I have such a love/hate relationship with my textured hair. The crown of my head holds an arc-ish, loop-patterned curl, similar to beach waves, and the remaining hair is mostly well-defined spirals. My natural hair texture has a lot of body and shine, and is easily styled curly or flatironed straight.

It’s definitely a manageable, versatile texture, but it takes at least an hour to go from wet-to-dry. And, since I’ve started beauty school at Pivot Point, my time is severely limited.

I have such a love/hate relationship with my textured hair. The crown of my head holds an arc-ish, loop-patterned curl, similar to beach waves, and the remaining hair is mostly well-defined spirals. My natural hair texture has a lot of body and shine, and is easily styled curly or flatironed straight.

It’s definitely a manageable, versatile texture, but it takes at least an hour to go from wet-to-dry. And, since I’ve started beauty school at Pivot Point, my time is severely limited. I leave the house for the office at 7:15, and don’t get home from school until 10:45 in the evening. Monday through Friday. So finding the time to style my hair super-straight (the way I <3 it!) hasn’t been easy. I’ve resorted to washing my hair at school and styling it straight before class! Pathetic.

Recently, the team at Global Keratin flew to Chicago from Miami and invited me to receive a hair taming treatment they said would increase the amount of shine in my hair, decrease my styling time and help tame the curls. I’m not going to lie, I was slightly nervous about receiving a texture reduction service—but if there was ever a time in my life where I needed extra time on my hands away from the blow dryer—this is it!

I met the Global Keratin team at C Salon in downtown Chicago. Leslie Correa and Joanne Morison were there to perform the service, and Yariv Azoulay, Director of Operations for Global Keratin, and Susan Gilden, of RBB Public Relations, were there to walk me through the treatment and explain the after-care.

What a time saver! If I wash my hair in the morning, I can blow dry it using my fingers (no round brush needed) and then smooth it once-over with a flatiron. If I wash it in the evening, I let it air dry while I’m asleep, and then in the morning go over it with a flatiron to smooth it to my liking.

The company touts a formula free of formaldehyde (or similar ingredients), and it smells delicious—available in strawberry or chocolate.

Yariv and Susan explained to me that what they believe makes this keratin formula different is that it can be used on hair that has been chemically treated. They claim, in fact, that the more damage, the more porosity, the better the treatment works.

The formula is marketed as delivering keratin to the hair in its raw, natural state. Amino acids and proteins remain whole to condition the hair and protect it from damage and aging caused by environmental factors, Yariv said.

How did the service work? First, Joanne washed my hair multiple times with a Global Keratin shampoo that opened up the cuticle. Then, the product was applied, with the intention it would penetrate the hair to strengthen and improve the texture while moisturizing, conditioning and enhancing manageability.

My hair was first blow-dried straight, then flatironed straight, with the treatment coating the hair, smoothing the cuticle and creating a shielding barrier.

The whole process took about two hours and I had to wait three days to wash my hair. But for me, at least, that wait was well worth it. We’ll see how long it lasts. I’m hoping for the max—five months.

For more information about products and training, visit globalkeratin.com or call 866-361-7366.   Path to original story