Straight hair is a style statement and if you’re someone with curly and unruly tresses, then a keratin treatment is marketed as a lifesaver for you. Here is the ultimate keratin hair straightening treatment review, so that you can figure out whether it’s even worth it going to a Brazilian keratin salon or not.

The Treatment

Keratin treatment is a type of hair straightening treatment that can get rid of curly and frizzy hair and lead to smooth and silky hair. Keratin is actually a natural protein found in your hair that battles against the humid weather and prevents hair from getting frizzy, but over time your locks can lose the keratin, because of many reasons:

• Over-shampooing your hair
• Excessive heat use or exposure to sun on the hair
• Not moisturizing your hair regularly
• Using too much hair dye and the list goes on

When your hair loses keratin, the strands can get hollow and there can be microscopic patches on the follicles that indicate the loss of keratin. The keratin treatment is a replenishing protein treatment that penetrates deep into your hair shaft and it strengthens the hair, and also restores the lost keratin in the strands, making it smooth and frizz-free.

Does A Keratin Treatment Straighten Your Hair?

A lot of people can get keratin treatment mixed up with a hair straightening treatment, and now this misunderstanding will be cleared for good. A keratin treatment isn’t specifically a hair straightening treatment. In a hair straightening treatment, the protein bonds that make up the texture of your hair are broken down by applying a chemical treatment and then it is fused with heat to make it somewhat permanent.

In a keratin treatment, however, the texture of the hair isn’t altered per se, rather it only gets rid of the frizz and makes the locks more smooth and silky in appearance. For instance, if you have super curly and frizzy hair, then a keratin treatment is going to eliminate frizz from your hair, but it’s not going to turn curly hair into straight hair. Your hair will still have that texture but it will be much more smooth, less tangled, and easier to manage.

Step-By-Step Guide Of In-Salon Keratin Treatment

Here is what you can expect when you go to a salon for a keratin treatment:

Wash The Hair

Your hair needs to be washed. There shouldn’t be any product lingering on your hair, otherwise, the results might not be the same. You can either save time and wash your hair before going to the salon or you can have it done at the salon. You want the hair to be free from any oil, grime, or grease.

Blow-Dry The Hair

After the hair is washed, it is then blow-dried to about 80% dryness. A bit of room for damp hair is left, because as the treatment is being applied to the hair, all of the locks are going to get dry and if you have extremely thick hair, then your hair will be left about 65-70% dry.

Apply The Treatment

After the blow drying is done, the next part is the application of the keratin treatment. It is essentially a treatment with a very high concentration of keratin, that’s going to leave your hair very smooth and frizz-free. The treatment is applied to the roots first and, then, is distributed throughout the length of the hair.

Your hair will get saturated in this treatment and then it’s time for the waiting game and you’ll need to let the treatment sit in your hair for about 15-20 minutes. For thicker hair, the treatment can be left for longer, but it shouldn’t exceed the 30-minute mark, regardless of your hair type.

Blow-Dry The Hair Again

The hair will be blow-dried again and using a brush, the treatment will be distributed even more throughout the hair, until the tresses are dry to the touch. This process can take some time, depending on the thickness of the hair and how saturated your hair was, with the treatment. Since the keratin treatment has the consistency of a runny leave-in conditioner, it doesn’t feel sticky at all.

Flat-Iron The Hair

After this, a flat iron will be used to fuse the treatment into your hair. This step, a lot of the time, is optional. If you already have thin and straight hair, then a flat iron may be used either sparingly, just to style your hair, or not at all. This step is reserved for all of the women with extremely curly and dense hair, who want their mane to look tamed.

Even with the straightening step involved, this treatment doesn’t change the overall texture of your hair. Yes, it might look a bit more sleek and smooth than usual, but it’s nothing permanent.

Lastly, your hair will be washed, dried and blow-dried again to remove any excess treatment in the hair. Your stylist can also style your hair but that’s pretty much it and now you can rock smooth and silky hair, with no frizz.

Expectations Vs Reality Of Hair Health After Keratin Treatment

A lot of people can be apprehensive about a hair smoothening treatment, like a keratin treatment or a Brazilian blowout, but it can be safely said that a keratin treatment is a lot more gentle to the hair than those vigorous straightening treatments

One of the selling points of a keratin treatment is that it doesn’t contain formaldehyde in the treatment, a common ingredient used in a lot of permanent hair straightening treatments, like Japanese hair straightening and Brazilian blowouts, so it’s already a healthier alternative for your mane.

On the flip side, there will be a certain degree of damage to your hair because of the use of a flat iron, but that’s all your hair has to endure.

Post-Treatment Myths

There is a lot of misconception about taking extremely good care of your keratin-treated otherwise the results might be deadly. Here are some post-keratin treatment myths that have been debunked.

• You can’t wash your hair after a keratin treatment. This is untrue. You can most certainly wash your hair immediately after a treatment, but most people don’t, since your hair is already washed a couple of times throughout the whole process of keratin treatment.
• Avoid letting your hair down too much. This is also false! You can let air through your hair and your hair won’t get frizzy at all. You can easily brush away the tangles with your fingers and the hair is super manageable.
• Chlorinated water is bad for your hair. Well, generally yes, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t ever take a dip in a pool, after getting a keratin treatment. Rather, the keratin treatment is going to protect your hair from getting shocked by chlorine.
• You shouldn’t use heat on your hair. True, because you basically won’t need it. Your hair will be tame and manageable without having to heat-treat it constantly, to make it look picture-perfect.

Final Word

A keratin hair straightening treatment may sound right up your alley, especially if you want to deal with that curly and frizzy mess on your head, and this review is going to help you make the right choice. Try to find a keratin treatment salon Potomac that uses product with no or the least amount of harmful chemicals.