Beauty and the Drink

Day 1 Brazilian Blowout

Guess what? I FINALLY did it. I got the Brazilian Blowout!!! 

After seeing so many of my co-workers get this treatment - and loving it - I just HAD to try it for myself! So I researched some salons in the Bay Area and decided to take the plunge at La Diva Hair Salon.  They were close to home and had a super awesome informational website, plus they managed to squeeze me in for an appointment on my birthday. YAY! 

This treatment has changed my life. I didn't realize how long I was spending on my hair each morning! Instead of 20 minutes just to defrizz my mane, its been 10 mins for drying AND styling! How cool is that?!  At this rate, I'm seriously considering sending all my hair styling products to family and friends because I have yet to really use any of it. Just a drop of shine serum and thats it. Really, that's it. With the Brazilian Blowout my hair is super shiny and frizz-free. I literally flatiron my ends and I'm off - to live my life.  Just the way its supposed to be, right?

SIX WEEKS LATER....

So its been a little over 6 weeks and its still pretty straight.  I lightly flatiron ends and any waves that appear ... and my hair finally held a curl about 3 weeks ago!  One thing to note is that I've been using the Brazilian Blowout Shampoo & Conditioner (every 2 days) and the Masque (once a week), so I believe that's helped the treatment last a lot longer.  The only downside is that the products have caused a little dandruff, but it's a small price to pay for beautiful hair - I'm totally in LOVE with my locks and loving the treatment so far! Well worth the cool $175 I spent at La Diva. Thank you hair gods! 

Stay tuned for my 12 Week Update! 

Wanna know more about what I thought of La Diva Salon? Check out my review here.

UPDATE 6/13/2011:  Its been almost 4 months since my treatment and I have about 40% of my frizz back.  Not too bad, but not too good either. I will most likely get another treatment soon, I'm just trying to time it perfectly with my Vegas trip in the fall as I like to curl my hair and I've found that it curls well after 6 weeks. Anyway, thats the scoop - stay tuned! 

Hello my darlings,
As you know, last May I moved from Las Vegas to the Bay Area, which means more humidity for me. Yippie. Anyway, lately I have been extremely unhappy with my hair. Every morning I spend a substantial amount of time curling and styling only to have it frizz out by the time I make it down to the financial district of SF (picture me crying).

Just in case you are wondering, here is the most recent picture of my long hair. Most of the time I keep it in a pony tail or pulled back.--->

So here's where you come in. I need your help in deciding if I should chop it all off and enjoy the carefree world of low-maintenance hair (flat ironed of course) or keep trying anti-frizz products until one of them finally works.

If I were to go short, I think I would look for something that gives me the ability to style it funky or edgy once in awhile. My boyfriend likes it on the long side, so no pixie cut for me. I'm also not one to follow trends when it comes to my hair - it's always about me being happy first. Of course, if it gets chopped I will donate my hair to Locks of Love (hopefully they can make use of it) -thanks Lollie Shopping for the recommendation! Definitely gonna need a great stylist for this one.

Here is what I was thinking:

I know, so many choices....but that's how I roll.

UPDATE: I kept it long folks. Still searching for the perfect stylist to put some lovely layers into my locks.

I used Redken years ago when I was child and absolutely hated it. Back then, Redken would dry my hair out and make it brittle. Definitely not moisturizing. However, over the past couple of years I've been trying several of the small bottles sold at Ulta and now I'm loving Redken! So far I have used Satinwear 02 (ultimate blow-dry lotion), Outshine 01 (anti-frizz polishing milk), Smooth Down Heat Glide (protective smoother) and I find that I can't live with out any of these! I really do use these everyday depending on if I straighten or curl my hair. I have also tried the Redken Clear Moisture shampoo and conditioner, which is supposed to give lightweight moisture to normal/dry hair, and loved that one too! Mind you, living in the desert heat of Vegas zaps a lot of moisture out of your hair, but Clear Moisture kept my hair soft and smooth!

So I decided to give Redken Smooth Down shampoo and conditioner a shot- I purchased the gigantic bottles too- that's a commitment! The verdict: I LOVE IT! It really keeps my hair soft, smooth....shiny too! Frizzies are down to a minimum. Now that's what I like to see. The price isn't bad either - Ulta has this great in-store sale going on for $15.99 a bottle (33.8 FL OZ). The sales girl says it will go on til the end of July.

Photo image from Redken.com