Hair smoothening and straightening treatments are all the rage right now and almost every woman out there wants to give these a go by visiting a keratin treatment salon and see if there’s any difference in their locks. Keratin treatment is one of the most popular hair treatments and here is everything you need to know about it.

What Does A Keratin Treatment Do?

The name “keratin” might sound familiar. Well, it’s actually a natural protein in your hair and it’s responsible for keeping frizz at bay and restoring the hair’s health and shine, for the most part. However, over time, keratin in your hair can deplete because of excessive heat use on hair, chemical exposure like using too much hair dye, and not deeply conditioning your hair. This can lead to the hair shaft becoming extremely brittle and weak and ultimately, it can lead to extreme hair fall, dryness, and matted hair.

There are a lot of hair products that cater to the restoration of keratin in the hair, but one of the most effective treatments of them all is a keratin treatment. A keratin treatment is the most common and effective way of restoring the protein in your hair and it can also lead to smooth and frizz-free hair in no time.

Most of the time, people confuse keratin treatment for a hair straightening treatment and that’s not entirely correct. Well, to some extent it is, but the main purpose of a keratin treatment is not to make the hair permanently straight. It is more like a hair smoothening treatment and it gets rid of frizz and makes the hair soft, shiny, and silky.

Now this is where hair type and density play a major role. If your hair is super sleek and straight already, then the keratin treatment will get rid of the frizz and make your hair even straight and kink-free. On the other hand, if someone with super thick and curly hair is going for a keratin treatment, then it’s not going to particularly straighten the hair, but it will make the hair more manageable. Essentially, there will still be texture in your hair and your actual hair won’t be altered that much except frizz.

Is Keratin Treatment Bad For Your Hair?

This is probably the million-dollar question everyone has on their minds, especially if they’re considering getting this treatment done. Does a keratin treatment damage your hair? Well, shortly, yes it does. The treatment consists of applying a protein treatment on freshly washed and dry hair and then the hair is blow-dried and straightened. Now, there are two main things that could pose a threat of damage to your hair.

The keratin treatment contains formaldehyde and it’s not good for your hair at all. It can dry out the hair shaft and make it brittle, and that can lead to damage.

Using a heat tool, specifically a flat iron, to fuse the treatment in place is also not good for your hair because the high temperature necessary to fuse the treatment in your hair, can be very damaging to the hair and it can actually burn the hair if the stylist isn’t too careful.

Other than these things, a keratin treatment is considered to be a very safe and effective treatment for people who don’t want to go down the path of permanent hair straightening.

Keratin Treatment – The Goods And The Bads

Here are some ups and downs of a keratin treatment because as perfect as it sounds, a keratin treatment does have demerits.

Eliminates Frizz

This is one of the selling points of a keratin treatment and that’s the fact that it will eliminate frizz and get rid of those pesky stuck-up hair near your scalp and temples. A keratin treatment will diffuse the frizz and make the hair a lot more manageable and sleek.

Expensive

The first major letdown is the cost of keratin treatment. The treatment is expensive. Especially the ones in which formaldehyde isn’t used can be insanely expensive. A non-damaging keratin treatment will cost you anywhere between $300 to $800, depending on where you get it done, what’s your hair length and thickness and the service tip you’re giving.

This is an expensive treatment considering that it’s only a semi-permanent solution to frizz and damage so it can be disappointing to spend a lot of money on a treatment that’s not going to last for many months.

Leads To Smooth Hair

Protein is the major constituent of your hair. You can see a significant difference in your hair if your diet doesn’t have a good chunk of protein in it. It will show on your hair as brittleness, dryness, and extremely fragile follicles. A keratin treatment is a great way to replenish the hair externally and make up for the lost keratin.

After the treatment, your hair will look and feel extremely silky and smooth and you’ll want to run your fingers through it all the time because it’s that manageable and soft.

Can Damage The Hair

As mentioned previously, keratin treatment contains formaldehyde, which is not only damaging to the hair but can irritate people with sensitive scalps. However, keratin treatments have come a long way and now there are treatments that contain glyoxylic acid, instead of formaldehyde, that’s essentially going to do the same thing, but it’s not going to strip the moisture from the hair follicles.

But even though formaldehyde can be replaced with something far less damaging, there’s no replacement for the intense heat that’s used on your hair afterward to fuse the treatment in place. So, a keratin treatment isn’t all blue skies and sunshine.

Leads To Natural Results

A keratin treatment is a great way of making your hair smooth and manageable without making it look too dramatic. A keratin treatment doesn’t alter the texture of the hair and there is still a certain characteristic flair to your mane, but the main gist of a keratin treatment is to make your hair look manageable, smooth, and silky, so it definitely ticks all of those boxes.

If you don’t want to go for dead straight hair, then a keratin treatment is a perfect way of dipping your toes in, for the sake of a subtle change.

Hard To Maintain

A keratin treatment isn’t permanent and that can be frustrating for a lot of people. Keratin treatment has a perfect look that isn’t too dramatic or obvious, but the fact that it doesn’t last any longer than a few weeks is a huge deal breaker for the masses.

On top of that, you also need to take care of it, as you would after permanent hair straightening treatment, and that in itself can be a huge hassle. If there’s a tiny falter in the maintenance or care of a keratin treatment, then you’re absolutely done for.

Conclusion

There are a lot of misconceptions about hair straightening treatments in general, but now you know exactly what a keratin treatment does and whether it’s even good for your hair health or not. You can also go to a Brazilian keratin salon Rockville to discuss your hair type and the right treatment for your hair.