How to Fix Hair After Washing When You Have a Brazilian Blowout

For anyone with frizzy, unruly hair, the Brazilian blowout can be life-changing. Known to dramatically reduce styling time, the Brazilian blowout is a liquid keratin treatment that bonds to hair to seal the cuticle and create a protective layer around each strand. As the name suggests, the Brazilian blowout originated in Brazil, using ingredients such as camu camu, annatto seed and acai berry.

You’ll notice a significant drop in your drying time when you have a Brazilian blowout, one of the many perks of having this treatment done. Perhaps best of all, you can say goodbye to frizz, as your hair will be humidity-resistant after a Brazilian blowout. The end result is sleeker, frizz-free hair that’s more manageable and more resilient to heat styling, with results that last for up to 12 weeks at a time.

The treatment is rinsed out in the salon, so you don’t have any restrictions on when you can wash your hair after a Brazilian blowout. However, some stylists suggest waiting 48 hours to wash. In addition, avoid any immediate exposure to anything that could potentially react with the keratin and strip it out of your hair, such as chlorine. If, say, you decide to hit the gym and break a sweat, you can simply apply a flat iron to your hair to smooth out any kinks. Using hot tools on your hair, whether immediately after or in the weeks after treatment, will actually reinforce the keratin bonds and provide longer-lasting results.

When it’s time for a wash, use a sulfate- and chlorine-free shampoo and a deep conditioner designed for Brazilian blowouts. Then, apply a heat-protectant smoothing serum to smooth and detangle your hair before blow-drying, concentrating the serum primarily on the ends. Ask your stylist for recommendations of products that will extend the life of your blowout rather than choosing cheaper drugstore versions, which might not contain the same keratin-friendly ingredients as salon-quality products and may strip your hair of the blowout. Also, if your face and body washes contain sulfates and sodium chloride, take care not to get any of it in your hair. Furthermore, it's important to note that the Brazilian blowout treatment contains formaldehyde, which can irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat or cause other health complications for some people. In short, be sure to research not only the blowout itself, but also the products used to care for it afterward.

If you want a curly style, you can either air-dry your hair if it has some natural curl to it, or blow-dry it with a round brush. Your hair will be soft and flexible with a Brazilian blowout, making it easy to style your curls without any tangling as you dry your hair. Once it’s dry, you can curl it further with a hot curling iron if you choose. Hold each section in the curling wand for about 10 seconds. If you prefer sleek, pin-straight hair, blow-dry hair in a downward direction from the roots to the ends, and use a flat iron to remove any remaining kinks. Finish off the look with a polishing serum for that salon-quality gloss every time you wash and dry your hair.