Our connotations of a Brazilian do not immediately bring to mind something to do with the hair on your head! But the exhibitor at the recent Women’s Show in Cape Town was the Canal Walk Carlton Hair Salon and they were advertising this new hair treatment.

Most of us want straight hair at some stage in our lives, but, quite frankly, I have neither the time nor the inclination to spend an hour blow-drying and straightening my hair. My hair needs a lot of effort for me to wear it down comfortably, so it’s generally combed after a shower and then clipped up immediately.

I reckon that this will be the answer to many women’s prayers. It is a straightening treatment that should cut down your hair time in the morning from an hour to 10 minutes and it takes 12 weeks to fade out.

I went into the salon on Friday and spent 2 hours there. This included a wash, light blow dry, the product (oily) painted onto my hair in layers, more blow drying and a whole lot of straightening. I walked out of that salon with straighter hair than I have ever had in my life and it felt great.

My Kilimanjaro trek had left my hair in a horrible state, so it was important to me that this is also moisturising treatment. The products that you need to buy (shampoo and conditioner) for maintenance purposes smell great and are easy to use.

I wasn’t allowed to wash my hair for 48 hours and for someone who washes her hair daily, this was a challenge. I finally clipped it up on Sunday because I felt dirty, but it still looked great.

Today was the first true test and finally the first wash. After washing my hair, I bravely picked up the blow dryer and went for it. 10 minutes later, my hair was dry and straight and I’m happy to wear it down for the whole day.

The treatment is pricey, but the time saving is huge. The effects are obviously different for everyone depending on the thickness and curl of your hair, but it’s definitely worth a try for all of those of you who find yourselves more comfortable with your straightening iron than your pillow.