Image via Taylor Taylor.
A Guest Blog by Briony Whitehouse
Sasha and I are all about subjecting ourselves to weird and wonderful beauty treatments in the name of research, so recently I took myself off to London’s Taylor Taylor to investigate their version of the Brazilian Blowdry/Blowout/Keratin Treatment (whatever you want to call it).
The salon itself is exactly how I always dreamt a salon should look — über glamorous (Marie Antoinette meets 21st Century) and staffed by achingly gorgeous stylists, yet simultaneously approachable and entirely unpretentious.
For those people with perfect hair who don’t engage with such things, the Brazillian Blowout is essentially a high-protein keratin treatment which repairs damage and coats the hair in a protective layer to prevent heat-styling induced damage and weather induced frizz. It won’t make your hair dead straight, but rather the best version of itself.
And whereas other salons use a solution laden with formaldehyde and which requires three days of complete moisture-avoidance, the Taylor Taylor version is virtually chemical free (and certainly no more chemcial-laden than your regular colour) and is all done within 2 hours.
I should disclose that unlike Sasha (who is blessed with gorgeous blonde bombshell hair), (Ed.: Ahem) my hair is naturally a curly, naughty mess which gets very upset by all the heat-styling I inflict upon it in an effort to make it appear smooth and lovely. This of course results in a catch 22 situation: gorgeous hair requires heat styling which makes hair awful which in turn makes gorgeous hair impossible.
Before After
Although I try my very best to leave the house looking groomed and lovely, after cycling, rushing from meeting to meeting, sweaty tube rides, London drizzle and overly heated building, my hair often ends up looking more like the horrid frizzy bird’s nest in the above ‘before’ picture, rather than the perfect waves I force it into in the morning.
And this is where the Blowout comes in. I should point out that the above ‘after’ shot was a result of styling no more intense than a very rough blowdry for just a few minutes. Even 10 days later, I’m doing nothing more each day than roughly drying it and either twisting it into a bun while I do my makeup or very quickly straightening the ends.
And even after damp English weather, my usual chaos, a long-haul flight (ie. severe dehydration) and now 2 days at the beach in Australia, my hair still looks almost perfect (smooth, light waves) with minimal effort.
I could not be more thrilled.
I also had a cut at the same time, and as soon as I saw Elsa (my stylist for the day) and her gorgeous hair, I trusted her to do whatever she wanted (something I never do). Straight away, she shortened my layers (which I had been growing out under instructions from a previous stylist) and cut two inches off so my hair sat at a more flattering length, and it’s been a hundred times better since.
Taylor Taylor London, Commercial Street E16 BJ. The Brazilian Blowout starts from £55, with 10% off all treatments before Christmas.
20 7377 2737 www.taylortaylorlondon.com
[Editor’s Note from LLG: I’m thinking this would make a very lovely indulgent gift voucher for a friend or family for Christmas. Just make sure you know the recipient well, as the insinuation that they have crap hair may not go down so well on the 25th.]
Briony was a guest at Taylor Taylor on behalf of www.libertylondongirl.com
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The salon looks beautiful. Brazilian Blowouts are wonderful things, all the good things said are true.
However here in California there are huge problems because whilst the company alleged that there was virtually no formaldehyde, tests from Frederick Fekkai as well as others show actually 8–12% formaldehyde.
Probably unless one is wildly allergic one will not be harmed as a customer; the same cannot be said for the stylist or coworkers.
WWD did a major investigation and Fashionista.com also. I know that formaldehyde is not permitted in Europe so am quite curious. It was banned in Australia as well.
There are actual non-formaldehyde products from Kerasure and Kerasmooth; I have read good reviews but haven’t done either.
Very bewildered.
Thanks.
This looks wonderful. My hair is in a similar state at the moment, I love and loathe hair straightners in equal measure! x
U know what, am so doing this next time in London. Great post Briony! And your hair looks great. I had a bit of an aversion to this cause of the chemicals and all, but this option sounds so perfect. Am gonna ask you for an update in about a mont to how long does it last!
M
Great post, the salon looks gorgeous (as does your hair). I’ve fancied this for a while and that’s such a great price. May have to indulge myself!
