Big move! New climate! Back to back henna/BKT! pics!

I just made a permanent (ish) move. I will be attending school in Colorado for the next two years. In Chicago, summers are brutal. There is no such thing as heat without humidity in Chicago. There is no such thing as a good hair day. There are only slightly-less-than-terrible hair days.

Not anymore! Glorious, dry, Colorado heat to the rescue. My hair-life is changing. I did something bold. Crazy, even.

I did a back to back henna/BKT. Ok, maybe it's not THAT crazy.

I guess I just don't know why the thought hadn't occurred to me before. It's genius.

I did a 1/2 cup cassia, 1/3 cup henna mix. I cowashed it out. I waited for my hair to dry, then I did the BKT.

For photos and a bunch of me babbling, read on!

Brazilian keratin treatments: a short (yet hopefully helpful) comparison list (UPDATED 8/23)

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is next to no information on the interwebs about current BKT products.  Any well known name brank BKT solutions (that contain some level of formaldehyde) have been banned from ebay.

I preface the rest of this post with a warning;

If you are not familiar with styling hair or doing extensive treatments, don't consider this an option. Formaldehyde is an extremely strong chemical in large doses, and you need to have the wherewithal to know how to execute this procedure, while staying away from your scalp.

I say that only because the following list might make you want to BKT, if you were ever curious. But please, tread lightly in the vast world of keratin treatments.

Read on for some of my experiences with BKT Brands:

some more recent shots.

I took some pictures of my curls tonight. I did a henna/cassia mix this morning. I used 50g of cassia and 25g of henna, mixed with lemon juice and chamomile tea. When it was time for application, I added in 1/4 cup of honey and 1/8cup coconut oil.

After rinsing/co-washing, I applied the Marc Anthony Easy-Lites to air dried (top 3/4 of my hair) and blow dried. I applied BKT solution to the 1 inch new growth and blow dried/flat ironed it (yes, I can just blow dry and flat iron 1 inch). I applied KCCC to the lengths of my hair. I applied Living Proof mousse to the majority of my hair, and applied Living Proof Amp to select individual strands for definition. Seven hours later: not too bad, given our strange cold weather and high humidity.

here are photos of my hair after a days work, in the florescent lighting:

Read on for more photos!

Thermal Reconditioning (TR) and the Brazilian Keratin treatment (BKT)

Thermal Reconditioning (AKA TR, AKA Japanese straightening):

Here is an article on NaturallyCurly.com - I would like to add my two cents. Thermal Reconditioning is a permanent straightening process that, depending on your hair type, can be less damaging than a traditional relaxer. However, if you have very curly hair, TR will not get your hair 100% straight, and multiple TR applications can be very damaging. It is a process that originated in Asia, as many Asian women have coarse (yet not curly) hair. The TR process made the naturally coarse hair much silkier, sleeker and more manageable. It was discovered that TR had a straightening effect on Caucasian hair, thus the fad was born. I TR'ed for 7 years. My 3c curls never got close to bone straight. They were slightly less curly. Here is a photo of post TR hair:

Straight? No. Less curly than before? Sure. More damaged? Yes.

I had it done when I was 18, and I did it myself after that, with much less damage than the hairdresser did. It cost about $350 the first time (I'm 30 now, so this was way back in the day), but I could buy the Bio-Ionic or Opti-Smooth stuff on Ebay and do it at home more safely and cheaply. 

BKT AKA Brazilian Keratin Treatment:

Here is an article from NaturallyCurly.com

According to Wikipedia, 

"Brazilian hair straightening treatments are a method of temporarily straightening hair by sealing a liquid keratin and a preservative solution into the hair with a hair iron in the United States. It has been banned in several countries including Canada and the European Union due to high concentrations of regulated chemicals in them."

Basically, if you dig Aphogee, you will love BKT. Keratin, or protein, is bonded with your hair by sealing it in with an aldehyde (formerly formaldehyde, although it's a bit taboo now). Protein, as we all know, can temporarily seal in gaps in damaged hair, making it appear to be in better shape than it is. BKT is basically a protein treatment on steroids - or not - really, the aldehyde is the key in the equation. Keratin, shmeratin. Formaldehyde is a preservative. A very powerful preservative that doesn't mess around. King Tut knows what I mean. As a hairdresser, it would be very unhealthy, and possibly fatal to perform BKTs on a regular basis. 

Here is a photo after my 3rd or fourth BKT:

(Here's my caveat - please read responsibly) As a consumer who has been doing TR for 7 years, BKT was life changing, and certainly not life threatening. I do BKT about every 3 or 4 months. I use an industrial grade fan (thanks, old artists roommates from the loft) in a well ventilated area, and I never get it on my scalp. Still, this is dangerous stuff. I have been cutting back a great deal, and henna-ing more (which has led to some color problems - check the henna tab!)

I think this may be to be continued.......