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Yuko straightening review - Go Straight - Fordham White Hair and Beauty

Yuko Hair Straightening System

If you're deliberating over whether to go ahead with permanent hair straightening, read our review of the Yuko straightening system to help you make up your mind.

To start, I should explain that my hair is usually a mess - it falls just below my shoulders in thick, coarse waves, with kinks going in all directions (see below for my before picture). I have come to the Fordham White salon, however, to be transformed into a glamazon goddess, with the Yuko system. This is a Japanese invention which first came to the UK in 1999, whereby hair is permanently straightened and, I am told, left in a healthy condition to grow out (your normal hair grows through as usual). The two men responsible for my transformation are Christian and Sebastian, two of the country's leading experts in applying the system. They trained at the Yuko academy itself in Japan and so successful has the system become that they have built up a loyal fan-base, including clients from around the world and several celebrities who have tapped into the powers of these miracle workers. They set up their company Go Straight (www.go-straight.com) to specialise in the Yuko treatment (they don't cut hair at all) and are based at the Fordham White salon, a trendy and glossy salon in the centre of Soho, London, with lots of model-type hipsters floating in and about. The staff at the salon are very friendly (the receptionist gave me a heads-up as to impending rain when I rang in the day before my appointment) and attentive (teas and coffees on hand and copious magazines) and the atmosphere is relaxed, which was very welcome given that I am going to be spending the best part of five hours there.

Gabi's hair "before Yuko"

Christian and Sebastian explain to me that this is not a system to be taken lightly and that its success is very much dependent on the expertise of those performing it. Indeed, given that the treatment costs anywhere from between £270 - £420 (depending on thickness and hair length), I wanted to make sure I was in the best possible hands. Between them, Christian and Sebastian have over 10 years of experience dealing with unruly mops of hair and have, on occasion, been called in to rectify mistakes made by less-skilled Yuko stylists. They are particularly proud of the job they did for Extreme Makeover UK, where a girl with disastrously bleached and permed hair was brought to them for glamorous salvation.

The long journey begins...

After filling out a questionnaire dealing with basic medical info and the recent history of my hair, we chat about the process. They are happy that the "virgin" condition of my hair will ease the process and they expect it to last anywhere from 8 months to a year, depending on re-growth. Straight onto the dry hair, a solution is applied, section by section, and left on for 15 minutes. This effectively breaks down the outer layer of the hair shaft, leaving the hair itself weak and rather stretchy like elastic (as Sebastian gleefully demonstrates by stretching out and pinging back a strand of my hair). Once they are satisfied that the hair is at the right stage, the solution is washed out and they begin to straighten the wet hair with special flat irons, using very small sections at a time and using a bizarre snapping movement that dries the hair with steam from the irons. This part of the process lasted 2 and a half hours, but we chatted about their celebrity clients and it helped pass the time.

Once my hair was completely straight, my heart sank as they worked in a gel-like "neutralising" substance to it. Every GHD girl knows the cardinal rule is not to go near anything wet after straightening your hair (especially when it took two and half hours to do!) so I was less than impressed that they were going to ruin their hard work. After 10 minutes, they committed the GHD sin of washing my hair and at this point, I thought it was all over. Thanks for the ride, guys, but you've just washed out all your efforts. Back in the chair, they both began rough-drying my hair with hairdryers and before my eyes, a miracle happened. My hair dried STRAIGHT. There was no frizz at the front fringy bits and no wild kinks in the back section. I just sat quietly and watched it dry into a shiny, straight barnet. Slipping my fingers through it, it felt soft and silky to the touch and completely knot-free, despite the fact they hadn't combed it. They "sealed" it with another run-through with the flat irons, to completely extract all the moisture from the hair, and that was it.

Four days on and I am loving my new hair. For the first 48 hours, they advised against getting it wet or tucking it behind my ears for sustained periods to avoid creasing it, but I had no problems with this, despite those days being some of the wettest of the year. After the first 48 hours had elapsed, I happily washed it and watched it dry under the hairdryer into its new straightened glory, glossy and healthy-looking. I noticed that the texture changed once it was wet into a thick knotted bunch but this transformed into silky hair when it dried. It doesn't need combing or brushing as it is so silky that a quick run-through with your fingers disperses any tangles. My only real worry is that my new straight hair has a tendency to look a bit "flat", which I hadn't been expecting but which is easily remedied by blow-drying my hair upside down. Christian and Sebastian explained that as my new, untreated hair begins to grow through from the roots, it will add the volume I am used to and it will look at its best in a couple of months once this shows. For now, I am just so grateful for my new glossy locks that I can't begin to think about my old mop growing back!

The Yuko Straightening System was reviewed by Gabi, March 2007.

Eleven salon is at 11 Blenheim Street, Mayfair, London W1S 1LL.

For Go-Straight (Yuko) appointments call 020 7491 2390 or visit www.go-straight.com