind of relaxing! From there I was given my instructions:
- Do NOT wash my hair or get it wet. I was to come in the morning of the fourth day and Tina would wash out the treatment and check out the results.
- Do NOT wear it in a pony tail or put a hat on…this may cause damage to the treatment.
- Do NOT perspire too much – try to avoid too many trips to the gym. Hmmm…I was okay with that one.
Okay. I can do this. I can. No washing hair for three days. I admit it, it was hard. I found that if I took the time to comb or brush out my hair to give it some body again…it didn’t look too bad. I cannot say I went out a ton. Luckily and unluckily for me – it rained two out of the three days. Unlucky because I had to make sure my hair stayed dry! Lucky because I think everyone just thought my hair was wet…not unwashed!
On the fourth day I happily had my hair washed and blown dry. Wow…it was beautiful!!! The hair was shiny and definitely straighter. It felt stronger to the touch. That frizzy feeling was totally gone and my hair was so luxurious! I was thrilled with my new look. Tina sent me off with the recommended hair products for free so that was a special treat. Clients receive that too – the shampoo and conditioner for free after the service. If you want to continue after that the products are reasonably priced. You aren’t supposed to wash your hair every day so I adjusted to that. The products they give you are especially designed to prolong the treatment. Overall it lasts four months until you may need another treatment.
Here are some other benefits I did not expect. While using a blow dryer to style my hair I noticed it dried a lot quicker. I also noticed it was a lot easier to style. Half the tools I typically use while drying my hair were no longer necessary. I am a bit challenged in that area so that was a great benefit. Sometimes I just let it air dry and the results were amazing. For a busy mom that was great! My hair was improved. It felt less heavy and had a beautiful bounce to it. I cannot believe how easy it is to now maintain my hair.
I have since watched a few clients walk out of here after their treatments. Curly, unruly hair is softer and straighter. Very frizzy hair is calmed and smoother. Some have said they used to spend hours dealing with detangling knots in their hair and that is over. Clients who have had other straightening treatments have noted that this is easier, cheaper and leaves the hair with more body. Everyone loves it!
Remember when Frenchy was piercing Sandy’s ears in Grease and she said – “Sandy, Sandy, beauty is pain.”? This is true. I cannot say it was easy to walk around with essentially greasy hair for those few days but it was well worth it. People noticed…”What did you do to your hair…is it a different color or something?" They could never quite figure out what had happened! And if you time it right you can hibernate for a few days and relax until it is time to wash it.
This isn't me...but here are some great before and after pictures:
If you are interested in more information here is the official website from Simply Smooth including a great video with before and after pictures:
For more information about the treatment at the Wingate:
If you are looking for the hair treatment that might meet all your needs...this could be the one!
