What Is A Blowout For Black Hair

The Secret behind the Brazilian Blowout For Black Hair?

 

Have you ever wondered how some women can get their hair to look so shiny and smooth and flow so perfectly with every movement? We’re going to share their secret now.

The Brazilian Blowout Exposed

A blow out is a method of grooming natural hair in order to straighten it. It usually involves using a blow dryer that has a comb attachment. An alternative method is to use a blow dryer with a nozzle, a bristle, and a Denman, or paddle type of brush. During a blowout, the hair is styled at the same time that it’s meticulously dried with the blow dryer and brush.
But if you expect a regular or traditional blow out to produce bone straight hair, you will be disappointed. What you will achieve is hair that appears to be relaxed and much straighter than it was originally, but it won’t be as straight as you would get if your hair were permed. To get shiny, flowing hair that’s smooth and looks and feels like it moves when you move, you need a Brazilian blowout.

When Did We Start Wearing Blow Out Hair?

In 1954, George and Joan Johnson founded Johnson Products Co. Inc., which produced products for African American hair. One of the products that introduced the blow out that we know today, is Afro-Sheen, which made the afro style very popular. The blowout evolved from this, becoming popular during the 1960s-70s.

When used on natural hair, the traditional blowout gave the hair the appearance of added length and fullness, while creating that all-familiar rounded shape that characterized the afro style.

In those days, the traditional blowout was an easy way to straighten your hair and give it fullness and body.

Today, the Brazilian blowout or Brazilian hair straightening is a method used by professional hair stylists to straighten the hair in a manner that’s semi-permanent. This is achieved by embedding liquid keratin along with a preservative solution into the hair using an iron.

It’s a process that’s used to smoothen the hair, and is the only professional smoothening treatment that produces shine and slays frizz, while simultaneously improving the health and strength of your hair.

Unlike the traditional blow out that reverts as soon as the hair gets wet, the Brazilian blowout lets you exercise, and even if your hair gets wet, it doesn’t revert on contact with water. Also, you can clip and style it the way you want, straight after you’ve had it done. There’s no need to wait a couple of days, as with relaxed hair.

Brazilian blowout before and after:

A Traditional Or Natural Hair Blowout

Why Women Are Wearing Blowout Hair Today?

Although the blowout fizzled out for a while, women have embraced the Brazilian Blowout as a hair styling option that has brought it back into the spotlight, and here’s why:

Cultural Pride – More and more younger black women are embracing the cultural pride attached to their hair in its natural state.

Time – A Brazilian blowout really helps cut down on the inconvenience of the to and fro appointments to the hairdresser, often required for relaxed hair.

Health – Concerns about the effects of some chemical hair products are causing people to explore more natural options like the blow out.

Cost – Blow out hair is cheaper to maintain than relaxed hair, which requires more care, more products and more cost.

Generational Values – As more and more women embrace ways to wear their hair in a more natural state, they are passing these values on to their children, who are embracing them.

What makes the Brazilian blowout so popular you ask? Let’s count the ways:

Brazilian blowouts:

• Create a significant reduction in dryness
• Lock in curls – while keeping frizz at bay
• Are Quick & easy – hair can be styled, braided, clipped or left free, immediately.
• Are Suitable for all hair types – Whether you have coarse, kinky, frizzy or even fine hair, the Brazilian blowout works for every hair type, including relaxed hair.
• Curl pattern remains intact – This means that unlike with relaxers, a Brazilian
  blowout will not permanently modify your natural curl pattern. Expect your hair to return to its natural curl pattern in roughly 10-12 weeks.
• Don’t take a long time – It takes a little longer than an hour to complete the blow out in a hair salon. This is not very long when you consider that after the treatment, you walk out with hair that looks radically different, lasts for over two months, and is frizz-free.

Options For Getting A Blowout

Achieving bone straight hair is a challenge for most black hair types. But whether it’s kinky or coily, the appearance of silky straightened hair is possible. If you want to test the waters, you can try giving yourself a DIY blowout at home. But if if you want something with a more dramatic and straightened effect that’s guaranteed to make your hair stronger and healthier, then consider visiting a salon to get a Brazilian blowout treatment done by a professional hairstylist.

How The Brazilian Blowout Treatment Works

The thing that makes the Brazilian Blowout different from a traditional blowout is Keratin

Keratin is a type of structural protein. It’s a key component of human hair, and the outer layer of our skin. It’s formed from amino acids and cysteine. Cysteine is rich in sulphur, and is known for its hair strengthening properties.
Even though our hair is made up of mostly Keratin, it loses most of this protein daily. The reason for this depletion is the damage caused to hair through the use of hair treatments like coloring and perms, as well as styling tools. But it’s not just about the physical damage to hair. Stress is another factor that comes into play.

When hair is depleted of Keratin, it’s brittle, frizzy and dull, as well as being prone to split ends. The latest Brazilian Keratin treatments not only add this Keratin back to the hair, but also include low pH amino acids. The result is shinier, straighter, and stronger hair.
If you’re more of a visual person, then this infographic will help paint a clear and concise picture of what a Brazilian blowout treatment entails.

