The Studio

I have been forever plagued with wavy frizzy hair that absolutely hated living in Hawaii and spends most of its life in a ponytail. I heard about the Brazilian Blowout and have been wanting to try it for ages, but had a hard time with spending $ 250 on a treatment that I wasn’t sure would work for me. By chance I saw a deal on Play Hawaii (now Crowd Savings) for a Brazilian Blowout with Johnny Utah for half price and I jumped at the chance. I made my appointment for 2 pm and got a confirmation online as well as a reminder email, which was great. At the time Johnny was at the Fix Salon in Kailua, but when I arrived for my appointment I was told that he was no longer with the salon. I called his number and was directed by his charming assistant to his new salon, called the Studio on Oneawa Street. I arrived a few minutes later and found his well-​equipped little salon in a residential neighborhood next to his house for convenience.
I had only planned to come in for a Brazilian and had been told by another stylist in the past to do color afterwards about a week later to avoid excessive lightening due to the treatment. Before Johnny started I wanted to confirm that I would need to do the color after the process. He told me I had it the wrong way round… If you are planning to get a proper Brazilian (with formaldehyde, «the strong one»), then it is better to do the color before because if you do it after it can strip away the treatment and the blowout won’t last. If you are getting a ThermaCare keratin treatment (for those who are worried about the formaldehyde in the traditional Brazilian, which he does as well), you should do the color after, because the process can lighten the hair a bit. So I went for the whole shebang, highlights, Brazilian Blowout and a trim. It was going to be a long day but Johnny was warm and personable throughout the process and I could tell that he was talented and very knowledgeable. He started with the highlights, then washed out the color and applied the Brazilian Blowout, opening all the doors and turning fans on the help with the fumes. After that he blow-​dried my hair and went over it with a flatiron. He then washed it again, blow-​dried and flatironed it again. It was quite a process! What was amazing is that he was expecting another client in the evening but knew he wouldn’t be finished with all my work in time, his assistant Crystal called her to make the appointment a bit later and he continued on. I never felt like I was in the way, making him late or that he was rushing, he took the time to do everything right and the results were worth it. The Blowout was more than I could have hoped for and the highlights were perfect. All I had said is that I wanted to go a bit lighter and he put these beautiful caramel/​honey shades and toned down the brassiness of my hair. After a little trim and some shaping, I felt like a new person. Believe it or not I walked into the salon at 2 pm and left at 7:30!
Before I left I picked up some shampoo, conditioner and styling cream. He uses Paul Mitchell products and I got the Awapuhi system that is meant for Brazilian Blowout treated hair as it is sulfate-​free, I think the 3 items cost me about $ 75, but will really help to prolong my results (and they smell great too). What’s great is that Johnny can take credit cards and his whole billing system is on his iPad. After I paid I got an electronic receipt sent directly to my email, no paper at all!
Two weeks later I am really finding the hair to be much more manageable. It has been particularly hot and I find it curls a bit around the hairline as I sweat, but there is absolutely no frizz at all, it is a new world for me! I almost never put it up anymore because it is so easy (mainly just when I shower) and that’s saying a lot because I used to live in ponytails! When I get up in the morning I just give it a quick blow dry at the roots and finger comb it to straighten out the curly bits, then I’m fine for the rest of the day. If I want it to be bone straight I run a flatiron over it quickly. My blow dry time has also decreased dramatically. I can truly say this process has revolutionized my routine, no understatement. I’m converted!