A Guide to TR - by Leslie Correa

A Guide to TR (Part 1)
Making the Decision for Thermal Reconditioning

by Leslie Correa ¤ Lamas Beauty Magazine Contributor

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.

"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

•	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.
•	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.
•	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.
•	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.
•	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.
•	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.
•	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.
•	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.
•	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.
•	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.
•	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.

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"

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