Hair Things

I’ve got great news for any woman who ever considered getting a thermal reconditioning permanent straightening treatment done, but didn’t want to have stick-straight hair all of the time. You can now have your cake and eat it too with cold smoothing! I just got mine done, and I’m so excited I can barely even type these words…

That’s right, I just got a cold smoothing treatment done, for the first time, on my mid-back long hair (it’s pretty
long, and always has been, which makes for more expensive hair services). The treatment cost a total of $300 where I went to get it done, here in Ohio where I live. It took a mere 2 hours, as compared to the six hours the thermal reconditioning used to take.

I had gotten the Japanese straightening done twice before, about one year apart when they grew out, and was very happy with the results, with one drawback. I missed having bouncy curly waves, or even just hair that had some body and volume to it.

However, due to the extremely frizzy nature of my hair, I could never wear it “full” with waves and curls, because that always
equalled frizz for me. That’s all appeared to have changed now. With this cold smoothing service, my hair is shiny, bouncy, and yes, it actually holds a curl - and it has held it all day. My hair looks healthy and has volume, and yet I’ve noticed that, as promised, the cold smoothing took away about 85% of the frizz which used to accompany the curls.

Cold Smoothing : The Process

OK, I’m going to tell you my cold smoothing experience start to finish, which won’t take too long, because the procedure only
took about two hours in its entirety. Cold smoothing is a hair relaxing and de-frizzing solution that was created by the
professionals at Matrix hair products. There is no heat involved in the treatment, unless you choose to make it a thermal reconditioning treatment, which in that case involves high heat treatment with flat irons and lamps, and you then also have bone straight hair. Cold smoothing, on the other hand, is exactly as the name implies. There is no heat involved in the process, except for the very last part where they run a flat iron over the hair briefly, to seal the hair’s cuticle.

First, my hair was washed with a special shampoo, then my head was brushed with a chemical solution - the active ingredient in the process which helps to relax the hair and de-frizz by relaxing the bonds between the hairs permanently, or at least until it grows out. The solution was a very thick, creamy one that did not drip off of my head. I only sat with this solution on my head for about 20 minutes.

My stylist said that she didn’t want to over process my hair since it has been colored and lightened, and if she went too strong or too long, it could fry my hair. After I sat with the cream on my head, I was “neutralized”. It reminded me a lot of the process of a perm, but only without the rollers in your hair. And that was it, I was done. Just a quick once over with a special flat iron to seal the cuticle and I was off with my new do.

Right After Cold Smoothing Treatment : The “Skull Cap Effect”

Now, the one thing I do have to say I didn’t like was that I could not shampoo my hair for 48-72 hours after the treatment, or else I may undo the whole thing, so I basically had what you call the “skull cap effect”. Because of the relaxing nature of the treatment, your hair at the roots is greatly softened,
giving you almost zero root lift. This leads to ultra-limp hair which seems to cling to your head. But the first hair washing took care of all of that.

All I did was wash, blow out until about halfway dry, add a shining product, and voila, I had pretty, wavy, frizz free and shiny hair that bounced all over the place.

How Long Does Cold Smoothing Last?

I asked my stylist this question, to which she replied “It depends on the person”. The treatment may last anywhere from 4 months to 8 months, depending on the rate at which the individual’s hair grows. She did advise that the treatment should be repeated after about two inches of growth, so for me that might just be at the 4 month mark, since my hair tends to grow like wildfire.

My Final Review of Cold Smoothing

If I had to grade how much I like and would recommend the cold smoothing process for anyone’s hair that is looking
for smoother hair, but does not want it completely straight, I’d give it a “10″. If versatility without frizz is what you’re looking for in a hair treatment, then this is probably your best bet.

Visit MyBeautySpace.com: Beauty Product Updates for daily info, discussion and reviews on the latest in beauty products and tips. Danna Schneider is the founder of Cosmetics Galore: Hair Care and Skin Care Reviews.

Share This

What are your lifestyle and hair habits?

You may look fantastic after you leave the salon wearing a new trendy celebrity hair style. But will you look fantastic after you have washed and styled your hair? The excitement of getting a new hair style sometimes overpowers us into an unreal reality. We imagine how we will look sporting the new layered hair style. How we will wear a certain outfit, with our hair perfectly styled in the new look. When reality hitsusually after the first shampoo—we are generally disillusioned with our hair style.

If you face reality before you have any scissors go near your hair, then you may be happier in the long run. Many lifestyle considerations must be evaluated with each type of celebrity hair style you may want.

1. Are you extremely active or inactive? If you are constantly swimming, exercising, riding a motorcycle, you will require extra styling time and work to keep your celebrity hair styles looking good.
2. What aspect of your hair would you like to enhance? (i.e. texture, volume, wave, length, color) These aspects have an important role in fine-tuning the hair style that best suits you.)
3. How much time do you spend styling your hair every day? If you get a hair style that requires more styling time, will you be able (and willing) to put in the time?
4. Are you good at dealing with your hair, or do you struggle with getting it to do certain things? If you struggle with your hair, you would not want to pick a high maintenance hair, i.e. lots of layering, curls as they will require extra work.
5. Are you more comfortable with long or short styles? Sometimes we see a fantastic celebrity short hair style and desperately want the look. Remember that once you cut the hair off, it will take a long time to grow back. Of course there are hair extensions!
6. How often do you shampoo/condition your hair? Referring to hair extensions above, if you want long, beautiful hair with hair extensions, be aware of the extra time needed to shampoo/condition your hair. And every time you shampoo/condition your hair, you will be re-styling it.
7. Is your hair extremely dry or oily? Very dry hair may not hold up to constant flat ironing, curling irons, etc. If you need these appliances to create your celebrity hair style, be sure to deep-condition your hair regularly to combat the dryness. Extremely oily hair may not hold a curl, and will definitely cause issues with many hair extension methods. Be realistic about what you can do with your hair.
8. Are you experiencing any type of unnatural hair loss? Hair loss can be camouflaged by your hair style. Don’t pick a hair style that will accentuate your hair loss or thinning. Be sure to look into various hair loss treatments. If caught early, many hair loss situations can be reversed or at least halted.
9. Do you have any cowlicks or a natural and persistent part? No matter what hair style you get, you will need to consider these issues. Adapt the hair style you are looking for to accommodate any imperfections in your hair.
10. You have picked a celebrity hair style that you want. Do you know what the styling requirements are to get your hair to look like that every day?

In short, you should consider these 10 lifestyle and hair habits factors before getting a celebrity hair style. Be realistic in what you can do with your hair. Stay tuned for Best Celebrity Hair Styles for Your Face- Part 4 Searching for the hair styles you like.

Perriann Rodriguez is the founder of Celebrity Hair Styles and Hair Resources, located at http://www.HRHairStyles.com and http://www.HairResources.com Find thousands of trendy hair styles photos, styling tips and feature articles on celebrity hair, hair extensions and other hair topics. Visit Hair Resources for Better Hair Days.

Share This