Monica Forman liked the look of straighter hair but didn't want to deal with using a flatiron every morning to tame her curls. She figured thermal reconditioning (TR) ‑- even though it cost $500 ‑- would be worth it. At first, it was. After the hours-long straightening process her ringlets were gone, replaced by shiny stick-straight hair, and she loved it.

But her excitement was short-lived. Soon the reality of her new straight locks set in. Rather than being easier to manage, she says, her hair was harder to deal with. It actually took more time to style because it had lost most of its body. The process dried out and damaged her hair so much that within a month of the treatment she cut off five inches. And she lost the option of going curly ‑- something she had taken for granted all her life.

"I couldn't get any curl at all," Forman says. "After I had it done, I decided it wasn't really for me."

For more than a year, Forman has been transitioning back to her curly hair ‑- a process that has required several haircuts and a lot of patience. "I wish I had tried something less drastic," she says. "I appreciate my natural curls much more now."