Smooth, silky, and straight hair is what every woman desires, but only a few are naturally blessed with it. For the rest of us, it is a never-ending challenge. From trying home remedies to resorting to expensive products, we would do it all to get those straight and glossy tresses. But the results hardly match up with our expectations, and even if they do, they last only a while, making us spend a lot of time and money in repeating the process or forcing us to live with the unmanageable curls. But things changed when a new technique called keratin treatment was introduced in the market in the last decade. It took the market by the storm and became the most sought after treatment for frizzy, curly hair.
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What is a Keratin Treatment?
Before understanding what a keratin treatment is, let’s understand what keratin is. Keratin is a naturally produced protein that makes up the hair structure in humans. Keratin and its associated proteins protect your hair both internally and externally to ensure that it remains healthy. Though keratin is naturally produced by the body, aging can cause a reduction in its production, thereby leading to a lack of keratin in the hair. Not only that, factors such as pollution, harmful rays from the sun, harsh chemicals, and lifestyle anomalies can lead to the depletion of keratin, thus making your hair dry and lifeless.
Keratin treatment aims at providing your hair with the necessary keratin that has been depleted or is lacking due to the body’s incapability of producing enough keratin. The keratin bonds to the pores created by the absence of natural keratin and prevent breakage. By externally adding the necessary keratin, your hair can regain its natural youthfulness and health. Naturally, the treatment has gained huge popularity amongst men as well as women.
How to Choose The Best Keratin Treatment at Home Products for Yourself?
There may be many products in the market, but not all are meant for everyone. Much like any other product, the best keratin treatment at the home product for you must be chosen based on the following factors:
Hair Type: The first and most important thing to consider while choosing any product for your hair is your hair and the same applies in this case. Before you plan on choosing a keratin treatment product for yourself, make sure that the product is suitable for your hair type. For example, if you have greasy hair, try avoiding products that hydrate intensely. Making the right choice is important if you want to get the best results.
The Results That You Want to Achieve: Depending on the results that you want to achieve with your keratin treatment will decide the keratin treatment that you need. If you are looking for frizz-free, easily manageable hair and reduce the blow-drying time, then it is ideal that you go for products that promise to do so. However, if you also want to straighten your hair using a keratin treatment, the best keratin treatment at home products for you will be those that contain formaldehyde as the chemical can help straighten those curls and give long-lasting results.
Ingredients Present: The ingredients present in keratin treatment products vary between brands. Try going for products that contain a lot of natural oils and keratin in the pure form instead of a number of harmful chemicals like fragrances, parabens, etc. This will ensure that you not only treat your hair to the best available form of keratin but other nourishing products as well that will keep your hair healthy.
OSHA Complaint: Most at-home keratin products contain formaldehyde, a chemical that has been linked to many illnesses, and even cancer. Though it is impossible to achieve the smoothening and straightening effects of a keratin treatment without the use of formaldehyde, it is best to choose products that contain it in very low amounts so that no significant harm is caused. In fact, the best keratin treatment at home products is OSHA-complaint which means that they are safe to be used without any significant harm.
Preparation and Application Time: Keratin treatment products usually need quite a good amount of preparation as well as application time. Depending on your needs, you have to choose a product for your keratin treatment. If you do not want to wait for too long or reduce the application time, you can use keratin express products. However, they may not last you as long. Such keratin treatments are ideal for people who want to enjoy the results only for a short period.
Customer Reviews: Before you settle down on any product, try reading the reviews of the product online so that you have an idea of how the product actually performs. This will help you make an informed decision.
Top Keratin Treatment at Home Products in The Market
1. L’ANZA Keratin Healing Oil Hair Treatment:
Features:
- As per the keratin treatment at home reviews, it’s the perfect combination of Phyto Complex and Keratin to help you get healthy, smooth, soft, and shiny hair.
- Comes with active healing power to help your hair have the best nourishment
- Makes sure to retain shine and elasticity while maintaining the moisture of your hair
- Does not contain gluten, sodium chloride, parabens, or sulfates.
