For the last three years, I’ve been getting Keratin Treatments every six-eight months to combat the brutal humidity that we get on the East Coast– mostly focusing on spring + summer months to last me through the heat of summer + early fall. So WTH is a Keratin Smoothing Treatment and how can it work for you? I’m going to go into mega detail on Keratin Treatments with a tell-all, including the do’s and don’ts of the process.
To start, let’s get a little technical and talk about the the process and formula of a Keratin Treatment:
KERATIN
Keratin is a naturally-occurring protein that can be found in your hair skin and nails. Essentially, Keratins help form the tissues of the hair, giving strength to the hair strand. Overtime, due to processing, styling and even UV rays, the naturally occurring Keratin can break down, causing unruly, frizzy, dry, damaged and/or brittle hair.
WHAT IS A KERATIN TREATMENT?
A Keratin Treatment is a smoothing process that reduces curls, targets weak spots, and reinforces the hair’s structure by adding keratin back into your hair strands by a simple, quick in-salon process.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF KERATIN TREATMENTS?
There are two main treatments; The Full and Express. The differences between the two vary from person to person but the main difference is how long the application process takes + how long the process lasts.
KERATIN EXPRESS — Lasts up to 12 weeks
PROS:
– Shorter application process with approximately 1hr in the salon
– Less-expensive, around $100+ depending on hair length and volume
– You only have to wait about 12hrs before shampooing after treatment
CONS:
– Only lasts up to six weeks
– If you have excessively unruly, damaged or overly frizzy/curly hair, this treatment may not produce the smoothing results that you desire or expect.
FULL KERATIN — Lasts up to 6 months
PROS:
– Guaranteed to make you hair rejuvenated, more manageable and overall easier to style
– Removes virtually all traces of frizzy hair and flyaways
CONS:
– You have to wait 72hrs after treatment before you can shampoo your hair
– Treatment takes longer to apply, almost 1.5-2hrs
– Typically more expensive, approximately $300+ depending on hair length and amount
As for me, I don’t generally have unruly hair but my hair is annoyingly curly and not with cute ringlets–I’m talking sporadic curls that have no definition. To top it off, when you combine curly hair + the East Coast heat and humidity, then add in salt water/pool water, it pretty much equals a mess. My hair will get really frizzy and the thought of styling it sounds like a nightmare the further into summer we get.
After dealing with this situation summer after summer, I finally decided to get onboard with Keratin. Typically, I get the full but have also done the express too but after seeing those results, I felt that the Full Keratin gave me better results as it drastically reduced my curl to a smooth, wavy straight texture, allowed me to air-dry my hair for the first time EVER and ultimately lasted 6+ months, which gave me more than enough time to forget how dramatic my hair can be without it.
After getting regular keratin treatments over the years, I have noticed that my hair is longer than ever while still looking healthy; something I was never able to do before. Now, I can go MONTHS without having a trim, which is huge for me–I was the type that had to go every 6-8 weeks.
disclaimer: at the end of the day, this post is generally informative, not a personal consult. Over the years, I’ve conveniently learned all of this through my own hairstylist–follow her, btw, she’s amazing + so talented: @hairbymadonnab over at @curatesalonvb–but I would ultimately advise you to have an in-depth consult with your own hair stylist to determine the very best option for you + your hair in order to get the safest + best results… because it’s so worth it when you do.
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