Keratin Hair Smoothing Treatment: Favorite Thing

I first heard about keratin smoothing treatments when I was living in east Tennessee.   Moving to a humid climate hadn't really enhanced my "do" and I guess my stylist felt that my tumbleweed head of hair needed a little help. Her salon had just been trained in the Coppola Keratin Treatment and she felt like it might be just the thing for me. I was intrigued and did a little research.

The Brazilian Blowout and the Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy by Coppola are two of the more popular keratin hair smoothing treatments available in hair salons these days but there are several others.  The idea of these treatments is that keratin, a naturally occurring protein, is bonded to your hair using a hot flat iron.  The keratin fills in the "cracks" in your hair, smoothing out frizz.

If you get the Coppola treatment you can't wash your hair and you're not supposed to "kink" your hair in any way;  no pony tails, no pushing your hair behind your ears, etc., for 72 hours.  I'm not sure what you do about sleeping on your hair for those first few days.  The Brazilian Blow Out does not have any such restrictions.  If you have the keratin treatment you have to use sulfate-free shampoo products and many salons have created an additional revenue stream by insisting you buy their accompanying products.

All of the keratin treatments use formaldehyde as a bonding agent.  Although it bonds better, the higher the level of formaldehyde the worse the smell and the greater the health risks.   If you Google the process you'll find a huge range of stories both happy and horrifying, which muddies the waters even more!  You'll also see lots of before and after pictures.

If you color your hair you should get the keratin treatment at the same time as your color.  Otherwise you have to wait two weeks after coloring to have it done.  Prices average around $300.

I ended up not getting the process done in Tennessee but did have it done when I got to Houston.  I love it!  My stylist, who has a shop in a small town nearby does it for $150 so it pays to shop around.  I buy Loreal branded sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner for about $5 each at the grocery store.  I've had it done once and it has lasted about 3 months.  I plan to do it again in June.  As long as I am in Houston my intention is to only have it done during the more humid summer months, as opposed to year-round.  My hair is smoother and shinier and much less prone to humidity frizz than it used to be.  It's much quicker to dry and only needs a touch with the flat-iron to turn the ends under.

I think the effectiveness of the process depends upon how curly your hair is.  This is more of a smoother than a straightener.  If you're a curly-girl, don't expect that this treatment will take all the curl out.  If your hair is wavy and frizzy, like mine, and you don't like that look, this may be something you want to check out.  Talk to your stylist and do your homework.

Have you had one of these keratin smoothing treatments?  What do you think?  Love it or hate it?