FRESH out of the stylist's chair with your gleaming new Dominican 'do, your silky, swaying hair moves whenever you do, swinging as you walk, rising, falling gently with the breeze. When your hair looks this great, you want to keep it looking this way as long as possible. The Protective Reconditioned Dominican Blowout lasts from 1-2 weeks, provided you treat it right. Here's a checklist of what to do to maximise the smoothness and the lifetime of your style:


1 No need to retouch
Unlike conventional blowdrys and ironing, there is no need to retouch the hair with heat during the week to keep your style looking fresh. The Protective Reconditioned  Dominican Blowout relies on a combination of extra-nourishing, silky-smoothing superconditioners and deft Dominican technique to get the hair much straighter and to seal in that straightness so it lasts longer. Remember: the foundation of a great blowout is healthy hair, which means limiting the amount of heat your hair is exposed to. Resist above all the temptation to fire up the straighteners after 3 days; by this point, the hair is no longer clean enough to sustain heat without significant damage.


2 Keep away from moisture
While it's essential to moisturise your natural curls frequently, and vital to apply a deep moisturizing treatment before heat straightening your hair, once your hair is straight it's crucial to steer clear of hydration. While using an umbrella in the rain (and not staying outside long in wet weather even if you do) is pretty straightforward, the right bath time technique can be tricky. Using just a plastic shower cap could bestow an unwelcome steam treatment that can have your curls return much sooner than planned. Instead, wrap your hair with a thick towel, turban-style, to allow the thick cotton fibres to absorb the steam so your strands don't have to. Be sure to tie on a satin scarf underneath to prevent friction from the towel fibres.


3 Be choosy about the products you apply
Just as steam will cause your hair to return to its naturally curly form, several hair products can also cause reversion. To preserve your Blowout results, avoid all products that list water or “aqua” in the ingredients, even if the product doesn't feel “wet”. Also steer clear of products with humectants, ingredients that draw moisture into the hair like glycerine or propylene glycol. One of the key features of your Protective Reconditioning Dominican Blowout is the way it infuses your hair with incredible movement. Using products with heavy ingredients, or even using too much of a lighter product, can weigh that movement down to a halt.

To bypass the stiff, greasy look, avoid adding oils, pomades or products with ingredients like petrolatum or mineral oil to the length of your hair. Solid stylers are great for keeping your edges sleek, but they work best if not applied throughout straightened hair. Instead, to keep your hair shiny and seal in straightness without sacrificing flow, use a serum like and confine waxes and pomades to the hairline.


4 Care for your hair at night
Wrap your hair at night to preserve the straightness and to allow it to fall beautifully. See our blog on how to create a fail-safe wrap with beautiful results.


5. Take breaks between straightening
Wearing your natural curls loose, or opting for a simple updo or a sleek ponytail in between Blowouts not only adds variety to your style repertoire, but also adds that extra oomph to your blowouts. Since straightened curly hair must avoid moisture in order to stay straight, alternating between natural and heat styling allows your hair to soak in the moisture it needs between straightening sessions. This allows it to retain the elasticity that's essential to the great movement that Dominican Blowouts are renowned for. Take advantage of your natural hair's love of moisture by pampering it with deep hydrating treatments that luxuriate your hair, make styling a breeze, and give your mane the glossiest, bounciest blowout results.

                                                             How to Wrap Your Hair


Wrapping your straightened hair at night uses your entire head as a giant roller, stretching the hair and teaching it to stay straight for longer. For a secure, silky smooth wrap take the following steps:

1. Gather together a satin headscarf, a comb, good brush, and plenty of extra bobby pins.
   
   
2. Brush the hair so that it is smooth and knot-free.
   
   
3. Use the comb to part your hair from the hairline towards the crown. When you release the wrap, your hair will fall in the direction created by this part, so make sure you pick the starting point that most flatters your features.
   
   
4. Next, starting from the newly-created part, use the brush or your hands to mold your hair around your head.
   
   
5. As you brush your hair around your head with one hand, use the other to smooth the hair in your crown area downwards into the path of your other hand (or brush) so that it doesn't bunch up into a “conehead” shape.
   
   
6. Every few inches, clip the hair in place with bobby pins. For best results, use larger bobby pins to get good coverage on your head. Slide the bobby pins into place from the crown downwards to secure the hair onto your head and to minimise the “conehead” effect.
   
   
7. Finally, cover hair with a satin scarf to hold the wrap in place, as well as to protect your delicate hair strands from the rough, thirsty fibres of cotton pillowcases.
   
   
8. In the morning, remove the pins and brush to reveal a smoothed, bouncy mane.
   
   

              Hair Glossary:


As more and more women, return to their natural hair, revealing the myriad of textures and types we never knew we had, in turn, a myriad of new hair techniques have emerged, tailormade to fit the needs of our very individual heads of hair. As the new hair landscape constantly evolves, here are some key concepts to help you navigate your way to the best care for your hair.....


Cowashing: This involves washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo. All conditioners actually contain cleansers called surfactants, which allow us to rinse the product off our hair after a treatment. These surfactants while gentler than those used in shampoos are highly effective, and cleanse the hair without stripping it of moisture. The best co-washing conditioners are light, highly fluid and free of petrolatum or mineral oil, which allows them to rinse clean from the hair.

Slip: Slip is the highly-sought after factor that makes conditioners a detangling dream. A conditioner with good slip slides easily over the hair, creating with a smoothing action that allows combs and brushes to glide readily through the hair, removing tangles quickly and without damaging friction.

Pretreating/Preconditioning: A pretreatment or preconditioner is a deep conditioning treatment that is applied to dry hair before you shampoo. These products are excellent for tackling persistent issues like breakage or shedding that usually require extra conditioning to resolve.

Doobie: The doobie is the Dominican version of the wrap, a process in which you wrap your hair around your head, using it as a giant roller to stretch hair straight (see) enhancing and extending the life of straightened styles. Done the Dominican way, the Doobie also often includes a roller at the crown to enhance volume.

End-sealing: To seal your ends work a rich moisturizing leave in into the tips of your hair, then apply an oil or thick butter over it, to seal in the hydration. This technique prevents the ends of the hair from breaking off, so is great for length maintenance and growing out the hair.

Transitioning: This refers to the growing out process for wearers of relaxers, texturizers or curly perms as they slowly allow their natural hair to grow in, gradually cutting off the chemicalised ends.