Japanese Hair Straightening

Filed under: Hair Straighteners

Japanese Hair Straightening, also known as Japanese thermal straightening, is one very popular hair straightening technique you just might want to think twice about before having done.

Originating in Japan in the late 90’s the most popular thermal hair straightener products go by the names Liscio, Yuko and U.S. made Bio Ionics.

Japanese Hair Straightener Costs

When done properly the Japanese hair straightening treatment can take anywhere from 3 to 6 hours and involves numerous steps with costs ranging from $300 to $1,500 depending on the salon. Larger cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and London will naturally charge premium prices.

A cheaper price should raise some red flags as to the quality of the hair chemicals used or the expertise of the hair stylist according to the experts.

Japanese Hair Straightening Process Results

The result is deemed permanent hair straightening but after 4 to 6 months any new hair growth will need to be treated as well. This process usually costs close to the same amount as the original treatment because it is more time-consuming involving straightening hair closer to the roots.

Because of the chemicals and techniques used in the Japanese straightener treatment you will not be able to curl the treated hair so you definitely want to take that into consideration beforehand.

Japanese Hair Straightening Side Effects

There is also a growing concern from some stylists that thermal hair reconditioning may not be the perfect hair straightening solution after all.

First off, experts estimate that at least 80 percent of people that are having a treatment such as the Liscio Japanese Hair Straightening Process are not really good thermal hair straightening candidates for several reasons:

· Any recent chemical processes done to your hair such as hair coloring, bleaching or hair relaxing can cause serious problems including hair loss and breakage if you elect to have the Japanese hair straightening done. A hair strand test must be done first to determine whether your hair can accept the chemicals. If the salon does not offer a strand test you might want to reconsider who you trust your hair to.

· It does not work on African hair because it is too fragile and can’t take the heat required during the thermal straightening process. Japanese hair straightener products are not the same as a hair relaxer which is made especially for African hair.

In fact, a growing number of women are claiming serious hair breakage problems and it has been reported in the press that one of the top Hollywood celebrity hair stylists refuses to perform any thermal hair reconditioning because she thinks it is too much of a risk to her client’s hair.

Many women are led to believe that the chemical hair straightening process is actually good for your hair but there have been no clinical studies to prove this and by definition anything that physically alters the hair structure at the molecular level is damaging.

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Are Japanese Hair Straighteners Worth The Risk?

Only you can decide the answer to this question after consulting with an experienced thermal reconditioning stylist. Even though many women have had the Japanese hair straightening process done with great success you should know that there can be some risk involved and if you decide to have it done to your hair be sure you use a reputable salon with properly trained stylists that will test your hair first.

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