Lovely, lovely…and the perfect treat from me to me! Though I love them, my curls drive me pretty crazy. Thank you for this recommendation.
I have stick-straight hair. I would love a curly mess.
We’re rarely satisfied, are we?
Ooh sounds too good to be true! But I have a question — would you say that the “Intensive treatment and blow-dry” (£75) is worth it, or do you have to go for the full head?
I normally look just like your “Before” pic and I would LOVE glossy, bouncy, Middleton-style tresses, but £175–350 is such a lot to pay!
I really like that your hair still looks like it has volume and shape though, I thought all of these Brazilian treatments left it super-straight and that just doesn’t suit me. Is there the risk that it’ll come out incredibly straight?
Hi Lexie,
Our Brazilian Blow Dry can be tailored to your hair and your requirements and we can come up with a specific prescription to achieve exactly what you want. We would always make sure that you came in for a complimentary consultation before we started any of the treatments so we can take a good look at your hair and you have a chance to meet your Stylists. Why not give us a call at the Salon on 0207 377 2737. Sarah
Lexie, I had expected the same thing re: dead straight hair after the treatment. But actually if I leave mine to dry naturally, it’s lovely and wavy (rather than the crazy messy curls it would be in it’s natural state), but by no means dead straight — I think it would only get to this stage if your hair is already straight to begin with. It’s more just the best version of your own hair.
Also the treatment was tailored to the look you’re after — when the treatment is in your hair, the stylist goes over it with straighteners to ‘seal in’ the product. If you want it dead straight they’ll go over each section say, 10 times. If you want it loose and voluminous, they’ll only go over it a few times (I had a mix so that my fringe and naughtiest bits in the front were straightened a bit more than the back and sides).
I think that although the £75 treatment is definitely still amazing (it contains the same solution), it wouldn’t be quite as ‘wow’ as the full treatment — perhaps I’ll try this as a ‘top up’ when mine starts to wear off, or would be perfect if hair isn’t that bad to begin with.
Hope that helps! Briony xx
Thanks both, that is really helpful! I’m going to book in for a consultation — fingers crossed I’ll be looking glossy and gorgeous in the New Year…
That sounds lovely, Briony!
I regularly subject my hair to straightening and although Kerastase’s Ciment Thermique protects it really well, I’ll definitely look into this next time I’m in London.
Ooh Mlle — I also swear by Kerastase Ciment Thermique, but this is a whole other level!
Briony x
Thanks so much to Briony for such a great review on the Salon and the Brazilian Blowout. I am the owner of Taylor Taylor and I noticed that there has been a concern posted about the level of formaldehyde in the formulas for these type of treatments. You perfectly mirrored my concerns and because of this I had resisted introducing any Brazilian treatments to the Salon. However after long and intensive tests on all the formulas on the market we found the Brazilian Blowout which actually turned out to be the original Californian brand but they had developed and improved their original formula so that it contained no formaldehyde in the lotions. If anyone would like more information I have formal reports on all the ingredients and all the laboratory and Salon tests that have been carried out. Please be re-assured that I would not allow my team or clients to be at risk and have followed all due diligence to make sure that we have the cleanest product on the market. However , it is important to note that when the hair is initially heated and blow dried in the Salon then a small amount of formaldehyde gas is produced but even in the most stringent tests this level was so low it was over 10 times below the normal safe limit of exposure. There has been a slight scare about formaldehyde but it is key to note that this gas is naturally occuring and can be found in even the purest mountain air so please be re-assured that there is no risk involved in the process ..just great, good –looking and easily maintained hair.
Thanks Sarah for reassuring us all. I can attest that there was just the teeeeeniest amount of fume, but this was way below what one would encounter when, say, having their hair coloured. Moreover, the treatment doesn’t normally touch your scalp (mine started about an inch down so that my hair had more body at the roots) so you shouldn’t absorb even the tiniest amount into your bloodstream as there is no actual contact with your skin (nor the stylists, who wears gloves).
