Straight edge: The ultimate treatment for taming a full head of stubborn midsummer hair
By Poonam Kaur Billing
Thanks to my East Indian heritage, I’ve had a full head of hair from birth that has proven to be a double-edged sword in life: I never have issues with lack of volume, but learning how to manage my wayward hair is something I have laboured with for years—especially in the summer.
I had been debating a Brazilian Blowout for a while, looking for a shortcut to avoid all the styling and product I need to use, but the whole formaldehyde thing held me back. So when I had the chance to test out L’Oreal Professionel x-tenso—on my first day as a beauty intern at FASHION no less—no coaxing was required, especially with the forecast predicting 32 Celsius for the following day and my hair already looking like a hot mess.
An in-salon conditioning treatment, x-tenso smoothes the entire shaft to amp up shine and strengthen weak areas—and the results are supposed to last up to 8 weeks. It can be tailored to each client, depending on how straight you want your hair to turn out. The process usually takes 90 minutes, but because of the length and sheer mass of my hair, it took a little longer than 3 hours from start to finish—I was the last to leave the event! The result? Now, I can wash my hair at night, sleep on it without drying it properly, and still wake up to a smooth, calm head of hair with zero kinks. As insignificant as that may sound to someone with naturally flat strands, I have never been able to do that in my life.
For a list of salons that feature x-tenso, visit lorealprofessionnel.com.
