Michelle Braham checks out Ion Hair Retexturising to tame her wavy locks into sleek straight tresses

As a self-proclaimed hair care aficionado, I have always been a sucker for styling products that boast miraculous 'super-straightening' results, such as sprays, gels and serums. Yet no amount of yanking my limp, wavy, flyaway hair with a variety of professional paddle brushes under blasts of intense heat can beat a professional salon blow-dry - a weekly short-term cure that I deem time-consuming and incredibly decadent. So, in my quest for fabulously straight locks, I was intrigued to discover a 'revolutionary grooming treatment' that claims to 'safely transform distressed tresses into straight, silky, smooth and hydrated hair - forever!'

Located in the heart of Soho, trendy salon JL Ion is a godsend for any woman who, like me, frequently faces frizzy hair days. The unique treatment - invented in Japan in the late 1990s and widely favoured by the grooming industry in Southeast Asia - is called IHR (Ion Hair Retexturising). It is currently exclusive to JL Ion, yet the company plans to make IHR the hottest buzzword for hairdressers throughout the UK.

The science bit
The science of IHR is totally mind-boggling; ask for an explanation and you'll get a chemistry lesson. My specialist explained that positive and negative ions exist in most substances and are small particles that gather around an object. Through restructuring the ion cluster of water, IHR allows water molecules to penetrate into the core of each hair. As a result, the hair is rehydrated and reconditioned in each IHR treatment. Confused? Basically, as the IHR treatment penetrates every single strand of your hair, it amazingly relaxes and straightens curly, coarse, damaged and dehydrated locks. I was assured that there would be no damage to my hair whatsoever. 'On the contrary, it will improve the condition,' my specialist enthused.

This miracle is hardly speedy - I had to sweat out four tedious hours flicking through Japanese-style mags as various lotions and potions were applied. There are four steps to IHR, so for those with a low boredom threshold, take a good book. After a shampoo, my hair was sprayed with Ionic Protector, a pre-treatment spray that restores the protein and moisture content of hair.

Next was a relaxant cream, followed by the main treatment, which uses a special Ionic iron on every single strand. After two hours my now dead-straight hair was blasted with an Ionic Hairdryer, specially designed to release ionised air to maintain the moisture level, and smoothed with an Ionic Esthetic Hairbrush.

Straight hair in four hours flat
Each IHR treatment takes between three to four hours, obviously depending on the length and condition of your hair. Although the IHR treatment result is permanent, in order to maintain my new look, JL Ion recommends a retouch treatment on virgin hair every four to six months. After the treatment you must wait two weeks before colouring or perming, as the immediate contact with chemical products may lessen the retexturising result.

The system may sound tricky to comprehend, but the result is impressive and the compliments about my new luscious locks have been flooding in. Two months later my hair is still super-slick, shiny and in tip-top condition - I've even chucked out all my straightening fads. But more importantly, it is perfectly straight, incredibly easy to manage and I look exactly like I've just stepped out of a salon!

To find out more contact:
JL Ion
57a Dean Street
Soho, London W1D 6AJ
Tel: 020 7434 3005
www.jlionuk.com