The treatments with which you will get straight hair this summer without irons or dryers

Beauty

A professional explains the most appropriate techniques

Cristina Sierra Barcelona

Summer is coming and having shiny, smooth and frizz-free hair is a little more difficult (beach, pool, intense sun: staunch enemies of your hair despite the fun). Although there is the option of letting it dry in the air and doing a series of hairstyles to shape the hair, beauty salons offer five different treatments that guarantee to show off straight hair without punishing it more with electrical devices such as the iron or the dryer.

Joan Pijoan, a hairdresser on the 080 Barcelona Fashion catwalk and for artists such as David Bisbal, explains to La Vanguardia.com what these techniques are and their benefits when applying them. “Although they are treatments that can be done at any time of the year, I always recommend doing them between the months of April and June, since in summer there is a lot of humidity and the hair gets frizzy and suffers from the heat. Plus, a break from blow-dryers and straighteners is great,” he says.

Enzymotherapy, taninoplasty, keratin, Japanese straightening and progressive straightening are the five techniques that currently exist. The best? According to the expert, the first treatment is the most innovative and contains the best products. However, all procedures are effective, but the client's needs and hair type must always be taken into account.

Enzymotherapy, the latest in capillary technique

For a few months, hairdressers have been betting on this treatment that smoothes hair with products formulated with natural components: enzymes from trees and fruits, Argan oil and vitamin C, guaranteeing healthy, shiny, silky and frizz-free hair. “It leaves a very natural result and if when you do it you want much smoother hair, you can use the dryer or the irons”, he points out.

The application protocol lasts about three hours, depending on the length and volume of each hair. First, the hair is washed with a special shampoo that opens the scales of the hair so that the product penetrates better, and a mask is applied that balances the PH. Next, it is dried and the smoothing product is applied, always from roots to ends, which is left to rest for about 30-40 minutes. Immediately afterwards, it is washed again to remove the product and dried with the help of the plates. “We work at a temperature between 190 and 230 degrees and depending on the hair, we insist more on the root. Of course, always a maximum of ten passes”, explains Pijoan. To finish, it is washed again with just water, the mask is applied and the hair is left to air dry.

This procedure is the same as that followed in the taninoplasty technique. "If when we let it dry we see that there is an area that has not been completely smooth, it can be reviewed without problems, since the effect of the product does not go away until you wash it," says the expert. Enzymotherapy costs between 100 and 400 euros, depending on the amount of hair, and can last a year.

Taninoplasty, a technique with antioxidant properties

Before enzyme therapy appeared, the most widely used treatment was taninoplasty, a natural procedure that hydrates the hair in depth, repairs it and controls frizz. This technique is made with tannins, that is, preservatives of plant origin that are in the bark of trees, wine or fruit. The product acts from within the hair, generating a protein chain within the hair fiber that, when heat is applied, hydrates and smoothes it instantly.

The method is exactly the same as enzyme therapy, the only thing that changes are the products. But which is better of the two? “The second is much more effective, we are talking about an innovative treatment that provides greater protection to the hair against external factors. Both regenerate the hair fiber and smooth it, leaving dry and frizzy hair completely hydrated”, assures the professional.

Also the duration time is not the same, since the taninoplasty usually lasts from four to six months and the price is very similar. An important fact is that, after undergoing the treatment, it is recommended to use shampoos, conditioners and masks without parabens, indicated to maintain effectiveness.

Keratin, a technique strictly for moisturizing

Although it is often thought that keratin straightening is like Japanese, the truth is that it is a method that strictly serves to hydrate the hair from the root to the ends, not to straighten. “What it does is nurture it. Some time ago those treatments that were formulated with formalin were banned and now it has lost effectiveness. We only use it when you want to have healthy hair. It does straighten but it doesn't last long”, says the hairdresser.

This treatment, which lasts approximately three hours, is very similar to taninoplasty and enzyme therapy when applied. First, the hair is washed with a special shampoo, the mask is applied and then it is dried so that the product can be applied, which leaves the hair wet. Then it is dried again, this time with a brush and irons so that the product has its effect. To finish, it is washed again and left to air dry. Its price? Between 50 and 100 euros.

Japanese straightening, only suitable for virgin hair

This type of straightening was one of the first to be done in hairdressers. But be careful, because it is not suitable for any hair. "It can only be used on virgin and healthy hair, that is, that is not dyed or highlighted and that is not dry and breaks," says Pijoan.

Although it had its time of maximum splendor years ago, the truth is that now this technique is done very little, in fact, there are many hairdressers that no longer offer it, since they are expensive products and there are very few people who can do it, taking into account that it has to be natural hair.

Enzymotherapy and taninoplasty regenerate the hair fiber and smooth it, leaving dry and frizzy hair completely hydrated”

Its main benefit is that it leaves hair completely smooth. “With taninoplasty and enzymotherapy, you get smooth but malleable hair, it can be waved or shaped without problems, but in this case it is impossible because the hair remains stiff”, he adds.

Its application is quite similar to the previous treatments, except for the fact that the product is used on wet hair and not dry. Its price is much higher (from 200 euros), although yes, every time the hair grows, only the root area is touched up, as if it were a permanent.

Progressive straightening, indicated to do at home

Those people who do not want to spend so much money on these treatments can resort to progressive straightening, a technique that can be done at home. What does it consist of? Firms such as L'Oréal, Abril et Nature or TRESemmé offer their clients a range made up of a shampoo, mask and corrective spray that will gradually straighten hair. It is only effective when all three products are used and continuously, that is, if it is applied once, the expected results will not be obtained.

This method can be priced between 40 and 50 euros and can be purchased at hairdressers or beauty centers.

The expert recommends doing these treatments between April and June, just before summer, a time when there is a lot of humidity and the hair gets frizzy and suffers from the heat.