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Leslie Correa is a
nationally renowned hair designer and hair chemical specialist,
(Color, Perms, Relaxers) he has devoted the past 24 years
perfecting his craft in the art of hair design. He has devoted his career
to knowing how to refine the best qualities of your hair and bringing
out its natural beauty.
Based in New York and traveling to work with some of
Europe's and America's highly recognized design teams,
Leslie takes a realistic approach to hairstyling and
has developed a personal design style allowing him to create looks
that highlight a person's best features. |
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"A Guide to TR" will take you
through some of the steps of the process and provide the information
you need to make your decision to TR more comfortable and how to
maintain your new hair after...I will present a series of 4 articles.
- The Consultation
which product & choosing a stylist preparing your hair
- The Process of Thermal Reconditioning
what to expect during the service, Is it right for me
- Post TR Care
caring for your new hair, styling, conditioning, coloring tips
- Types of Treatments to Maintain Your TRed
Hair
If the results aren't favorable Dry hair, Breakage, the bends
MAKING THE DECISION TO GET
THERMAL RECONDITIONING
Thermal Reconditioning is a
chemical process that permanently alters the internal structure of the
hair shaft rendering it totally straight. It will also
remove a great deal of the fullness and the body from the hair giving it
a sleeker look.
IN THE CONSULTATION HERE ARE
SOME OF THE QUESTIONS TO ASK THE
TECHNICIAN
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WHAT TYPE OF TRAINING HAVE
YOU RECEIVED?
This question should help to make you comfortable with the skill
level of the technician who will be performing your TR ... Some
systems require the stylist to take seminars in order for you to use
their product, others provide a video demonstration... interaction
between stylists to do your consultation is a good thing.
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HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN
PERFORMING THERMAL RECONDITIONING?
Experience is the key to Thermal Reconditioning... as with anything
the more you do the better you become...you learn what the hair can
and cannot do...you should also ask the technician how many TR's he
or she does a week. A stylist doing Thermal Reconditioning might see
20-30 clients a week (performing 5-7 personally)...At the end of 2
months they will have seen 160-240 thermals and performed 40-56
systems while other salons who have been doing the process for a
year may only see 2-3 clients a month. The more experience the
better.
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WHICH SYSTEM/SYSTEMS DO
YOU USE AND WHY?
There are a variety of systems available today to choose from and
the purpose of this question is primarily to find out the technicians
knowledge base concerning TR ... most technicians today are
implementing numerous systems in the salon in order to better serve
the needs of the clients...this along with the skill of the person
performing the Thermal Reconditioning are the two most important
questions to consider when making your decision.
At this point the stylist should be asking you questions about the
history of your hair and telling you how they would approach your hair.
That's when you know and you begin to have a comfort level in their
ability and expertise.
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HOW LONG SHOULD I EXPECT TO
BE IN THE SALON?
The average process will take an average of 3-6 hours to complete
so you will need to block out an entire day for the process plan on
lunch and bring a good book.
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WHAT IS THE COST?
Prices vary GREATLY when it comes to Thermal Reconditioning...it
seems that a running average is from $500-$1000 for most salons in
the country ... you may find salons charge lower or higher...price is not
an indication of skill when it comes to TR although I would give pause
to salons that are much lower than the national average.
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WHAT TYPE OF MAINTENANCE
WILL BE REQUIRED AT HOME?
The best systems will leave your hair silky straight with little to no
work required at home while others will remove a percentage of the
curl from your hair and you will need to blow dry and iron using special
blow-dryer and irons to achieve a sleek look at home...Be clear as to
what will be expected as to the at home care...WILL I BE ABLE TO
WASH AND WEAR? ... WILL I HAVE TO BLOW DRY? WILL I HAVE TO
USE AN IRON? Getting a direct answer to question will avoid any
misunderstandings after the process has been performed.
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HOW OFTEN WILL I NEED TO
RETOUCH THE NEW GROWTH?
Most clients will not need to retouch a TR for at least 6-9
months...this can vary depending on how quickly your hair grows and
how curly it is at the root area...clients with very curly hair close to the
scalp may need to touch up sooner than 6 months while a client
whose curl starts further away from the scalp may not need a touchup
for 9 months to a year... a rule of thumb is the closer to your scalp the
curl starts the sooner you may need a touchup.
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WILL REPEATED TOUCHUPS
DAMAGE MY HAIR?
A TR touchup requires great skill, much more than the initial
process to insure that the hair is properly protected and conditioned
...this would be a good time to find out if your technician is familiar with
the process and what steps they take to protect your hair...Repeated
Thermals should leave your hair in better shape than before the
process due to the intense conditioning the ends should be
receiving... softening chemicals should come in contact with
previously TRed hair only if the previous TR wasn't straight
enough.
