Road-testing the Keratin Hair Straightener

Being Executive Editor for Latina magazine has its perks, and after our Beauty Editor, Kate, tried Garnier’s at-home smoothing treatment, I decided to get in on the action and see if a hair straightener would help me fight off the frizz. Since my hair is curly and prone to poufiness in the summer (think dandelion-head), I decided to visit the salon for the more intense Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy (not to be confused with the Brazilian Keratin, which is a different process we'll tell you about later).

At NYC’s Vartali salon, stylist Piet started out by washing and blow-drying my hair, then applying the keratin treatment throughout. After waiting 20 minutes, he flat-ironed all of my strands meticulously. By the end of the almost two-hour procedure, my hair was super soft and shiny—and immune to the nasty humidity blanketing the city.

Good Info to Know:

• You can't wash your hair for 72 hours after the treatment.
• Piet also recommended that I stay away from headbands, ponytail holders, and hats until washing my hair (the hair is fragile for those first 72 hours).
• The treatment eventually fades from your hair, rather than having to worry about your roots growing in with its original pattern while the rest of your hair is straight.
• The less you wash and the more often you blow dry or flat iron your hair, the longer the treatment will last.

The Keratin treatment is $300 and up; Vartali Salon, 48 E57th St, New York, NY 10022; www.vartali.com