Straight Talk on Hair-Straightening Treatment

Aug. 13, 2004 -- Thousands of teenage girls and women are trying to go straight — straightening their hair, that is. They're ironing, blow drying, using chemicals to get the look nature didn't give them. Now there's a new, high-priced technique that promises to tame those curly tresses for good. But is it too good to be true?

Over the years women have tried everything from hot combs to household irons to keep curly, frizzy, unruly hair straight. Now there's a hot new process from Japan that promises to turn curly hair pin-straight, without all those implements.

Called thermal reconditioning or "TR," it's considered revolutionary by industry insiders. Dozens of companies now sell variations of the process. The catch? It costs hundreds of dollars, can take hours to do — and it may be too good to be true.

In spite of the cost and time, however, salons say more and more customers are asking for it.

"There are people who just insist that they have to have it because their girlfriend has it, and they want it no matter what," says Carmine Minardi, one of New York City's top hair stylists.

Minardi says he'll do TR for his clients, but says there are less expensive less extreme ways to get that straight look.

He demonstrated different ways to get the straight look on three women with similarly curly hair. He straightened Sarah Carter's hair the way most women do — with a blow dryer. It took less than an hour and cost her $75. The curls will bounce back after her next shampoo though.

For Stephanie Epstein, Minardi used what he calls one of the best-kept secrets of the business, a relaxer. That's the chemical process African-Americans have been using to straighten their hair for years. The process took more than two hours to complete, and cost $300. It should last several weeks.

For Sheila Cosgrove, Minardi picked the new TR treatment. It's a chemical process too.

But TR is different from any other method of hair straightening. After the chemical is applied to a client's hair, a stylist painstakingly irons the hair, piece by piece, to lock in the straightness for good. The hair is then rinsed and blown dry.