If you knew me before virtually meeting me on Instagram, you know that my curls were REAL. I know it may be hard to believe, but once I had curls that could not be tamed without hours of work, no matter how hard I tried… Until I discovered keratin treatments. I never thought I would be able to go in an ocean or pool or even take a shower and still be able to have manageable (straight- ish) hair without needing to get a blow dry done in a salon. It now takes me about a quarter of the time that it used to, to style my hair and I cannot thank the hairGods enough.
What is Keratin?
Originally called a Brazilian blowout, it is basically a smoothing, straightening treatment done in salons to fill in the pores of your hair. Overly porous hair causes tangles, frizz and breakage, and in my case, leaves extra room for curls to form. Keratin is a protein found in hair… The straighter your hair the more protein you have. Doing a keratin treatment is essentially putting the protein back into the hair, which is often lost due to age and colour treatments, or if you just have naturally frizzy hair. Since it is basically rebuilding the damaged areas, you can expect to see an increase in shine, less frizz and obviously an easier styling process overall. Hashtag Winning.
Before Keratin:
Hold up! Do not attempt to do this treatment on your own. I promise it will end in a disaster. Consult with your hairdresser, but each treatment lasts about 3-6 months if done properly. Make sure there is no formaldehyde in the products being used because it is a toxic chemical that can lead to all kinds of diseases. Also do your research and make sure there are no formaldehyde releasers. That means that certain ingredients may not contain formaldehyde but once heated they release formaldehyde. There is a bit of a waxy feel and funny smell so make sure not to book any date nights or events for about 24 hours after your treatment. Once you get to the salon you will wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo to strip all dirt and oils so the hair follicles are open and the treatment can penetrate.
During:
The treatment should last about 3 hours total. Once you have washed your hair, blow dry it, so your hair is almost fully dry. Add in the treatment and let it process for one hour, I like to go do errands because I just cannot sit still for that long. I wear a mask, so I don’t breathe in the fumes of the treatment, it definitely looks insane, but I don’t want to get sick from the chemicals in the treatment. It’s called #FASHUN. Once that hour is over, they will blow dry it and straighten it into the hair to “dry” it. Keep it in for 24-72 hours and then wash it out yourself or go back to the salon to wash it out, follow with treatment your salon gives you!
After:
As I mentioned earlier, it does feel a bit waxy and has a funny smell for a bit until you wash it out so make sure to take it easy for the next few days. I don’t stop my workouts all together however do generally stick to a pilates workout where I don’t sweat as much the day after to make sure I get the best results out of the treatment. I also avoid using straightening irons because they will also diminish the results of the product. If you are planning on cutting or colouring your hair try to wait a week or so to ensure the treatment has fully settled in.
Maintenance:
Like everything else beauty, there is a little maintenance here. You want to make sure to use sulfate free shampoos so it doesn’t strip the keratin from your hair too quickly… These are the ones I like to use but any sulfate free shampoo will work. I do my keratin touch ups every 3 – 4 months on my roots mainly because when it grows my fresh hair is curly and the rest is straight so we focus on the roots to make it all blend.
I hope this helped inform you a bit more about my keratin routine. I know these treatments are expensive, but you cannot put a price on hair-happiness. If you have any other questions on this topic, I have a whole video dedicated to it on my YouTube. I also have a full hair care video on all of the treatments I use at home and my favourite products.
#YouGlwGrl,
xoxo
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