Thermal Reconditioning Performed at Home

Long hair after thermal straightening
Photo: StockLite/Shutterstock
Q: The hairstylist told me that she is doing the Thermal Reconditioning at home, because the salon is under reconstruction. Is it okay? It doesn't sound very good to me. What if I pay and the results are not as well done as the ones from the salon? Should I say yes?
 
It's the only hairstylist doing Thermal Reconditioning in Bucharest. The only alternative would be the Bio Ionic straightening in a salon. But still I've heard the Thermal Japanese straightening is better than Bio Ionic and I would risk the home treatment. Am I doing the right thing?!
 
A: Well, the Thermal Reconditioning and Bio Ionic treatments are essentially the same things. They were developed by different companies, but each was developed to compete with the original Japanese Reconditioning treatments (which I believe was originally created by Yuko Beauty, Inc.). So choosing between one and another of these two treatments depends a lot on the stylist performing the service and his or her skill level.
 
This is a key factor in any of these newer straightening services. The skill of the technician performing the service is going to have a greater effect on your results than any other factor – whether it’s the system you choose, or the location in which the services are done.
 
So, I highly recommend that you ask the stylist about his or her training and experience performing the services before you commit to having the service. When you consider the potential cost of these services (often in the hundreds of dollars) it isn’t an unreasonable request to ask for a stylist’s experience background with the process.
 
As for the idea of the stylist performing the service for you outside the salon, I would only suggest that you ask whether she is offering the same level of guarantees of her work that you would get in the salon. The systems themselves don’t generally require any major equipment and as long as there is access to a means of rinsing the hair when necessary and all of the needed tools are present (most of a stylist’s tools are extremely portable) you should be fine.
 
If you aren’t comfortable with the stylist performing the service at her home, ask yourself why? Is she performing other services from her home for other clients due to the reconstruction? If she’s been doing other clients’ services from home because of the reconstruction, then the idea of having you come to her home for yours isn’t extraordinary. However, you need to be comfortable with both the stylist and the setting, and while I don’t want you to miss out on the service you desire, I don’t want you to get into the habit of ignoring your own instincts.
 
If the “at home” service aspect is all that concerns you and if it is something you really don’t want to give in on, give the reconstruction a few weeks and wait until you can have the stylist do it in the salon.
 
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See also:
 
Hair straightening
 
What is Japanese Thermal Restructuring?