Photo: Courtney Dailey Photography
Throughout the years I’ve gotten quite a few treatments on my hair, along with regular coloring and trimming for upkeep. I even recently had bangs for the first time! (They grew out so quick.) Awhile back I also did an entire post on getting a Brazilian Blowout, which I ended up loving. I’m constantly being asked questions on my channel and Instagram about the treatments I’ve done, specifically on Keratin Treatments. Naturally I have very thick coarse hair, so a smoothing treatment like this one enables me to style my hair with ease. It also adds so much shine and makes my hair look so healthy! To be able to write today’s blogpost, I asked my hairstylist Nick Flores at the Sally Hershberger Salon here in Los Angeles to help me answer all of your questions about Keratin Treatments. I’ve actually been going to Nick for quite some time now. He cuts and styles my hair, and is seriously the best at keeping it looking and feeling amazing! I also get my hair colored at this salon by Holland (@fakehairdontcare), I swear my hair has never looked better!
Q: What is a Keratin Treatment?
A: A Keratin treatment is a smoothing treatment that eliminates frizz, makes hair more manageable, and cuts blowdrying time in half. Anyone who has coarse, frizzy, or unmanageable hair can really benefit from getting this treatment. It typically will last anywhere from three to six months depending on how well you take care of it.
Q: What is the difference between a Keratin Treatment and a Brazilian Blowout?
A: A Keratin Treatment is just a smoothing treatment to tame frizz and keep natural wave as where a Brazillian Blowout can actually change your overall hair texture. Nick is asked this question all the time from his clients!
Q: What is the process of a Keratin Treatment?
A: Keratin Treatments are a four step process. First your hair is prepped by being washed with a clarifying shampoo. A clarifying shampoo cleanses the scalp and hair of all impurities.
Photo: Salon Success Academy
Once your hair is shampooed, the hair is sectioned into 4 quadrants, keratin is applied from root to ends and then brushed through with a fine tooth comb to evenly distribute the product. Once the product is applied to all of your hair, it’s blow-dryied until it’s dry.
Photo: Salon Success Academy
The last step is flat-ironing the hair, and depending on how smooth a client wants their hair will do four to seven passes, which will smooth the hair more. Typically a keratin treatment can run anywhere between 1 hour and 3 hours depending on the clients hair type and how straight the client prefers it.
Q: How much does a Keratin Treatment cost?
A: Keratin Treatments are on the higher side and typically cost about four hundred dollars and up.
Q: Is it safe? Are there any risks with formaldehyde?
A: Most Keratin companies do still have formeldehyde in their formula. With any chemical like this, there is always potential risks such as allergies and skin irritation.
Q: Do Keratin Treatments damage your hair?
A: Keratins are not damaging to the hair. Keratin can revitalize as add shine to your hair. What can cause damage to the hair is the flat ironing process, especially on overly processed hair, such as platinum blondes.
Photo: Sally Hershberger
Q: Are Keratin Treatments safe for color treated hair?
A: Keratins are totally safe for color treated hair. If you follow up a color service with a Keratin Treatment, it can help your color last longer and add tons of shine. It’s important to make sure to always have a thorough consultation with your stylist when considering a Keratin Treatment to ensure the best results, especially after coloring.
Q: Post treatment, do you need to use any special hair products?
A: After getting a Keratin Treatment, you must switch your shampoo to a sulfate free formula if you don’t already use one. Most shampoos have sulfates which can strip the hair and cause your color to dull. Shampoos with sulfates can also strip away the Keratin. I’ve linked some affordable sulfate free shampoos below! Even if you haven’t had one of these treatments, they’re still so much better for your hair. I only use sulfate free shampoo, and it makes such a difference!
Q: Are there any chemical free treatments you recommend?
A: I have just recently tried out a formaldehyde free Keratin Treatment but I can’t really speak too much on it as it was as of recent. I’d love to be able to see how long this treatment lasts or if it holds up as well as a treatment with formaldehyde.
I hope you enjoyed this post spilling the truth about Keratin Treatments. I absolutely love how my hair feels and looks, plus it’s so much easier to blow-dry and style. If you decide to get a one from Nick (@nicolasfloreshair), let him know I said hello! Have you ever had a Keratin Treatment?