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WILL I BE ABLE TO COLOR MY
HAIR AFTER TR?
After a period of two weeks it is safe to have your hair colored
again... If you are coloring your hair at home it is advisable to have your
hair professionally colored... special precautions will need to be
taken... it is best to prepare the hair with a protein treatment to be
applied to the hair before color to even out the porosity and insure
great results...if your hair is highlighted you will need to use a milder
mixture of bleach or either a high lift tint to make up for the porosity of
the hair.
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IF I CHOOSE TO GROW OUT MY
TR WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?
There is a process similar in application to a perm where the curl
is put back into the previously TRed hair in order to balance the look
as the new hair grows out.... Much milder chemicals are used and the
conditioning is very important during this process to make sure that
the hair does not become dry and brittle...THIS IS NOT A REGULAR
PERM...find out if your stylist is familiar with this process in case you
want to go back to natural...It is usually best to wait at least 3 months
after your TR before attempting to reverse the process...this will allow
enough of the natural wave to return so the technician will be able to
match your wave pattern.
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WHAT IS YOUR POLICY
REGARDING ANY CHALLENGES AFTER THE SERVICE?
Hopefully there will be no problem but it is best to be clear on this
point.. Thermal Reconditioning is a very expensive procedure and you
need to know the salons policy on handling any challenges after the
service ...If a spot is wavy will they redo it...If the hair is dry will they
condition for you...most salons will want their work to be the very best
and will be more than happy to help out.
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HAIR HISTORY TO PROVIDE
(The stylist should ask you these
questions in the consultation)
- ARE THERE ANY PREVIOUS
RELAXERS ON YOUR HAIR?
This is probably the most important information that you will need to
provide your technician...it does not matter if it worked or not...all that
matters is if you have had a relaxer in the past and whether it was a
Hydroxide base or a Thio base... There are 4 types of
hydroxide-based relaxers on the market. Sodium, Potassium, Calcium
& Lithium hydroxide. Thermal Reconditioning is a Thio Based relaxer
and is compatible with all thio based relaxers...this means that it is
safe to have TR over this product...TR is NOT compatible with
hydroxide Based products and this means it is not safe to have TR
over these relaxers...the results will be extremely dry, damaged and
broken hair, It might even melt, if TR chemicals come in contact with
the hair that has been treated with a hydroxide relaxer.... If the stylist
isn't sure he should do a strand test to see the results. Very
experienced TR techs will be able to process the new growth area of a
previously hydroxide relaxed client with great results...the process is
very complicated and should only be attempted by a salon specializing
in Thermal Reconditioning...any deviation from the procedure and
severe breakage or melt down WILL occur. Hydroxide and
ammonia don't mix.
- PROVIDE A COLOR HISTORY?
It is very important that the technician be aware of what type of
coloring has been used on your hair and how often...do you color your
hair at home or is it professionally done...they will also need to know
what processes may have been done that are no longer visible such
as blonde highlights that you may have had covered up 6 months or
even a year ago...(One of the biggest mistakes that I've seen happen
is when a client says this is my natural color but what they don't say is
that they tinted it back to there natural color after it was stripped then
toned). Be as thorough as possible because only with this knowledge
will the technician be able to properly protect your hair and adjust the
strengths of the lotions during the TR process...this is a great time to
ask the technician how they will protect your hair during the
process...there are a wide variety of proteins and moisturizers
available as well as pretreatments and aftercare treatments...the more
detailed you are with the answers the better.
Part
2 of the series "The Process of
Thermal Reconditioning"
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Leslie Correa
Leslie is the dynamic owner of Manhattan's exclusive
Capelli D'Oro Salon & Day Spa, bringing in over 24
years of experience and mastery to each color & cut he creates. Leslie
goes to great lengths to make his client's feel like their hair is their
best accessory, and together, they decide on a look that is perfectly
reflective of their lifestyle.
Once called the "Rembrandt of Hair," Leslie is highly
regarded for his exquisite ability to create natural looking highlights
and three-dimensional color. Leslie considers every cut a "custom
cut," and has spent the better part of his career developing
innovative techniques for less linear, more customized haircuts.
And while he realizes nobody is perfect, chances are he'll get
your hair closer to perfection than you ever thought possible. During
the course of Leslie's impressive and expansive career, he has
worked on the celebrities and socialites of NY and continues to add
loyal fans - celebs and non-celebs alike. "Fresh ideas come from
staying in touch."
Capelli D'Oro Salon &
Day Spa,
847 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10021
(212)288-7100 |
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