Having stunningly straight and shiny hair that bounces with your movements has become the trend for the past years, making individuals with wavy and frizzy hair more envious and frustrated.
But thanks to the latest developments in hairdressing, anybody can now have straight and shiny hair and sport an all new refreshing look.
On Saipan, hair relax and hair rebond are the most popular treatments, according to Sharmaine Casquero, a beautician who has been taking care of people’s hair in the island for the past 15 years.
“Hair treatments can be quite costly but people do not hesitate to shell out money just to have their hair relaxed or straightened,” Casquero said.
She said that many people here have curly or wavy hair and the trend is to get it straightened.
“Everybody is into it — males and females alike, especially the teenagers. Majority of the customers in beauty salons are high school students who wants to be in with the trend,” she said.
What is rebonding
Rebonding is a costly procedure where your hair is treated with chemicals, stretched and ironed to make it straight and shiny.
Casquero said for normal hair, a first coating of chemical is applied to bond your hair together for 40 to 45 minutes. It is then rinsed thoroughly without shampoo before the hair is blow dried and ironed. A second coating of chemicals is applied before it is rinsed. For permed or tainted hair, Casquero said the first coat of chemical is applied for only 25 to 30 minutes.
When your hair is straightened, you should retouch it every six months, depending on how fast your hair grows.
Wanting to have beautiful hair is inherent especially in women, hence beauty salons all over the island and everywhere else are getting a fair share of customers daily. Otherwise, they would have closed shop years ago or stuck to simple haircutting procedures.
Risks
“I went for a rebond to have beautiful hair, not to get bald.” This line, according to Casquero, is familiar especially if the customer wants to have the job done real quick.
As a beautician, Casquero said she recommends hair treatments, but there should be proper communication between the beautician and the client.
She said that like other treatments, there are downsides to hair rebonding. It is undeniable that from time to time, beauty salons and beauticians are getting sued by customers who went through traumatic experiences of having clumps of hair falling and eventually going bald after going through the rebonding treatment.
“When a client comes in asking for a rebond, beauticians do not immediately get to work. She said that they study the hair texture and condition first, and ask questions.
“We usually ask clients who have colored or permed hair when was the last time they got hair treatment, and we expect to get an honest answer to avoid risks,” she said. She added that an interval of four to five months is an ideal interval before another treatment can be done.
She said some customers lie and say it’s been months since their last treatment and this is where the risk comes in because their hair which has just been exposed to chemicals is not that resistant yet.
You can have beautiful and shiny hair, but don’t be too hasty in wanting to achieve it, Casquero said. She said that you have to take many things into consideration, such as the experience and credibility of the hairstylist, the facilities and the chemicals used, and other factors. She said there are various chemical mixing formulas for different hair textures, and an inexperienced beautician who does not know the difference can make irreparable damage to your hair.
Hair relax treatment gets done in about three hours and costs from $80 and up, while hair rebonding requires four to five hours and costs from $100 and up, depending on the length of hair.
Casquero said they discourage hair rebonding for small kids.
Hair Care Tips from ASKS Saloon
Don’t wash your hair for three days after the rebonding treatment. On the fourth and fifth day, you can wash your hair but don’t use shampoo. Stick to conditioners only.
Go for follow up treatments a month after the rebonding process for a touch-up. You can go for deep conditioning, hair spa or hair cellophane to keep your hair in tip-top shape.
Allow at least one month to pass before you swim in the sea to avoid damaging your hair.
Shampoo your hair alternately — like every other day. Daily shampooing will drain away the natural oils.
