Everything You Need To Know About Keratin Treatment
The secret to many people’s coveted smooth, shiny hair turns out to be a keratin treatment. Keratin is the protein that strengthens your hair, controls the frizz and prevents damage. Needless to say, it is very important for maintaining healthy hair. However, the salon keratin treatment that promises straight and silky hair poses some major concerns. The de-frizzing process is quite popular as an easy fix but does it really help your hair? Let’s dive into the details of keratin treatment.
What is Keratin Treatment?
Keratin treatment is a chemical process that promotes smoothness and shine for frizzy hair. The treatment can last up to four to six months. Your hairstylist creates the blend for you depending on your hair type. There are different versions of keratin treatment - Brazilian Blowout, Goldwell, Kerasilk and Cezanne.
Some of these versions release formaldehyde when heated. It is colourless, strong-smelling gas that is used in glue and so on. During keratin treatments, formaldehyde is responsible for locking the hair into a straight position for months. It is risky for you and also your hairstylists. Exposure to formaldehyde can cause sore throat, scratchy eyes and nose bleed. In fact, long exposure to it can even increase the risk of cancer.
| PROS & CONS OF KERATIN TREATMENT | |
| PROS | CONS |
| Smooth & Shiny hair | Formaldehyde toxicity |
| Easier daily care | Cost can be high |
| Long-lasting results | Difficult to maintain |
If you ignore the effects of formaldehyde, keratin treatment dives into your hair follicle and affects porous areas with keratin, making them appear healthier and at that moment, your hair are actually healthy due to the protein dose given to it.
The Process of Keratin Treatment
It takes from two to four hours to complete a keratin treatment depending on your hair texture and volume. Firstly, your hairstylist washes your hair. Then, keratin treatment will be applied to your wet hair and the formula will be saturated on each strand in about half an hour. At times, hairstylist could blow-dry your hair first and then apply the treatment depending on what your hair needs. Later the treatment is sealed using a flat iron.
Keratin Treatment For Curly Hair
As gorgeous as curly hair may look, for some people, curly hair is challenging to maintain and style in general. Hence, they move on to a straighter look. Usually, keratin treatment is where it all starts. It doesn’t really remove the curls permanently but controls the frizz for a few months.
Keratin Treatment For Hair Loss Recovery
The more you treat your hair with chemicals, the more hair loss and hair breakage you’ll observe. This condition is not visible right from the treatment but you can see it once the treatment wears off. This also includes keratin treatment. The issue here is not keratin but the other ingredients and chemicals. Keratin is always good for your hair. It is what makes your hair stronger.
But, in the case of hair loss, you must avoid the treatment and try to produce keratin naturally in your body by following a healthy lifestyle and a healthy diet. Take a protein-rich diet, consume enough biotin, B vitamins, vitamin C and E, zinc and antioxidants to promote overall health of your hair instead of going to salon to get another treatment. The chemicals and the heat will only damage your hair further.
Can You Do Keratin Treatment At Home?
Yes, you can. However, don’t expect salon-type results. You will first have to buy the right product as many hair products in the market are keratin-based but not all of them can be used as keratin treatment. You need to check the ingredients list and then the instructions. If the product has detailed instructions on how to wash, dry and straighten hair, it might be the keratin treatment but otherwise, it may just be a regular conditioning product. Even when you buy the right keratin treatment, the results won’t be as shiny as that of a salon. While a salon treatment may last for several months, at-home version will only stick for a few weeks if maintained properly.
Side Effects of Keratin Treatment
Undoubtedly, keratin is a natural protein that’s most important for your skin, hair and nails as it forms fibres to make them strong. However, keratin in beauty treatments is usually taken from animal parts. It is a natural protein but the formula is made of several other ingredients including chemicals. We’ve already spoken about one of the chemicals, formaldehyde, a carcinogen, that helps cancer grow. It takes a lot of heat to achieve straight hair in the treatment and the damage caused by it is irreversible.
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