28 Comments
I love your hair! I loved it even more after your keratin treatment. It looked so silky and healthy.. since then I had thoughts of getting keratin treatment myself.. I just wasn’t sure about the after effects of treatment. I had so many questions! This answers everything… Very informative.. thanks ?
So happy you found this post helpful love.
I got the keratin hair treatment about 2 months ago and I’m so obsessed… For the most part I never use hest on my hair anymore.
Isn’t it great?
I had a treatment similar to keratin done a few months ago. It’s cheaper but didn’t last as long. I have such thick coarse hair and I absolutely loved what it did to my hair! It was so silky and it didn’t wave in weird places like normal. I’m definitely getting it again.
Hey Sona. So a few months back I wanted to get a hair treatment done and I went along with the Cysteine hair treatment which is supposed to be the most natural hair treatment and it works beautifully for anti-frizz and pumping shine. Since you’re into chemical-free hair treatments, I’d strongly recommend you to check the Cysteine Hair Treatment out! Much love xx
I’ll have to look into it. Thanks babe.
This is a great informative post! I have! I used to get it almost every single summer. I have thick, coarse, wavy/curly hair and honestly I loved it. It made styling it easier vs. having to constantly put it up. I also loves that it lasts a few months! I think it’s really good for people who want to try and use less heat (which is the reason I did it) so I didn’t always feel the need to have to blow out my hair/straighten it because I wouldn’t need to! This is a life changer and is definitely worth the investment because it lasts long, makes your hair more manageable, and it’ll get a lot healthier since you’ll have to use less heat! <3
THANKS for sharing Sona!!! I waited for this post ever since you got your last treatment with Nick. I have ALWAYS wanted to learn more about Keratin treatments, but with google, you know how you always get different answers. Its nice to hear from an expert, and someone who has actually tried it!
nice and informative post Sona! Thanks again for sharing with us!
So thankful you posted this because I have hair just like you and I’ve been thinking about getting a Keratin Treatment done
It’s definitely a treatment worth trying.
This is a great informative post because not everyone talks about how flat ironing process damages the hair and I’m definitely sharing this with my friends. Thank you for recommending the affordable options too as i have very thick ,coarse and wavy hair.
?? the brazilian one damaged my hair so badly. Thanks for this post and btw i really enjoyed reading a blog post in this format! Its super new to me and love to hear from experts. Do you think the Keratin one will just make new healthy hair look good or will it also aid in restoring?
Xx
Nick said it also helps restore! The keratin is great for you hair, what can cause some damage is the flat ironing in the process.
Thank you darling. Actually this post cleared lot of my questions. I wanted to have Keratin treatment for a while now. This was very helpful ? Best blogger ❤️ thanks again Sona ? #24HrClub ❤️
So happy you found this helpful love.
I have never had a keratin treatment! My hair has actually gone really weak and dont get me started on my split ends :( I do suffer from frizzy hair so I might give it a try? Thanks for the info x ❤️
It’s definitely helped my hair to not be so frizzy!
I was just thinking about this the other day wondering if it’s same as Brazilian blowout or how they’re different. Thanks love !!!
-Kristine
I have naturally curly hair, and I used to get brazilian blowouts every 3 months when I lived in Boston. I loved how soft and tame my hair felt, and I still kept my curls even though they were much looser over time. However, for some reason those blowouts are considered illegal in Europe so I switched to Keratin and had such an AWFUL experience. I should have known something was wrong because the product smelled so bad, and my hair actually became straight from it and you could literally see the difference as my roots grew out. I was so disappointed, and one year later I finally managed to cut all the straight parts of my hair and I am back to natural. Honestly if I had to pick one, I would bet on the brazilian blowout just from this one terrible experience ?
wow keratin treatments are expensive!
They can be, but they’re totally worth it.
I had a keratin treatment in the past and still have now, it change my life for real, I mean I won so much time with my hair and they look healthier and so much brilliant than ever. I’m 100% for the keratin treatment ??
Nice Keratin Treatment
I went to get a treatment and was very excited. But!… I hated the results, my hair looked like straws and it was beyond FLAT. It was unmanageable! I was happy once the effect wore off after a a few months. I think the place I went to did not know what they were doing, I was so disappointed especially because I dropped a few hundreds that only left me feeling ugly and insecure.
[…] post The Truth About Keratin Treatments appeared first on Simply […]
As per mine opinion Keratin treatment is best hair treatment. I personally use this and totally satisfied with it. It gave me shiny and straight hairs.