- The added oil extract from Abyssinian Flower helps in improving the softness of the hair while protecting the hair color.
- Oil extract from Acai Fruit provides the necessary vitamins like B3, B2, B1, and C.
- Babassu Kernel Oil helps in moisturizing and softening the hair. It improves hair elasticity as well.
- Coffee Seed oil adds the all-important antioxidants in the hair oil. This ensures that your hair gets full protection from UV rays and pollution.
Pros:
- No added formaldehyde at all
- Helps in repairing your damaged hair with care
- Really easy to use
Cons:
- In case you have fine hair, using this oil might make them a bit greasy
- The smell is not that good
- The price of this hair oil is comparatively high
2. CHI Keratin Silk Infusion:
Features:
- Perfect to heal your dry and damaged hair
- Capable of hydrating your hair as well
- The natural keratin included in the complex ensure the rebuilding of the cuticles
- Silk goes deep in your hair to help you retain the moisture level and smoothen your hair cuticles
- Regular use of this product can improve hair elasticity and prevent any kind of future hair fall.
- It’s a perfect blend to get back your shiny, soft hair
Pros:
- Smells nice
- Gives you smooth, silky hair
- You can expect a quick and healthy recovery of your damaged hair
Cons:
- Somewhat expensive compared to other products under the same category
- The fragrance is quite different from the original Silk Infusion
- Might not be suitable for all types of hair which may result in greasy hair
3. DAILY KERATIN by Keratin Express:
Features:
- Control Frizz and repels humidity
- Helps in speeding up drying time and locks-in hair color
- Helps you in having a smooth, sleek hair
- Compatible with any type of keratin treatment
- Does not contain any formaldehyde
- Strengthen and smoothen your hair
- Maintains moisture even during the dry climates
- Builds a protective shield against all the pollution
- It’s a perfect home-use treatment that can help you get smooth and shiny hair
Pros:
- Smells nice compared to other products
- No formaldehyde included
Cons:
- It May not work for all types of hair
- You need a blow dryer to have the best result
- If you use the product frequently you might notice residue build-up
4. Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Keratin Intensive Treatment:
Features:
- This keratin product offers deep conditioning of your hair
- It makes sure to hydrate your hair and product it from any kind of vulnerability
- The Keratriplex repairs and rebuilds your hair while hydrating your hair
- With regular use, you can certainly get shiny, smooth, and hydrated hair.
Pros:
- Get the best brand value
- Does not contain any type of harsh chemical
- Perfect for those having dry, colored, and chemically proceed hair
Cons:
- Comparatively expensive
- Might not work well for all types of hair
- You might need to buy other products as well to get this one working fine
5. OGX Instant Repair Anti-Breakage Keratin Oil:
Features:
- Instant nourishment and help for all types of brittle and dry hair
- Whether you have damaged your hair due to styling, rough brushing, or straightening, this oil complex can certainly help you get your strong and long hair back in no time at all.
- Spray before and after styling your hair to get shiny, smooth hair
- Irrespective of the type of hair you have, this oil infusion can surely help you get frizz-free, shiny hair in no time at all.
- It’s really light and nourishes your hair properly without any residue leaving you with a smooth and shiny hair
Pros:
- Really light hair oil
- No residue at all
- You can even use it as a spray
- Perfect for dry and dull hair
- Promises real quick result
Cons:
- The smell might be a bit stronger than your liking
- In case you have curly hair, and you wish to keep your hair that way, this product is not for you
- The result might wear off quicker than you expect.
6. It’s a 10 Haircare Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin:
Features:
- Gives you the benefits of straightening treatment from Keratin
- Help you protect the keratin level in your hair
- Strengthens your hair structure
- Gives you soft, strong, sleek, and smooth hair in no time at all.
- Works perfectly as a protection against any type of heat styling
- Oil is truly lightweight
- The oil reaches the hair shaft really easily and rebuilds the damaged hair from inside
- If you use this product on a daily basis, you can certainly have glossy, smooth, frizz-free, soft hair really quickly compared to the other products.
