So after contacting different salons, Hair IB in New York looked the most promising. They location is reasonable closer, and they're cheap. Their Japanese straightening service has a definite price of $150, the common price for JHS among salons is usually around $300. I made an appointment for their earliest slot on Wednesday. On Yelp one person recommended coming early on a week day so that they are less busy and put more focus on you. below I've listed the good and the bad when making this decision.
PROS
- have pictures of afro textured clients
- have good reviews on yelp
- answered all my questions with the most care and detail out of all the salons I contacted
- will do a hair consultation first
- told me they can work with relaxed hair, but only with their JBS treatment
- cheap
- their cheap price comes from working on several heads at the same time, but hopefully coming in early and on a week day will eliminate this con
- most of the stylist are Asian and don't know fluent English, but I did ask for an English speaker to be there during my appointment
- from the reviews, they don't trim, they cut.
I mentioned that they will only do their unique Japanese Brazilian Straightening (JBS) on relaxed hair. What in the world is? Talking to them, they said they will not do a Japanese straightening touch up on a head with relaxed hair, because the "product inevitably touches the ends of one’s hair during the course of root touch-ups". I'm not sure if this statement is 100 percent accurate. It kinda depends on how the straightening solution is rinsed out, but they do have a point. You can avoid the chemical touching your ends if your hair is long enough, but the previously treated hair close to the processed roots will get touched. A JBS seems like it's suppose to eliminate this, the roots are Japanese straightened and the already chemically treated hair is given a Brazilian keratin at the same time. It makes sense that these can be done safely at the same time as Japanese and Brazilian treatments do have similar procedures, and Brazilian keratins are compatible with pretty much everything. This will be my first time doing a Brazilian keratin treatment.
So I guess the Brazilian keratin acts as a strengthening and coating when the Japanese straightening solution is rinsed. After consultation they said they would also use a protection cream depending on my hair results. All of this protective methods does make me feel safe, but if it wasn't for the reviews saying the salon is very honest with their recommendations and will even tell you when you don't need something, I would wonder if they were just trying to get more money out of me. They also will not do a Japanese straightening on a head that doesn't pass consultation. I'm glad for that, but hopefully me, with my previously relaxed hair, does pass. I only have minimal breakage from the line of demarcation, but remember, my hair is relaxed, Japanese straightened, and long--so old. That's a lot of wear.
So wish me luck!
( update: It seems we had a misunderstanding and the salon is in fact willing to do a normal JHS touch-up on a head with previously relaxed hair.What they meant was that only with a JBS can they treat all my hair. A JBS is also not done in the manner described here. Click here to see the update. )
5 comments:
How was your experience at Organics Hair IB salon?
@janine, so far so good! I'll be posting about my salon experience before or after christmas.
a little pre-post: right now my hair has never been so flat, it feels stick straight asian. but that'll change when I wash it, it also might soften up even more after a month. so far I have zero breakage. that's a good sign that the js was successful, but I hear with bkt that you don't know whether the treatment damaged your hair until a month passes. so right now I can really only say so far so good. ^^
I was wonder when they are washing off the Japanese straightener how do they keep it from running down your pervious relax ends? From what I’m understanding that the two chemicals mixing together will cause a lot off damages to your hair. And also, does Japanese straighter make your hair bone straight? I like my hair to have a bit of texture to it. So it doesn’t look thin. I am serious considering Japanese straighten my hair when I have enough new growth and going to Hair Ib if you like the results you have gotten from them. I’m looking forward to review of the salon on your blog. Thanks
Thank you soooooo much for this post. I'm at a crossroad not sure if I want to get a curly perm or just a brazilian keratin treatment. I hate the bulk and time it takes to style my MBL hair. It has 80% shrinkage which I hate so my twist outs are barely grazing my shoulders. So basically I'm looking for a looser curl, less bulk but still texture not bone straight. Which do you think would be a better pick for such a service GINA CURL or HAIR IB?
@janine, usually a protection cream is applied to the rest of the hair that is not being processed. it also helps when the japanese straighened roots is rinsed off while the rest of the hair is lifted out of the way, before the rest of the hair is rinsed.
if you're relaxed and transitioning like me, however, you should keep your hair the same length until your relaxed ends grow out. your relaxed ends can, and will probably, gradually wear. it's less likely if you do it yourself though.
the aim of a japanese straightener is to make the hair bone straight, but it can be adjusted to a texturized look. you have to consider your curl, volume, cuticle size, the strength of your japanese straightening, and how you'll process it. for example, doing a conditioning in the middle of the process, using a blow drier instead of a flat-iron, not using a heat tool at all, applying product before the straightening solution, are all things that you can do to keep some texture. but whatever you plan out, you might want to do a strand test first.
hair ib was good, but they might not be for you if you don't want a bone straight look. you also have to look out with them and your relaxed length.
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