Hair Straightening Revolution

Gemma Treby gets up-close and personal at her appointment for a Brazilian!

While the latest hair styles come and go, one thing that is always at the top of peoples’ wish lists is that ‘just-stepped-out-of-the-salon’ miracle that only seems to happen in the movies. Hair styling products and the right cut and colour will help you in your search for perfect hair but nothing will guarantee it more than KeraStraight aka The Brazilian Blow Dry, offered at leading salon Gavin Ashley in Bury St Edmunds.  

Haidresser Gavin Ashley has been in business for over 30 years and owns a salon committed to bringing its clients the most up-to-the-minute products, treatments and services.  Gavin says, “In my opinion there is nothing quite like KeraStraight on the market; top international hair stylist Trevor Sorbie offers the treatment in his salons. If hair is dull, dry and damaged, or if it’s curly wavy, frizzy or over-voluminous, one application of KeraStraight will put an end to all that.”   

On hearing this marketing spiel I booked an appointment straight away. As you can see from my ‘before KeraStraight look’, I was the perfect candidate. My hair certainly ticks the ‘dry and damaged’ box, as it’s heavily bleached, and it’s thick and wavy too. The KeraStraight treatment seemed like the miracle solution. As the treatment lasts for four months, I envisaged wonderful hair days every day with no hairdryer battles, boxing matches with the straighteners or tugs of war with the hairbrush!

As I took a seat in the newly refurbished salon, my stylist Janine talked me through the treatment, the kind of results I could expect and how to maintain and care for my hair post-treatment. Janine explained that, unlike most hair straightening treatments, KeraStraight is chemical-free and works to tame and nourish the hair using Keratin and fortify it with the power of white clay and 22 karat gold. Janine promised that not only would my hair look amazing and be manageable but also that it would be nourished and repaired from within. Janine said I would feel less inclination to use my straightening irons thus giving my hair a further opportunity to recondition and repair itself.

The treatment is quite intensive as there are various steps that need to be conducted with the precision of a trained stylist. My experience took a little over two hours and in that time Janine was constantly working with my hair. She was very friendly, and we managed to pass the time discussing everything from old-fashioned foam banana sweets to the ups and downs of being a mum! The process started with a penetrating shampoo that opens the hair shaft, cleansing away any impurities and preparing my hair for the application of KeraStraight.  My hair was then blow-dried into position before precise amounts of KeraStraight were applied from root to tip. Following this straightening irons were then used to seal the product into my hair.   

After the treatment my hair felt super soft and looked nothing short of new. Even my Dad, who in general wouldn’t notice if I dyed my hair red, commented, telling me how nice my ‘new hair’ was. A few days on and my hair is yet to say good morning to the hair dryer or even a trusty hair bobble. Now I can let my hair dry naturally and it looks and feels fabulous.  For me, this is a must-have treatment, especially as I bleach my hair so regularly.  Over the years my hair has become shorter and shorter in a bid to snip off the damaged ends; perhaps by keeping my hair in better condition cuts will be less frequent and I can begin to grow my hair long once again!