Keratin Hair Straightening

08/14/2018

Keratin hair treatments - you may have heard them referred to as a different name, the Brazilian blowout, but you will have heard about them. Few of us, however, know what they actually are.

As someone who struggles with thick frizzy hair and unruly curls, I was eager to find out if a keratin treatment could tame my locks and help me in any way. Seeing as it usually takes me over two hours to straighten my whole head of hair, it seemed worth a shot and essentially everyone I know had recommended I try it, if only to give me a bit more time each day.

I headed to Lockonego salon on the King's Road one evening and got a Keratin hair treatment, just to see what all the fuss was about.

What is a keratin treatment?

The aim of the treatment is to restore and rebuild the damaged areas by treating your hair with a property that's already in it: keratin.

Keratin is a strong protein that is key to hair maintenance, often lost over time due to age, chemical services and products. The keratin treatment simply puts that protein back in your locks, adding a layer of protein to your hair, strengthening it, relaxing it, making it more manageable and giving your hair a salon shine.

Is a keratin treatment a straightening treatment?

The biggest misconception about keratin treatments is that they are hair-straightening treatments and when I got mine I expected the same results as a permanent hair straightening. A keratin hair treatment is actually a hair relaxing treatment, smoothing out the frizz and making your hair easier to straighten. Each time I washed my hair, it wouldn't dry straight, it would dry curly as normal but would be noticeably smoother and sleeker, making it a lot more manageable. I also noticed that once I had straightened it for the day, if I got caught in the rain or the humidity, my hair wouldn't curl or kink like it would have before - it was a lot more resilient and would stay straight until my next hair wash.

How long do Keratin treatments last?

Keratin treatments aren't permanent and the longevity of the treatment depends on the texture of your hair and the upkeep of the treatment's after-care. A keratin treatment tends to last three months but with the unruliness of my hair and the fact that I neglected some of the after-care rules, mine lasted just over two - still a miracle given the strength of my hair.