LIFE AS A HUMAN

A Good Will Announcement for All of You Ladies with Waves, Curls, or Frizz…

By Katie Paterson | Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 12:07 am | 1 Comment

Editor’s Note: Say it isn’t so! Shortly after Katie wrote the articled below, she called to say Health Canada has issued the following warning:

Health Canada is warning Canadians that Brazilian Blowout Solution manufactured by Brazilian Blowout of California has been found to contain unacceptable levels of formaldehyde. The Brazilian Blowout hair smoothing treatment is known to be available at salons across Canada.

Health Canada has received complaints of burning eyes, nose, and throat, breathing difficulties, and one report of hair loss associated with use of the product. For more info please visit Health Canada’s website.

This past weekend, I had our apartment completely to myself as my boyfriend was out of town. Being alone is a rare occurrence for me, so I was planning to live it up bachelor-style: I was going to pee with the door open, walk around in my underwear, and eat Kraft Dinner directly out of the pot (with little concern that my supper was comprised entirely of carbs). However, despite my best bachelor intentions, I had a pink and frilly, chick-flick-watching, fruity cocktail-filled, girly weekend, complete with a fresh coat of polish on my toes and a hair appointment. It was glorious!

Before meeting one my best friends for dinner and a movie Saturday night, I had an epic trip to the hair salon that took up a ridiculous chunk of my afternoon, but the end result has brought me nothing but delight and sheer and utter glee. The magical procedure I had done was called a “Brazilian Blow Out”.

I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no, this isn’t an entry about nether region waxing. No wizard sleeves were involved in this magic… However, my naturally frizzy hair is currently a smooth sheet of brown satin—and no effort or maintenance was involved on my part. Who cares how long David Blaine can sit in a giant gerbil ball filled with water, if I can have straight, pretty hair without getting up early?!

The unfortunately named Brazilian Blow Out is a semi-permanent hair straightening procedure where a magic potion is painted onto your hair, covering every layer (much like hair dye would be applied), and then your hair is blow dried and flat ironed—the heat from which activates the magic and sets your hair straight. The chemicals are then washed out, and your hair is re-blow dried, and then you’re good to go! You will have smooth, straight hair with little to no effort, for up to 8 weeks (allegedly, anyway…we will see about this part).

I have annoying in-between hair that is neither straight nor curly (and always has that just-out-of-bed look—a classy style for the office). When I take the time to flat-iron it, it looks very nice, but I am just lazy enough that I can’t be bothered to do this every day, yet just vain enough to feel guilty that I don’t put in the effort.

Be forewarned, if you’re interested in this procedure, it’s pricey ($200ish), and you are likely to become addicted, as I have. It also takes about two hours in the salon (but look how many hours you reclaim not flat-ironing!). Anyway, I don’t want to sound like an infomercial (too late?), but I thought it my duty as a wavy-haired girl to pass this information along to my fellow frizzpots…

The existence of the Brazilian Blow Out solves my life’s problems. This is the other side of the rainbow, for me. No, this is the double rainbow. So. Intense.