*Ok, maybe not quite. But I did find an awesome new frizz-fighting, youth-restoring treatment for my hair. Nobody paid me to do this, I’m just really excited about it. Also? I’m so not a graduate of cosmetology school, so take everything you read with a grain of salt. Stand back – I’m about to give beauty advice.

I decided last week to color my boring, tawny tresses a ravishing red, and while I was doing my research I ran into something even more exciting.

And Brazilian.

When you mention that particular country, most people think super models and waxing. However, the Brazilian I discovered had nothing to do with ripping out the hair on your lady bits and everything to do with repairing the hair on your head.

Brazilian Keratin Treatments have been around for awhile but most non-celebs and wives that do not fall under the category “trophy” have never heard of them. Sure, we’ve seen relaxers or straightening treatments that permeate the hair, often causing more damage than good. But this is different.

Or so I was told.

Then I began to read, and it turns out that Brazil, in addition to being known for great wax and women with perfect proportions must also be the worlds chief supplier of formaldehyde, because that’s what’s in this stuff.

No, thank you.

But, oh, do not fret, my frizzy-headed friend. There are options. If you’ve got the budget, many salons offer a formaldehyde-free keratin treatment, sometimes marketed under the name “Coppola.” You’re going to shell out about $300 for this fancy fix, but your strands will be in the hands of a professional.

If you’re like me, and are a little more budget-conscious and lot more adventurous, you can try this at home with an Ion Keratin Smoothing Treatment Kit. Big fancy name, small plain price.

For $30, I brought home this little box containing a clarifying shampoo, a bottle of treatment, gloves and a funky-looking rattail comb/bottle brush.

The man at the beauty supply store said he’d sold a few, but he was curious because he’d never gotten any feedback, and would I let him know how it turned out?

Psh, dude, I’m a blogger. I’mma let everyone know how this turned out.

First, I had to color my hair.  It turned out well, but anyone in their 30s who has colored before will tell you that the older you get, the less keratin your hair contains. Thus, the bright, shiny, supple waves we sported in college give way to fuzzy, frizzier locks that usually end up in a ponytail or a bob once you bid farewell to your 20s. So while the red was indeed ravishing in most spots, my hair felt a little crunchy in others.

To begin the treatment, I washed my hair five times (yeah, five) with the clarifying shampoo to “open the pores.” When I stepped out of the shower, it looked like I had a pile of bloody hay on my head.

Gross. (There are no pictures of this. No way.)

Next I had to dry my hair completely. This required me to comb out the hay, which involved half an hour of careful strand separation. It was lots of fun, especially considering our lack of air conditioning at this point.

I began to sweat.

Once my crispy hair was dried, I had to section it into tiny pieces and apply the treatment using the bottlebrush end of the comb. Then, I had to comb it down each section until it was saturated.

After letting it “cure” for twenty minutes, I had to blow dry everything again, then take a straightening iron, set at 450 degrees, and iron each section flat to seal in the keratin.

The whole process took just under 3 hours, and my arms were sore. I highly recommend enlisting the help of a friend or curious spouse to spell you out here and there.

Now, the important part – how did it look?

My hair, dried naturally before coloring:

After coloring, blown dry, before treatment:

Immediately after treatment:

Looks pretty good, eh? At this point, it felt thick and still a little rough. But I had faith and followed the instructions which clearly stated that not only was I not allowed to wet my hair for 72 hours, but I also couldn’t kink it in any way. No ponytails, no clips, no sunglasses in my hair.

During the peak of summer.

Somehow I survived, but this morning my hair was so greasy I could have rubbed the skillet I used to cook our eggs on my head instead of using Pam.

When the Monkey went down for his nap, I jumped joyfully into the shower and scrubbed my scalp. When I got out, I was pleased to find that the comb ran easily though my hair. By the time I was dressed, my hair was almost dry, all by itself.

It took me five minutes to blow it dry, compared to my normal fifteen. With just a paddle brush, I ended up with some of the softest, silkiest, shiniest hair I’ve ever had.

I went ahead and ran the straightening iron through it, which gave it just a bit of extra polish.

I am being completely honest when I say I have taken twice as long to write this post as it would normally take because I keep running my hands through my hair. I cannot wait for my husband to feel it.

Was it a lot of work? Yes. Was it worth it? To me, every minute.

*It is recommended that you purchase a sodium-free shampoo and conditioner to prolong the life of the treatment.