I dealt with it for many years. Someone mentioned the thermal straightening process to me and I researched it. I found a salon that had the service and Mardoqueu was the stylist that performed the process. I made an appointment to see him so that he could evaluate my hair and deem whether or not it was in condition to undergo the process. He examined my hair, asked a lot of questions and said that my hair would benefit from thermal straightening. From the moment I met him, I had a very good feeling about having the thermal straightening done. He really cared about the hair and was very knowledgeable about the process. He gave me the price quote and we set the date for the 7 hour process that changed my life.

I told a friend of mine that I was having the thermal done and the cost. She told me that her hairstylist could give me a lower price. I told her that I had a really good feeling about Mardoqueu and that the lower cost wouldn’t change my mind. I say this because another friend that went to Mardoqueu after she saw my hair was given a price quote for her hair. She had also found someone who would do it for less. She got what she paid for. Her hair was straight but her ends were fried and a chunk of hair was missing from the back of her head. She regretted not going to Mardoqueu.

Another friend went to Mardoqueu to get her hair evaluated and get a price quote. He didn’t recommend the process since her hair was slightly wavy and not curly or frizzy. He told her how she could give it a straight look without having the process. She was very happy that he was so honest with his opinion and not in it just for the money that can be made on the process. As I said, Mardoqueu cares about the hair, not doing the thermal when it’s not needed.

When the big day came for me to have my thermal done, I was excited and nervous. I wondered how my hair would respond to the process and what it would look like when he was done.

In a nutshell, he washed my hair and gave it a light blow dry. Without using
conditioner, it became very curly. He then put a gel all around my hairline to protect my skin and then put a solution all over my hair which removed the structure. He kept checking on the process and when the time was right and the hair had the perfect “stretch”, he then washed out the solution for 20 minutes. He then blow dried the hair again. Now the easy part for me and the hard part for him - Mardoque flat ironed my hair for almost 5 hours!! He painstakingly took several hairs at a time and used a small flat iron near the scalp so as to not burn me from the steam and finished the length of the hair with a regular flat iron. I could feel the silkiness of the hair as it fell on my shoulders. He still wouldn’t let me see it but I knew that it felt wonderful. When he had completed the flat iron process, he turned the chair toward the mirror so that I could see my hair. I couldn’t believe it! It was everything I had always wanted - long, straight and shiny. I started to cry. The other stylists that were watching the process came by to see the results and one of them also started to cry when she saw how happy I was. I heard Mardoqueu say, “This is why I do this”.

I am so happy with my new hair and thank God for Mardoqueu every day. I wake up and it’s perfect. Just a light comb or brush is all that is needed. At last I can walk in the rain or go to the beach and it stays perfect - no curls and no frizz. I wash it and lightly blow dry it in minutes and it looks beautiful!

It changed my life! The interesting part of this story is that I had never gone to a hair salon before as I always did my own color and cut. After meeting Mardoqueu, I trust him implicitly to do my color, cut and thermal touch ups. How fortunate I was to get a stylist of his caliber the first time out! Mardoque is a treasure and I highly recommend him. You can feel safe in trusting your hair to this wonderful man!

Mardoque not only gave me beautiful hair, he gave me the gift of time. I no longer spend the 8 to 10 hours a week to straighten out my hair. It takes minutes a day and time is one thing you can’t get back. Thank you Mardoqueu!!