Special thanks to
Michelle Rapin (blow-
out) and Rommy Najor
(makeup) at Luigi Bruni
Capelli Moderni salon in
Birmingham.

The cost of Anthony
Diorio's 3- to 4-hour hair
straightening applica-
tion ranges from $400-
$600, depending on the
length and thickness of
a client's hair. Contact
Diorio directly at (323)
363-1282 or call Luigi
Bruni Capelli Moderni
hair salon in Birmingham
at (248) 723-1500.

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cannot be used on highlighted hair like Emma's."
Unlike relaxers, whicicuse ammorum hydroxt t
ide–based creams that can cause drying an kreaki
age, this process uses a gentler thioglyco4 e. As
e, lt,.
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a result, the ionic conditioning system Di
prevenfkhair from breaking and ends from , tting.
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A fevielents even dome to Diorio to cor*' • ir
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qnes.
straightened idling different products and t u
The four-step process, which Diorio refer to as
"ret'ex" for "retexturizing," can be administered to
f ,
any type of hair — thick, wiry, curly, coarse, wavy or
frizzy. Taking a total of three to four hours, it Ingins
,
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with tne appncation or reteNturzing cream to
hair.
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"Next I rinse the hair and apply 350 degrees of
heat with a flatiron," Diorio said. "Then a neutralizer
is applied, which stops the action."
And that's it.
"Froin that point on, the hair is permanently s •
straightened," he said. "Clients can go out in the k,
humidity — or 'a rainstorm — and their hair will not

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And upkeep is simple.

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Ma can just -.dry their 1-i
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tr. ;
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Oft, withl ,of shme ,, ' DiOn
and it1-cvill tie s
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said. "Some clients
blow . it dry but only it s col
,
miss their curls, they can eag •
ki lAnd i f they
OfitSidf
.
,
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add them back in temporarily with a curling iron or
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rollers:'
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,
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that' has undergone "tete)/ stays
While
sinooth and straight, t.lie"\proce§S needs tO Nbe repeated
on new hair that groWiiii..Soi4, clients eit n wait a'.
year before coming ba.Ck for fill-ins, but most need
appointments at about rnontns. Emma expects to
use her flatiron to smoOtWthe root areas Of her hair
as it krows in to blend with her 4wlsstraightened
hair. She also left the shop with a hairconditioner
• •
and a suggestion from Diorio that she return there
everysix weeks for an ionic conditioning treatment, a
45-Minute process applied with the heat of a flatiron.
Kaini'shitsn kaizen ,— which Means '..texture
change" in Japanese — "was designed fOr Japanese
women,who had bulky, frizzy, thick hair but wanted
the fine, straight, sleek, silky hair that many Japanese
women already have," Diorio says. "Interestingly, it
•
turned out that straightening was a byproduct of the
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tet6luilzing

\
Anidican women are asking

for it." , .A\4\11\
Mans within another group
The Proc
san'eliines in want,of taming their often thick, curly
hair: Jewish Nvdreni *.
olie Goodman Of Birmin,gham visits Diorio for
. straightening touch-ups whenever he comes to town.
And for L;Slie Jatobs C•fBloofield Hills, the condi-
tioning treatment a lifesaver for keeping her hair
silky and niovea*My hair'can get very dry and
brittle, and the conditioner enriches the roots of the
hair," she says:. \
Months after Diorio -straightened her hair, Jacobs
remains thrilled with the results. "This is the best
thing I ever did," she says. "My hair was heavy and
coarse and kinky before. The process relaxed my hair,
took the bulk out ofit and made it moveable and
manageable. To get up in the morning and not have
to do anything to my hair makes life so much easier."
For Emma, too, the result simplifies her schedule
and allowed her, for the first time, to be able to say,
"I really, really love my hair." •