Keratin, Brazilian Blow Dry & Japanese Hair Straightening in Scotland: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee

Short answer: Scotland has very soft water. Glasgow’s is about 17–28 mg/l, which is lovely for hair. It also has very wet weather: 174 rain days a year outside Glasgow. So Scottish frizz is humidity, full stop. A smoothing↓DOWN treatment lasts well in soft water. If you want hair that stays straight through a west-coast week, that’s a permanent straightening.

I’m Zoltan, a texture specialist in Mayfair since 2018, straightening since 1999. Flying down makes sense for a treatment you only redo once a year.

The water: some of the softest in the UK

Scotland’s drinking water regulator says “most drinking water in Scotland is classified as soft.” Scottish Water’s 2017 zone data:

• Glasgow: 17–28 mg/l
• Edinburgh: 19–33 mg/l
• Aberdeen: 25–35 mg/l

Soft water rinses clean and leaves little mineral on hair, so smoothing↓DOWN treatments look fresher for longer. Low shampoo, not much conditioner, and you’re fine.

The weather: the real opponent

Met Office 1991–2020:

• Paisley (Glasgow): 1,263 mm, 174 rain days
• Aberdeen (Dyce): 833 mm, 143 days
• Edinburgh: 728 mm, 128 days

The west is much wetter than the east. Damp air feeds the temporary hydrogen bonds in hair and pulls it back to frizz and curl.

Which treatment

• Frizz, keep your curl → Straightment Semi↓DOWN, back after 1–4 months.
• The Brazilian blow dry / keratin result: calmer, looser, dries better on its own → Straightment Demi↓DOWN. About 60% of the curl out, and it stays out; roots after 4–8 months.
• Straight, whatever Glasgow throws at it → Straightment Permanent↓DOWN (the Japanese-straightening↓DOWN family). 80%+ out on treated hair, for good. Roots after 6–18 months.

Straight talk: If you’re flying down, don’t book a light smoothing. An 800-mile round trip for something that washes out in eight weeks is daft. Come for the treatment that lasts, and do the online consultation first so we both know it’s the right one.

More straight talk → The Brief

Booking locally

Glasgow and Edinburgh both have good salons. “Brazilian blow dry Glasgow” is one of Google’s own suggestions, so plenty of people are looking. Whoever you pick should name the product and its active ingredient, strand test coloured or treated hair, ask your full history, and never overlap.

Coming to Mayfair

• Fly: Heathrow flights take about Glasgow 1h25, Edinburgh 1h35, Aberdeen 1h40. The Elizabeth line runs direct from Heathrow to Bond Street in about half an hour. Maddox Street is a short walk.
• Train: Edinburgh about 4h08 (LNER), Glasgow 4h30.
• £9.95 online consultation first, always, from Scotland.

Prices: Semi £149.95–£269.95; Demi all-over from £219.95; Permanent all-over from £459.95.

More: keratin vs Japanese vs Brazilian · is keratin safe

— Zoltan

Sources

• DWQR (Scotland) — water hardness; Scottish Water hardness data 2017
• Met Office 1991–2020: Paisley, Edinburgh, Aberdeen Dyce
• Flight times: FlightConnections GLA–LHR, EDI–LHR, ABZ–LHR; Elizabeth line guide
• LNER — King’s Cross to Edinburgh; Trainline — Glasgow