Top image courtesy of Goldwell

As I may possibly have mentioned, perhaps just once or twice in the past, I spend quite a lot of time with my hairdresser, the lovely Ari at Hollywood Hair. Cutting, colouring and, most important of all in this humid climate of ours, de-frizzing; I put in the hours in those lovely black leather chairs so that I don’t have to do anything with my mop for the rest of the time.

Having previously sampled Japanese straightening (too straight – I looked like an extra from The Ring), the Brazilian Blowout (great, but too chemically when you’re up the duff), and the new-to-HK Ybera straightening treatment (sadly not ideal for hair as colour treated as mine), I thought I might as well complete the full set by test-driving Goldwell’s new Kerasilk straightening treatment.

The process is itself similar to the Brazilian Blowout, and promises similar results, with the main difference being the benefits to your health. The BB produces carcinogenic formaldehyde during the process (yep, even the “formaldehyde free” version – really!), which isn’t great for you or your stylist to be inhaling. As with Ybera, Kerasilk is totally formaldehyde free and can even be used by pregnant women (hello there!), making this a safer option by far. But does Kerasilk stand up to the BB in terms of results?

Well, first for the step-by-step, which regular BB-ers will probably find pretty familiar. Your hair is washed with a clarifying shampoo to remove all traces of product buildup, then partially dried before being covered in the active straightening treatment lotion and left to develop. Once your development time is up (and this varies by hair type, coarseness, frizz, etc), your hair is completely blow dried before being ironed straight, opening the hair’s cuticles and allowing the product to totally penetrate. You then head back for a second wash and application of a serum that locks in the product (this has the texture and smell of a high-end deep conditioning mask), before your final blow dry. Job done!

So what was the verdict? I really appreciated the lack of eye-watering chemical fog when it came to straightening, and I’m sure that Ari did too, especially as he goes through the process several times each day. The end result was very similar to the previous BBs that I’ve had – straight, soft, easy to manage and allowing me to wash and go for the next few weeks. Goldwell claim that their treatment lasts for around the same amount of time as their Brazilian counterpart too – approximately 3-5 months, depending on how well you treat your newly-straight tresses and the water hardness in your area.

It’s recommended that you use Goldwell’s supporting Keratin shampoo and conditioner to prolong the life of your treatment, although I tend to alternate this with a hair cocktail of my own devising. This fiery custom blend, that I like to call “The Tai-Tai”, consists of one hefty squirt of Aussie Three Minute Miracle, to two squirts each of Evo Fabuloso Purple Red and Mahogany colour enhancing conditioner (use gloves or be prepared to scrub your hands very well afterwards – it will look like a gruesome murder has taken place in your shower). Anyway, the Kerasilk treatment seems to be holding up well to this regime, and so far I’m remaining relatively frizz-free, although possibly a little less than I would usually expect from my BB.

So would I recommend Kerasilk? Yes, absolutely! If you are concerned about the chemicals from the Brazilian Blowout, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, I’d say that this is a great option, especially if you have coloured hair like mine.
(Although I’m reliably informed that nobody has coloured hair like mine!).

Kerasilk is available in Hong Kong at Hollywood Hair at Glow Spa, 9/F, Parker House, 72 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong;2525 5198
www.hollywoodhair.com.hk

Please note that my Kerasilk treatment was by invitation.