Reconditioning Can Ease Hair Care

Susan Charles had long, thick unruly hair that took more than 40 minutes to straighten each morning. After the birth of her two children, her hair woes worsened.

"I couldn't leave the house without flat-ironing it," says Charles, 39, a Clearwater lawyer. "It was really frizzy and curly, but not uniformly curly. Parts of it were kinky and parts of it were wavy. It was obnoxious."

After researching hair-straightening procedures, Charles settled on Yuko, a thermal reconditioning treatment that uses a mild version of ammonium thyoglycolate and flat irons to make hair pin-straight.

This month, Charles greeted her Jennifer Aniston transformation with giddy glee.

"I'm just thrilled," says Charles, who spent four hours at the Barbara Forgione Salon watching her frizzy locks turn straight and smooth. "My grin couldn't get any bigger. It feels and looks healthier than it ever has. I have magazine hair."

Women who are tired of laboring over curly, wavy or frizzy tresses are paying hundreds of dollars at salons for thermal reconditioning treatments like Yuko.

Forgione says that despite the cost - around $125 an hour at her salon - she does more reconditioning treatments than regular perms.

"In Florida, with the humidity, you get a lot of frizz," says Forgione, a Yuko-certified stylist. "You can go to the beach, play sports and not have to worry about your hair frizzing."

Like many thermal reconditioning treatments, Yuko, which was invented in Japan, is a time-consuming multistep process that requires the application of two chemical solutions and flat-ironing the hair twice.

The hair must be kept dry, straight and moisture-free for at least 48 hours. No ponytails during that time!

The best candidates for thermal reconditioning treatment haven't colored or processed their hair in any way. Black women who have straightened their hair with lye or sodium relaxers should never use this type of treatment.

"Thermal reconditioning has made life easier for a lot of women," Forgione says. "Most people still work with their hair; it just takes a lot less time."

The treatment is permanent, but as your hair begins to grow, you'll need to go back for another treatment if you want new growth to look like the straightened hair.

If you're thinking of having your hair permanently straightened, Forgione suggests you talk to your stylist about the following:

•Ask about training. Look for someone who has extensive training. Ask how many times he or she has done the procedure. And ask to see before-and-after pictures.

•Find out what steps are taken to protect your hair.

•Ask about experience retouching new growth. While the Yuko straightening system is permanent, you must treat new growth. But you don't want to overlap the new chemical with treated hair because it could cause damage.

•Be honest with your stylist. Discuss chemical treatments, such as relaxers and dyes, you've had in your hair. If your hair is unhealthy or damaged, hair loss and breakage can occur.

•Talk about maintenance. Ask what kind of care will be required to keep your hair looking good long after you leave the salon.