Q:   Why do touch-ups cost the same as the initial treatment if only the re-growth is being straightened?
A:   As your hair grows following your hair straightening services, you will have a line of demarcation between the chemically straightened hair and the re-growth. In order to maintain healthy, evenly conditioned straight hair for your Touch-Up results each time, the previously treated area needs to be protected and conditioned while the new growth is being processed with both the chemical and heat applications. Other important considerations for properly treating the hair during Touch-Up services are prior chemical processes such as color, highlights, dyes, etc. These processes also cause your hair to become uneven in terms of porosities, and your hair needs to be conditioned and treated accordingly in order to produce even, straightened results from the roots all the way through to the ends each time. As you can see, the Touch-Up process for Japanese Hair Straightening is entirely different than a simple touch-up color treatment for your hair, but there are salons/stylists that may offer this approach to cut costs as well as their time per service. However, the results using this approach will be dramatically different over time leaving you with unmanageable, unhealthy damaged hair.

Q:   What makes your straightening services and expertise different (and better) than other stylists and salons?
A:   Any chemical work will damage the hair, but my chemical service is able to go inside of your hair strands to rebuild the hair internally and provide better protein resources as well as a balanced oil and moisture level. My procedures and processes are different than other stylists and salons for the following reasons:  

1. I carefully choose and utilize more than three of the highest quality product lines designed for this process
2. I apply my focus, experience, knowledge and expertise to Japanese Hair Straightening as opposed to offering a mix of services such as color, highlighting, haircut, etc.
3. I have done more than 500 hair straightening treatments in the past five years and have also been an educator for straightening distribution companies to support stylists attending classes on how to create a quality, detailed straightening process
4. I am continuously educating myself with updated, cutting edge information from distribution lines specially ordered from Japan directly 

Q:   What is Japanese Straightening?
A:  There are several product systems that have been referred to as “Japanese Hair Straightening.” I-Straight is a Korean product system but some of the distribution products are manufactured here in the United States, even if they were originally imported to the USA. Brazilian Hair Straightening, Keratin Treatments are so called “NON-Chemical” Straightening and the straighten-ness as well as the repairing conditioning for your hair will only last up to approximately three months. Those alternative NON-Chemical Straightening processes use milder, less effective products (by FDA guidelines, those products are not listed as chemical since they are milder than Thio based solution used for the chemical straightening) and since they are milder, the stylists will be applying more heat to penetrate the conditioning products on the surface of your hair to compensate. That’s why the results to not last nearly as long as the Japanese Hair Straightening. According to professional opinions in this industry, repeated high heat applications more often with milder solutions will ultimately cause more damage to the hair over time. Essentially, the big difference can be described as a “Permanent versus Temporary” result.

Q:   Do the types of products/systems used for Hair Straightening make a difference or are they all the same?
A:   Technically, the main chemical ingredients in most of the Japanese Hair Straightening systems are Thioglycolic Acid and Ammonia. There are several milder, less effective ingredients offered in other straightening processes. Japanese Hair Straightening or Thermal Hair Straightening is a procedure combining both chemical and Thermal heat processes. The well-known over the counter relaxers contain Lye which is the main chemical ingredient. Typically Lye content relaxers are not used with the Thermal Hair Straightening process.

Q:   What is Japanese Straightening?
A:   An innovative new technique from Japan to eliminate frizz, maintain curl and wave while preserving the condition of the hair, Japanese Hair Straightening has satisfied customers around the world. The Japanese Straightening Method improves the softness, lightness (less volume) and shine of your hair when straightened by an experienced stylist using specialized products. After this procedure, hair is straight, silky and shiny. And it even stays manageable in humidity and during a workout.

Q: How do I shampoo and maintain my hair after straightening?
A: Try not to shampoo everyday. Between your normally scheduled shampoo and in case you really need to refresh your hair (for instance, after working out at the gym), you can rinse your hair well and then apply conditioner.

Tips for the shower:
Rinse your hair with lukewarm water thoroughly, especially on the scalp area, at least for a couple of minutes prior to applying shampoo. Take just a small amount of shampoo on the palm of your hand. Then target application on your scalp area, not so much on the mid-shaft through the ends of your hair.
Don’t worry if you don’t see any suds; you don’t want too much shampoo, so don’t add any more. Instead, rinse your hair with lukewarm water gently and repeat with shampoo again. Remember to rinse well in a gentle manner.
To condition, take a quarter size amount of conditioner on your hand then apply from ends up to the mid-shaft and then the root of your hair.

Tips for after the shower:

1. Apply the conditioning treatment on wet hair.
2. Comb your hair gently (when your hair is tangled, comb it from the ends of your hair and add more conditioning treatment). Then clip your hair in sections from the bottom to prepare for blow dry.
3. While drying your hair, use less heat on the damaged area and apply some tension with your fingers as you dry. Do NOT shake your hair with your hands or use any brush and/or comb. (Any friction on the damaged area will cause more dryness and frizz)
4. When you want to flat iron, remember to apply some oil content conditioning spray on the surface of the hair before using the iron.