 

 

The Brazilian Blowout On Different Hair Types & Textures – Before & After

If you want your blow out to look nice, know what it should look like when it’s done right.

This short video will demo the Brazilian blowout process being performed correctly, and lets you know what to expect from a trained stylist.

Brazilian Blowout Q & A

Q: What hair type is best for a Brazilian Keratin blow out?

Anyone with processed, frizzy, damaged, curly, or even Japanese straightened hair, can take advantage of a Brazilian blowout. The Keratin treatment it contains is good for all hair types.

Q: How will my hair look after a Brazilian blowout?

Your hair will have extreme manageability, shine, body, and bounce.

Q: Is a Brazilian blowout the same as a Brazilian Keratin treatment?

Yes. Brazilian blowout is the name of the process, while Brazilian Keratin treatment explains the key component of this type of treatment – Keratin.

Q: Can I blow dry my hair after a Keratin Treatment?

Yes, and in a fraction of the time it would have taken before the treatment.

Q: Can I still have a Brazilian blowout if my hair is colored?

Yes. The condition of color-treated and even highlighted hair actually improves with a Brazilian Keratin blowout treatment.

Q. Will the Brazilian blowout make my hair completely straight?

• If you have curly hair, the Brazilian blowout will minimize frizz, while enhancing the natural curl or wave of your hair.
• If you have wavy hair, it will appear straight and healthy after the Brazilian blowout.
• If your hair is straight and frizzy, the treatment will promote shine and get rid of the frizziness.

Q. Does the Brazilian Blowout really last up to 10-12 weeks?

Yes. The results are cumulative. This means that with continued use, expect your hair to become healthier, which in turn yields longer-lasting results.

Q. What if I’ve already relaxed my hair. Can I still apply a Brazilian blowout on my relaxed hair?

Yes. Actually, chemically treated hair is the best candidate for the Brazilian blowout because it strengthens each strand with amino acids. Relaxed hair is more fragile.

Q.Is a Dominican blowout the same as a Brazilian Blowout?

No. The Dominican blowout – originated in the Dominican Republic. And although it too is a method of straightening the hair, its not the same.

Pros & Cons of blowing out your hair

One of the best things about blow outs in general, is that they are low maintenance. Here are some other important points:

What makes a blowout great:

Sheer versatility – so many more style options are available after getting a Brazilian blowout, that kinky, coiled, shrunken hair make difficult to achieve.

Tangle-free hair – a Brazilian blowout eliminates the issue of tangled hair.

It’s not permanent – Even though the results of a Brazilian blowout last long, they’re not permanent. So you will always have other options.

No noticeable hairline demarcation – As your own hair grows while having a blowout, it also blends together with the blown out hair, giving your hair a natural look.

Quick – A Brazilian blowout can be completed in less than one and a half hours. This is a big plus for the woman with a busy schedule who is always on the go.

What you should be aware of regarding Brazilian blowouts:

Cost – A Brazilian blowout looks beautiful when it’s finished, but it also doesn’t come cheap. Depending on where you do it and who does it, the cost can be well over $200.

Formaldehyde – This ingredient is present in some blowouts. If this is a concern, be sure to discuss it with your hairstyle professional beforehand, as it is possible to find blowout treatments that do not contain formaldehyde.

Still Requires Commitment – Even though a blowout does save time on trips to the hair stylist, once you’ve had it done it’s still important to go for touch ups when it’s time, if you want the best results. Since the blowout treatment does not come cheap, it makes sense to make the effort to ensure that you get the most out of your dollars spent.

Possible heat damage – A poorly done blowout can cause damage to the hair due to excessively high temperatures or direct heat.

My Brazilian Blowout Experience

My Brazilian Blowout experience taught me one big life lesson. Don’t make assumptions. Here’s what I learned:

Never judge a book by its cover. When looking for a hairstylist, it’s not a good idea to assume you’re in the wrong hands (literally) when you walk into a salon and an non-black stylist introduces herself as your Brazilian blowout specialist.

It’s about their knowledge and experience, not their ethnicity.

Having great hair can be pricey. I assumed that because I’d finally found the right stylist, I could afford to use her.

Finding a stylist that you feel comfortable with is only one leg of the journey. The more qualified and experienced the stylist, the more you can expect to pay. So plan for it.

Tell your stylist what you want. I assumed that my input didn’t matter. After all, my stylist is the expert.

Discuss what kind of style you want with your stylist before the blow out, instead of assuming that she will just know. It’s your hair, so your input is important. Hair stylists aren’t mind readers.

So there you have it, a Brazilian blowout is the standard when it comes to blow outs, these days, and many believe it’s worth every penny.

Are you ready to make that shift from kinky to silky? If the answer is yes, the Brazilian blowout may be one of your best options. The results speak for themselves.

For more information on your hair options, study our articles, and learn. Our top picks for this week are about your cuticle, hair growth, coloring your natural hair, and braiding. We have fresh, informative articles every week. Join us and give us your feedback.