Briony x
I had a “keratin” treatment here in Australia which did required the 72 hours without moisture. That was not so bad but the no-sticking-it-behind-your-ears rule was hell. I had in done in July and I’d say it lasted till October. I’ve got very thick hair which is pretty tolerant of hairdrying but the effortless wash, blast and toss was amazing and meant I went to the gym more often as washing and drying my hair was so easy. I am getting it done again next month. It cost about $350 including the shampoo and conditioner so I thought that was not bad — mind you if I lived in, say Malaysia, where I could get a blow dry for $10 I would not bother.
Wow. What a fab looking salon.
I wish we had places like that in Brazil…
Makes me miss home!
i love taylor taylor! i lived in london for a little while so taylor taylor was my go-to salon. it really is fabulous and worth every penny.
Wow. What a fab looking salon. I wish we had places like that in Brazil… Makes me miss home!
This treatment has been banned in Ireland.
Also a friend had it done last year in Spain in a very reputable salon (she has difficult to control hair) and while initially her hair looked AMAZING — super shiny, straight etc — after a while there was a lot of breakage, particularly around the fine hairs toward the front. The breakage was bad, quite near the root, leaving little flyaway patches sticking up.
Hi Jackie
I obviously can’t speak for your friend’s experiences, but I think, as with any treatment, one should always do as much research as possible beforehand in order to make an informed decision. LLGxx
I had a Brazilian blow-dry late last August and was happy with how easy to straighten my normally curly/wavy hair was. Though, when I wanted to style it so that it was my normal curls, they turned out half wavy and half straight — not a cute look. I’d recommend this treatment for the ease of styling your hair, but forget about trying to have your natural wave until the treatment wears out. And I also found that I had a lot of breakage on the top of my head close to the scalp, which I never normally have. If I got the treatment again, I’d go to a different salon where they would put some waves into my hair instead of making it stick straight with the treatment in. I normally go to Taylor Taylor for color so perhaps I’d give them a try!
I think that makes sense: from what I know they are specifically designed not to get your hair to wave LLGxx
Hi. I an living in Ireland and have had to go to Belfast to get my Brazilian Blowdry done. Am staying in London in May and was wondering if i would be able to get the treatment done in your salon? Could you giveme an idea of the cost of the treatment,my hair is quite long and thick.
Many thanks
Ann
Hi Ann
Thank you for you comment on LLG review. We would be delighted to have you in for the Brazilian Blowout. We recommend that you come in first for a NO obligations consultation as we will need to assess your hair’s suitability. We aren’t able to give you a price until we have had the consultation as it all depends on the length and condition of your hair however, we would like to offer a 10% off your first Brazilian Blowout. Please email me on pr@taylortaylorlondon.com if you would like further information or an appointment. We look forward to welcoming you Kate x
Hi — Wow — the Brazilian blowout sounds amazing. I live in Wales so next time I come to London I will be keen to try it. I have been researching and Taylor Taylor sound fab. Can u please give me a rough idea of the price? I have shoulder length very blonde hair with a slight kink. I simm / run / gym alot and am constantly washing / drying / straightening my hair and love the idea of washing, rough drying and just going! x
Hello Elizabeth,
Thank you for getting in touch via LLG. The Brazilian Blowout is a truly amazing treatment and we can certainly help you out. Having read your comment, we have two different options for you. First is the Brazilian Blowout as this is the ideal treatment if you want to keep it natural and keep your slight kink too — clients have said that this treatment is “Simply a better version of your own hair”. And the more damaged the hair the better the result — perfect also if you want to wash and go!
The second option however is the Ionic Straightening. Straight from Japan, this is the treatment if you want your hair properly straightened. The Ionic literally means that you can go swimming in the ocean, shake and dry your hair to a poker straight finish. It is absolutely amazing if you love straight hair, however this treatment cannot be done if you have any bleach in her hair. Both treatments require a NO obligation consultation first. We can then assess your hair and its condition etc and give you the best option with a price. How about you drop me an email on pr@taylortaylorlondon.com and we can discuss this further for you? Kate x
Hi Briony,
I would like to send this webpage onto my friends so they can read your review and see the results from Taylor Taylor. However, your review is fine to read, but the pictures don’t appear anymore (in the past, they have appeared fine when I’ve looked at this page). Could you please advise?
I went on the Taylor Taylor website, but they had no examples to show.
Thanks!
Kim