Carolyn Curé's straight hair falls over one shoulder and then the other as she shakes her head.
"It swings now," she says. "Before, it used to move as kind of one big block."
Five hours earlier, Curé had a head full of curly, wavy hair.
A treatment known as thermal reconditioning uncoiled her curls and smoothed every wave. Unlike most chemical straighteners, the look lasts until her hair grows out. Curé will get touch-ups on the roots.
Thermal reconditioning hit big in the United States last year, with demonstrations on TV news shows and write-ups in major newspapers and fashion magazines. It's only available at a few hundred salons nationwide. Yana Dudko of Charlotte's Euphoria Salon & Spa started offering the service two weeks ago.
Thermal reconditioning isn't cheap or for the impatient.
Those wanting hair as straight as uncooked spaghetti can expect to pay $500 or more. Salons in New York and Los Angeles charge up to $1,000. Why so much? The chemicals and flat-irons that heat up to 180 degrees are specially formulated. Plus, stylists have to be trained.
Then there's the lengthy process. Thermal reconditioning takes at three hours or more, depending on the length, thickness and the hair's condition.
Also in the last year, improvements to the products have made it useable on ethnic hair and hair that has been colored or treated, says Soowan Chang, executive director of Shinbi, a distributor in New York.
Thermal reconditioning uses a weakened version of a chemical straightening solution, followed by neutralization, drying and heating with a straightening iron to break down the bonds of the hair and form a straight structure.
Dudko schedules a consultation to check the hair's condition. If it's not in good shape, she'll prescribe treatments to get it there. "If the hair is too damaged, though, I won't do the straightening," she says. The process is also hard to reverse, so there's little room for buyer's remorse. "You could perm it, but I wouldn't recommend it," she says.
Thermal reconditioning originated in Japan, where Chang says about 85 percent of Japanese women don't have pin-straight hair, with 5 percent to 10 percent sporting severely curly locks.
Fashion fuels the demand here. Besides models, actors and singers also prefer the lanky look. "Straightening my hair is big for me in terms of feeling confident," Gwyneth Paltrow told Vogue in March. "If I have frizzy big hair, I feel like I have zero sex appeal."
The desire for straight hair emerged in the '60s, an emblem of hippie freedom. At the same time, it was a sign of preppy nonchalance, like a twin set and pearls. In some circles, a flat glossy mane also projects class.
For most women, though, conquering the curl is about wash-and-go convenience.
That's why Curé, 34, wants straight, flat hair. She and her husband, Ed, sail on weekends. Any amount of water or humidity makes her coif go pouf. "I called it '80s hair band hair," she says. She constantly clamped it down with clips and ponytail holders.
Stephanie Smith, who has also had thermal reconditioning, is the goalie on Charlotte Country Day's field hockey team. Before the treatment, it took an hour and 25 minutes for Stephanie to straighten her wavy, frizzy hair.
"I'd get home after practice around 5:30. I would eat, shower and wash my hair," says Stephanie, 15. "Then I'd have to straighten it. That didn't leave a lot of time for homework since I have to have my sleep." About two years ago, she started seeing Dudko for a $38 weekly blowout.
Now she can swim and get her hair wet. And she can wash it daily without a sense of dread.
While the cost may seem high, Curé says, "it's definitely worth it if you break it down into how much time you spend straightening it and the amount of money you spend on products."
THE CONSULTATION
The mandatory consultation takes less than 30 minutes. Yana Dudko of Euphoria Salon & Spa met with Carolyn Curé about two weeks before her thermal reconditioning. Dudko prescribed a treatment to get Curé's hair in shape. "Most women with curly hair and color have a dry scalp," Dudko says.
THE TREATMENT
Dudko and Curé started around 4:30 p.m. on June 17. Here's what happened during the next five hours:
4:40 P.M.: Dudko checks the hair to see if the conditioner worked. "Looks good," she says to Curé. "Are you ready?"
4:50 P.M.: Wash and dry. Dudko dries Curé's roots since she had 3 inches of new, untreated hair. Her ends are left damp.
5:05 P.M.: Apply the scalp protectorate, which comes in a roll-on stick.
5:15 P.M.: Coat Curé's hair with another protectorate that looks like honey.
5:30 P.M.: The chemical straighteners, called reconditioners, are next. Dudko works with two kinds: one for the virgin hair and one for the color-treated.
5:50 P.M.: It takes 80 minutes for the reconditioners to process. Dudko constantly checks and rechecks the hair. After rinsing and drying, she tests a section with the flat iron.
8 P.M.: Dudko alternately runs a flat iron over 1- to 2-inch sections of hair a few times. "The trick is to do it in small sections," Dudko says. "That's what takes so long."
9:40 P.M.: A neutralizer is applied. Then a final rinse.
10 P.M.: Dudko holds the blow dryer above Curé's head. "You want to blow dry straight down," Dudko says. "Don't dry from underneath."
10:10 P.M.: After smoothing on a quick gloss, Dudko reminds Curé not to wash her hair for two days so the product can set. Also, to avoid damage, Curé should not wear clips or other accessories for three weeks.
The New York Times contributed to this article.
