With only days left before my 3 month backpacking excursion in South East Asia (woot!) I decided to get a Brazilian Blowout to keep my curly hair tamed during the 24/7 humid weather of the tropical region. This is something I’ve contemplated doing for months, but after talking to my friend Zoe who had the treatment done herself, I decided that I would give it a go.
The Brazilian Blowout isn’t a permanent situation, but the non-evasive keratin treatment is going to keep my hair frizz free and healthy so it’ll be one less thing to worry about during my travels. There is no way that I will even consider straightening my hair in SE Asia with a flat-iron since it will just curl up into an Afro the second I leave my room.
Hair in humidity without Brazilian Blowout Treatment vs Hair after the treatment
Does it really matter if my hair looks nice when I’m traveling? No not really, but yes. For one, it’s just going to be easier to manage my hair even if I’m tying it up in a pony tail and two, it’s going to look nice in pictures.
How long does a Brazilian Blowout last?
One thing you really need to understand is that a Brazilian Blowout is not the same as Japanese silk straightening which permanently keeps your hair straight with harsh chemicals until it grows out. What Brazilian blow out does for you is that it removes frizz, makes it softer, shinier and relaxes it a bit. If you have very curly hair it will become wavy, if you have wavy hair it will be less wavy and will feel much lighter.
You should expect your Brazilian blowout to last you at least 3 months. But the important thing is that you take care of your treatment using a sodium chloride free shampoo and sulfate free conditioner. Conditioners usually do not have sulfate in them anyway, but make sure your shampoo is absolutely sodium chloride free. If you don’t, then the treatment won’t even last you more than 4 washes. Aside from keeping your Brazilian Blowout fresh, sodium chloride free shampoo will keep your hair will feeling much more healthier even after the treatment fades away.
It’s actually recommended that you use the Brazilian Blowout shampoo and conditioner products, but my stylist who is a pro, said as long as I use sodium chloride free products my Brazilian blowout should last for 3 months which is also about the length of my backpacking trip. I double checked with the local beauty supply store here in Glendale and they confirmed that the brand doesn’t really matter as long as it is sulfate free. They recommended Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy which smells good and is sodium chloride free.
How much does a Brazilian Blowout cost?
A Brazilian Blowout usually will cost about $350, but lately many salons have been offering deals for $100 -$150. Groupon has a lot of deals for Brazilian Blowouts as well, but I found out that if you buy through Groupon, then the salon only gets about half of what you paid and Groupon gets the other half. So if you take advantage of a $300 Groupon deal at $100, then the stylist only gets $50 and most stylists work on commission. Instead, what you should do is contact the salon that is offering the Groupon and ask if they’ll match the rate they are offering on Groupon so that they’ll receive 100% of the commission. I think that that’s only fair especially if you like your stylist!
Is the Brazilian Blowout for You?
Brazilian Blowout is a hair treatment that most people can get regardless of the damage done to their hair from other treatments. It helps repair and smooths out frizzy and coarse hair. You can even get the treatment done over dyed hair. It’s not evasive, will not damage your hair and will make your hair appear straighter for about three months. I’m looking forward to not having to straighten my hair this summer, so this hair treatment is right for me. However, unlike Japanese Silk Straightening, you will still be able to style your hair with a curling iron if you want a change.
Now all that’s left is to go to Asia and see for myself how my Brazilian Blowout prevails against the hot sticky heat!
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I am going on pretty much the same trip, so I am really happy to have found your blog. How is you brazilian blowout holding up to the heat, humidity, pools, and seawater? Do you think it is worth it?
Have a wonderful trip. Thank you!
During the first month my hair stayed absolutely straight even in the disgusting humidity, swimming in chlorine and seawater without ever blow drying it, but after the first month it started to become more wavy.
I’m on month two now and it’s wavy and looks better than if I didn’t have the blowout done because my hair does not work well with humidity on its own. It’s not supposed to last up to 3 months, but I ran out of the keratin shampoo and I don’t blow dry my hair because it’s too hot so I think that may have sped up the waves. Overall, I think it’s worth it. I usually have my hair tied up, but I’ll find a photo that shows my hair down 1 month after and what it looks like now. Have fun!
Thanks for your comment about how you should get a Brazilian blowout if you want to tame frizzy hair. I didn’t know that it helps you maintain straight hair for a couple of months. I am considering looking into hair salons where I can get this done for when I go back to school.