The revolutionary treatment immediately attracted a national appeal. Salons all over the U.S. started to offer this life-changing hair procedure. The technique involves applying a cocktail of chemicals to hair to break down its original bonds. It helps to visualize hair bonds as steps on a spiral ladder—and, with the help of heat via a flat-iron, “rebonds” them into a straight shape, or a straight ladder. This obviously comes with its own share of damage, as it essentially alters the hair structure.