Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy 14-Day Smoothing Treatment

A few months ago I was going on vacation but didn't have the time or money to do the keratin treatment I so desperately needed. The one I had done in NYC lasted a full 4 months thanks to the care that I gave my hair and it was time to do it again. I was heading to Punta Cana and then NYC and wanted my hair as perfect as possible.

I purchased the Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy 14-Day Smoothing Treatment and gave it a try. The night before the process I washed and conditioned my hair in order to get rid of all the knots and have it easy to manage with the treatment on. I set my alarm for 7am that morning and got to work. I washed my hair with a regular clarifying shampoo in order to get rid of any oil and residue that was in my hair from the previous night and put the keratin on. The 14 day one comes with a spray nozzle but my thick hair needed more than the little bit I was getting so I just sectioned it off, poured the product into my hands and applied it that way being careful not to over saturate like the instructions warn.

After leaving it on for 30 minutes it was time to blow dry my hair. I hate doing that. I have so much hair and I'm so lazy that my arms get tired after being up in the air for too long. As I started blow drying my hair dried easy but was still a bit frizzy at the ends and I was disappointed but whatever. The more I passed the blower the straighter my hair became and i didn't have that volume that i usually get from not putting enough tension with the brush.

45 minutes after that it was time for my flat iron. I put it at the highest setting, sectioned my hair yet again and applied the heat to  small sections of hair 8-10 times. The frizz at the end began to disappear and my hair was falling fabulously. This portion took me about an hour because I was taking my time, ate breakfast and was watching Alien.

It was December in LA so it wasn't THAT cold so having the windows open wasn't too much for me. You definitely need ventilation because your eyes can get really irritated even though the at-home doesn't contain formaldehyde.

My hair survived the entire day and even though I took a nap on my 6 hour flight to Philly that night it remained straight. When I landed in Punta Cana later on that day the humidity made my hair puff up a tiny bit but NOTHING compared to what would have happened had I not applied the products.


Overall I think it's a great alternative and a quick fix. I was able to use the left over product for two more treatments which isn't bad for something with really thick hair.

For some reason I can't find the 14-day treatment in stores anymore but I was able to purchase the 30-day one and I plan on using that one as soon as I have three hours to spare.

Time to Straighten Up!

Keratin. I have been discussing this with my friends for years but a move to LA is what finally made it happen. You see I am very picky about who gets to touch my hair due to it being a bit fickle and having the ability to be described in just one word.

My hair is very dry and never grew part my shoulders until I became majorly stressed a few months ago. Within 2 months my hair grew almost 4 inches and it was awesome. I'm so glad the stress didn't cause it to fall out! When it air dries my hair gets really frizzy, the curls tighten up and I end up looking like an oompa loompa and it becomes extremely difficult to comb through. When I got to the salon my hair is really easy to blow dry and the length stays, its super shiny with very little product and it lasts for weeks. Unless there's any humidity.

Oh, and because the powers that be hate me my scalp is rarely every dry. So on the the keratin.

I was afraid to death of not having my hair dresser in LA nor did finding a Dominican hairstylist in LA promising so I finally bit the bullet and made an appointment to get this done.

Please note that this all happened in NYC in mid-May 2012 where all it did was rain!

I showed up for my appointment at a hair salon in Washington Heights and was told how the process would go and  was whisked to a chair after. The shampoo girl washed my hair with a super clarifying shampoo that made my hair squeak. She did this for about 15 minutes and then the woman doing the application put me in her chair. She passed the blowdryer lightly--my hair was in no state to have a brush go through it because of how fragile it was at this point--and put a hairnet on me and then I was under the dryer for about 20 minutes to allow my hair to 'air dry'.

When this was done the application process began. She put my hair in sections, put on a pair of black gloves, gave me a mask and went to work. She applied the Evos Keratin Straigtener* and while it was happening my eyes started to burn a bit. it smelled like rotten apples but I've never smelled formaldehyde so I guess that's normal. After a full application she then put my hair in curlers and I was back under the dryer. This time for an hour.

It was the worst hour of my life. My eyes were on fire, my throat was killing me and I felt so bad for my lungs. The only thing that kept me in the chair was the years that I've spent researching this process and so I knew that all of those things were to be expected.

Next came the blow dryer. At this point I am already 2 hours in by the way. She removed the curlers and went over my hair with a blow dryer making it pin straight. She did every section meticulously and went from root to tip. She then heated up the straightener and did the same exact thing. She must've passed it onto each section 5 times.

When I left I was given instructions to not let my hair get wet, pin it back, tie it in any way for 72 hours. After the 72 hours were up I could go there to wash it out of my hair (for an extra charge) or I could buy special shampoo and conditioner. These were the most important steps. Without the proper aftercare my hair could revert and my time and money would have been for nothing.

DUring the days that I had to wait I was nervous. I couldn't sleep properly, I was living in fear of the frizz and the weather didn't help at all. I was so surprised when I was able to walk from home to the train during that awful weather and my hair only gained a teeny bit more volume and didn't look like cotton candy. It was amazing.

I went to a beauty supply store and came across these products that had great reviews. The shampoo and conditioner that I purchased were $10 each and the Coppola Vanilla Bean Deep Conditioner was $21.

Fast forward to me in LA. When I wash my hair my curls aren't gone 100% but as it starts to dry the length remains. My hair now air dries in less than 20 minutes and I finally have the ability to blow dry it myself because so much volume is gone. I can wear my hair wavy just by combing it down with a paddle brush while it's drying. It is simply amazing. I am 6 weeks in and I cannot wait to get it done again.

*Please note, I linked the Keratin used just to show what brand it was but I do not recommend purchasing it. I wouldn't trust a site selling a product that should only be purchased by professionals because there is a high chance that it could be diluted.

To Prime or Not to Prime

Primers are essential for most people. It def helps a person need less concealer, if any at all, and gives the face a nice smooth texture for foundation application. Primers have def evolved over the years and a lot of them can even be worn alone. Smashbox has tons of primers for skin that’s uneven, sensitive, sallow, red, etc. and Laura Gellar has their regular spackle and one that’s already tinted. Some even have SPF already built in. Throughout this blog I'll be reviewing all the primers that I've tried and love!

Point being: there is no excuse to not wear a primer. Ever!

Foundation, Foundation, Foundation

I'm very big on mineral foundation. I think the coverage is the best without making me look cakey and I love the ability to build in certain areas if I need to hide a blemish or highlight some areas like cheekbones and the jawline. I also like that it eliminates the need for concealer.
Some people think they don't need foundation and unless you're 12 you probably don't. But come on, shine and dullness are not cute. NOT CUTE! So read my reviews and get yourself started.

Pretty People are Sane People

You know that day when you stay home for a while after waking up and no matter what you do you feel out of sorts? You shower, brush your teeth, even put your contacts in and still something is off. Then you go to the bathroom, apply some foundation and you feel great because you don't look so dead and dull.

So here's my version of Step 2:

Come to believe that a power greater than our plain selves could restore us to sanity.

I don't apply makeup in the morning until I get into the office so whenever I get spoken to I feel out of it. Unsure. And this is especially because I refuse t take off my sunglasses until I hit the bathroom with my makeup bag.

So ladies if you feel like you're miserable all the time, especially at work, go to the bathroom and look at yourself in the mirror. If you don't like what you see then fix it (minimally, with makeup. If you can do it surgically I envy you and think you should RUN to do it). Sometimes when I go idle on IM or an slow responding to e-mails my friends are like: Diane, are you staring at yourself in the mirror? And the answer is always 'yes'. I can't have a good and relatively sane day if I feel like I look like crap. EVER! 'Nuff said.