Sunday times straight talking a double spread on Brazilian Blow dry

STRAIGHT TALKING

It’s a game-changer I would count the Brazilian blow-dry as one of the top 10 (if not top five) beauty inventions of all time in terms of how it can transform women’s lives. For me, it’s up there with Botox. Having hair that dries smooth is one less thing for women to worry about and shaves a good 20 minutes off your morning routine. I’ve been having various Brazilian blow-dry processes for a long time. I have it twice a year as it lasts a good six months, and I honestly couldn’t imagine my life without it. Find a good stylist Mine is called Zoltan and he works part-time. (He practises yoga in India for most of the year, so I have to time my appointments carefully for when he’s back in the country. I can’t be left short.)

Brazilian straightening is really a craft, and Zoltan is an artist. He tailors it to each client, mixing up his own formulations. It’s like a jigsaw rather than one size fits all. Go lighter on the roots If you have a Brazilian blow-dry, you must accept that it will be flatter than you would like for the first week. To get round this, I wash my hair every day for the first week and request that the formulation is lighter on the roots. If it feels too flat after the first week, don’t give up — just make sure you tell your stylist next time so they can tweak your formulation. Improve your condition I use Brazilian blow-dries as a way to improve the condition of my bleached-out hair. It eradicates that post-colour puffball effect. Remember to have your colour done a couple of weeks beforehand, as colouring can dampen the effects. The keratin content is great, but, for me, the key smoothing ingredient is the formaldehyde, which I have never had a problem with.