When it comes to beauty, Brazilians seem to know a thing or two. They’ve brought us the Brazilian bikini wax, keratin hair straightening treatments and supermodel Gisele Bündchen. Now, the latest Brazilian craze to hit the States is velaterapia, a hot new technique that eliminates split ends without relinquishing length. The Maria Bonita Salon & Spa, a SoHo hair salon that several Brazilian Victoria’s Secret models frequent, specializes in this crazy hair treatment.
Velaterapia, also known as candle cutting, is a technique where a trained hairstylist twists small sections of dry hair so that the split ends poke out and burns them away with the open flame of a candle. The hair is then coated in Envix, a super-moisturizing conditioning treatment. The cauterization opens up and smooths down the hair follicle, allowing the nutrients and proteins in the deep conditioning treatment to work more effectively. Afterward, the hair looks healthier, silkier and free of split ends. The process costs about $180 to $200 (depending on hair length) and takes one and a half hours, with a recommended maintenance schedule of every three months.
While the promise of healthy, shiny hair seems to be worth it for some, putting an open flame on something flammable, like hair, is scary. Would you try it?
