Ouidad Softener: Rave and Questions

[Thiends]

Ouidad v. Curve: Rave and Qs

Hi All,

I have been lurking for a while, so I thought I would contribute with this post and also ask for some advice.

Last year, I went to Curve Salon for their "Silkener," because I had heard good things. It was a disaster. I had my hair done by Miko (one of the two sisters who own the salon) herself, but I ended up with a mix of obviously under-processed sections and over-processed sections. She did not section the hair properly and hurried through my hair, making rude remarks about the nappiness of my hair the entire time. I walked in with thick, healthy bra-strap length hair and walked out with a mess. Enter Ouidad. I went to Ouidad after growing out the Curve "Silkener" for 4 months. I had my entire head processed with the "Softener." I know the dangers of overlapping, but believe me, the mess Curve created had to be fixed. The two inches of undergrowth came out with amazing body and texture. I was thrilled. The rest of my hair came out soft, silkier than the undergrowth (because the rest of my hair had now undergone two processes), and gorgeous. Overall, my hair had lots of body and bounce (I hate the plastered, flat relaxer look). I have been back twice since (to process the undergrowth) and the results have been amazing each time. Just wanted to put you guys on to the good work done at Ouidad.

Question: I love Ouidad Salon, but the prices are killing me. I spend about $400 each time I go there. It's a recession! So, does anyone know what brand of chemical Ouidad Salon uses in the "Softener"? I have watched the stylist and want to try my hand at doing the process myself. However, I know I should use the same brand. I considered asking the stylists, but salons tend to be secretive about this kind of thing, and I don't want to piss off someone applying dangerous chemicals to my head.

Footnote: I am still mad at Curve Salon because the last 8" of my hair (I have mid-back length hair) is a different texture from the rest of my hair, because it responded badly to being processed twice (which would not have been necessary, if not for the mess Miko made ). So, I am growing out the last 8". It is not breaking badly (only a few strands break whenever I wash), but it has to go.

 

[VinDieselsWifey]

i've read this about Ouidad:

http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip086.htm

"Ouidad uses a special trick for chemically relaxing hair. She "whips up a mixture of a milder sodium hydroxide with a conditioner. She explained to me that "the addition of the Deep Treatment brings down the pH factor and results in a healthier much softer treatment."

i don't know which lye relaxer she uses though. you might be able to get similar results with any mild lye relaxer.

i say ask them. the worst they can say is no. or maybe you could say you know someone who wants to get the treatment but they're are sensitive to certain brands of relaxers. so they need to know which kind they use.

 

[Thiends]

i don't know which lye relaxer she uses though. you might be able to get similar results with any mild lye relaxer.

Thank you for the link and for responding. I guess this leads me to another question: Does anyone here mix their relaxer with conditioner by themselves? If so, what kind of conditioner? And in what proportions (1/2 relaxer and 1/2 conditioner, or something else?)

i say ask them. the worst they can say is no. or maybe you could say you know someone who wants to get the treatment but they're are sensitive to certain brands of relaxers. so they need to know which kind they use.

You're right--I should just ask them. I am going to call today or tomorrow and see if they will tell me. I'll post the info here, if I find out.

 

[Thiends]

I called Ouidad and the salon uses calcium hydroxide. From their description, it seems that they do not use a particular brand of calcium hydroxide relaxer and instead, actually mix just the ingredient calcium hydroxide with the deep treatment. How much deep treatment they use depends on the person's hair type and their evaluation of its condition.

This does not help me much, because I do not have any experience with mixing up my own relaxer, talk less of assessing my hair to determine how much conditioner to add. Next time I go in, I will ask how much conditioner they put in the particular mixture they are using on my hair.

 

[Solitude]

When you went to Curve salon, was your BSL-length hair natural, or was it already processed? I'm just trying to get a clear picture of what happened. I know a lot of ladies do complain about the Silkener process...

 

[chellero]

I called Ouidad and the salon uses calcium hydroxide. From their description, it seems that they do not use a particular brand of calcium hydroxide relaxer and instead, actually mix just the ingredient calcium hydroxide with the deep treatment. How much deep treatment they use depends on the person's hair type and their evaluation of its condition.

This does not help me much, because I do not have any experience with mixing up my own relaxer, talk less of assessing my hair to determine how much conditioner to add. Next time I go in, I will ask how much conditioner they put in the particular mixture they are using on my hair.

Or you could just buy a mild relaxer, mix it with a protein conditioner and some oil (a lot of texlaxers do this) and do a strand test. Once you get the ratio and timing down, do all of your new growth.

 

[Thiends]

When you went to Curve salon, was your BSL-length hair natural, or was it already processed? I'm just trying to get a clear picture of what happened. I know a lot of ladies do complain about the Silkener process...

My hair was natural. Miko did not section my hair. The stylist at Ouidad parted my hair in four and applied the "Softener" one section at a time. She actually set a timer for each section and then rinsed the section thoroughly when the alarm rang, before moving on to the next section. On the other hand, Miko applied the "Silkener" to my whole head and then rinsed my whole head at the same time. So, the back, where she started, looked as almost completely straight, while the sides, which she did last, were basically still natural. Strangely, even in the straight parts of my hair, the last few inches still looked natural and were tangly. I had to wear updos for four months.

 

[Thiends]

Or you could just buy a mild relaxer, mix it with a protein conditioner and some oil (a lot of texlaxers do this) and do a strand test. Once you get the ratio and timing down, do all of your new growth.

Good idea. I will research more and then I might try this.

 

[Solitude]

My hair was natural. Miko did not section my hair. The stylist at Ouidad parted my hair in four and applied the "Softener" one section at a time. She actually set a timer for each section and then rinsed the section thoroughly when the alarm rang, before moving on to the next section. On the other hand, Miko applied the "Silkener" to my whole head and then rinsed my whole head at the same time. So, the back, where she started, looked as almost completely straight, while the sides, which she did last, were basically still natural. Strangely, even in the straight parts of my hair, the last few inches still looked natural and were tangly. I had to wear updos for four months.

Oh wow erplexed. Thanks for clarifying....

 

[lucea]

Hey Tenins,

Do you have any pics? Do you wear your hair straight or in natural styles? Just curious as I am considering a texturizer down the line. $400 bucks is way out of my price range, though, lol.