To Jewish girls, straight hair is like the Holy Grail. From age 12 on, we fight our waves and curls with blow dryers and flat irons, trying in vain to get perfect, straight locks. (They don’t call it a Jew-fro for nothing.) I’m no different. I would estimate that I spent about an hour every single morning drying and straightening my hair to remove its natural frizz.
Then I discovered a process called Japanese Hair Straightening. It’s basically a reverse perm - instead of making straight hair permanently curly, it makes curly hair permanently straight. Pin straight, to be exact.
I got my first Japanese Straight Perm three years ago and it changed my life pretty substantially. My morning routine was reduced to 15 minutes (including shower), since I could literally just wash and go. No more blowdrying required. My hair dried perfectly smooth and straight on its own! I recently got my second Japanese Straight Perm this week and couldn’t be happier. Between my job and my toddler, the last thing I have time for is fussing with my hair.
The only drawback is the cost. Japanese Hair Straightening isn’t cheap. I paid $250 for mine and that’s on the low end of the range. Prices go all the way up to $800, depending on the salon and the length and texture of your hair. I think the price is worth the convenience. The results last about a year (or until it grows out).
My final comment is if you’re considering getting a Japanese Straight Perm, find a salon with lots of experience. I’ve had the best luck with Japanese salons where the hairstylists received their training in Japan. Here, the fanciest salon in town might not do the best job (and will likely overcharge you as well).
If you have questions about this process, please leave a comment or send me an email. I’m so happy with this and want to share it with other women!
7 responses so far ↓
1 Triz // Jul 13, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I completly understand you
I also did about 3 years of Japanese straightening, and my 2 sisters are still doing it 
I have now learnt to embrace my glorious curls 
but I so miss getting out of bed with beautiful silky straight hair! 
2 Heidi // Jul 14, 2008 at 12:56 am
What a great idea! I had never heard of this. It sounds like it is well worth the money so you can spend less time on your hair. Mine is usually up in a ponytail but would love to lose some of these waves.
3 alpha // Jul 14, 2008 at 4:17 am
hi erica. thanks for comment on my blog
4 Jules // Jul 15, 2008 at 7:40 am
Hey Grrrl,
My salon does that too. I didn’t do it because when I discovered it, I had already had a complete hysterectomy and lost a ton of hair.
My hair was so thick that it literally took hours to dry. It is naturally curly,frizzy,wavy. If it was humid out I looked like Rosanna Rosanadanna!
Now with 1/2 the hair, I can actually dry it with a round brush. That is another good tip. When I was younger and with a tight budget, I only frequented the cheaper chain salons. When I finally (by extreme pressure from a gay friend) went to a nice salon, I received excellent training on round brush techniques. God bless my friend Larry for sending me there. It changed my life.
I have friends who have had the Chinese (and I think it is the same thing as Thermal Straightening) done and they adore it.
I’m glad you found it. I know what it feels like to battle the bufont hair every day!
5 PlantBuddy // Jul 15, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Hi Erica,
Just dropping by to say thanks for visiting my blog and your nice comment.
6 Jai // Jul 15, 2008 at 9:46 pm
You mentioned this on my blog the other day and I was intrigued. Latinas are the same way fighting our curls with everything you can think of! Knowing myself, I’d say this is great for me in theory but I bet I’d want my hair curly in about a week.
I like the option of going back and forth. That’s why I’ve never tried a relaxer either. Too afraid of that committment. I guess I’ll just be sweating it out in front of the hair dryer.
7 Debbie Lane // Jul 18, 2008 at 7:38 am
I am so glad you had great results. I have an appointment to have my hair straightened and I am so excited about it I could dance! Of course, friends who know I am going to have this done are all telling me not to, “oh keep your curls”, etc. but I want the freedom and the look!
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