Pros:
- Easy to use and capable of offering quick result
- The price range is fine
- Works fine on almost all types of works
Cons:
- It may leave a type of sticky residue
- According to keratin treatment at home reviews, some users found this product to be a bit costly
7. Global Keratin Color Protection Moisturizing Shampoo:
Features:
- The inclusion of JUVEXIN protects your hair from damage
- Highly effective to repair damaged hair
- Hydrates your hair
- In no time you can get shiny and soft hair like never before
- No chloride or sulfate included in the complex
- Moisturizes and nourishes not only hair but also your scalp.
- Pretty much gentle of colored hair
- Perfect for someone with dry and damaged hair
Pros:
- You get to enjoy shinier, softer, frizz-free hair
- Does not smell at all
- Gentle on colored hair
- Repair dry and damaged hair
Cons:
- According to keratin treatment at home reviews, you need to go through the instructions properly before using this product; otherwise, you might lose some hair
8. Lasio Keratin-Infused Treatment One Day Formula:
Features:
- This keratin product effectively removes curl and frizz from your hair, leaving it soft and smooth.
- With this treatment process, you can certainly reduce your styling and drying time.
- Takes lesser time to give you smooth hair every day
- Unlike any other keratin treatment from the salon, this product will enable you to have silky and sleek hair in just 24 hours.
- This product can provide long-lasting results for up to 3 months. So, hard work for 24 hours can solve your hair related problems for a longer period of time.
- With this high-quality one-day treatment, you can certainly expect to have stylish and iconic hair that you have always wished for.
Pros:
- Wait for the Initial wash is just 24 hours
- Long-lasting effects up to 3 months
- No chemicals, no formaldehyde to harm your hair
- Salon- like styling at home
- Silky, shiny hair in just 24 hours
Cons:
- Not really affordable for everyone
- Only 2-3 months of effectiveness which comparatively low
- According to some users, it has a strong fume
9. Keratin Research Brazilian Keratin Hair Treatment:
Features:
- Easy to use keratin treatment
- Smoothens straightens, strengthens, and repairs your hair with deep conditioning
- Restores your hair vitality with its repairing capability
- You get to enjoy soft, shiny, and flexible hair
- According to users, this formula can provide effective and long-lasting result up to 6 months
- Instead of wasting your time, and wait for 3 days, you can wash your hair in just 1 day.
- Contains amino acid, proteins, argan oil, coconut oil, and other powerful complexes to give you shiny and healthy hair like never before
Pros:
- Wash away all your chemical treatments in just 1 day
- Contains all the healthy oils and keratin protein that is useful to nourish your hair
- Shiny and healthy hair that can last up to 6 months
- Salon-like treatment at home
Cons:
- Lightens your hair tone
- According to some users, the result may not last for more than a month
- The chemical smell is really strong which can be a botheration
Once you have chosen a product that is suitable for you, you need to prepare yourself to do the keratin treatment at home. Remember that the results of the treatment totally depend on how well you follow instructions that are given by the manufacturers on the instruction manual. Following the instructions, ditto will ensure that you get the desired results and no harm is done. Though every keratin treatment product comes with the necessary instruction manual, here is a general, step-by-step guide on getting a keratin treatment done at home:
Wash Your Hair: The very first preparatory step that you need to take is to wash your hair thoroughly. To do so, you will need to choose an anti-residue shampoo or clarifying shampoo that can remove any dirt, grime, or hair product residues that may be present in the hair. This is to ensure that your hair is squeaky clean and ready for the treatment. For the best results, shampoo twice and let the lather stay for about five minutes before you wash it off.
Dry Your Hair: After you have thoroughly cleaned your hair, it is essential that you dry it off very well. For this, you need to ideally use a blow dryer at the maximum settings for approximately 10 minutes or till you feel that no trace of moisture is left behind.
Comb Your Hair: Once the hair is completely dry, use a comb with the wide-tooth to comb the hair well so that no tangles or knots remain. After that, part the hair into three or more sections so that the product can be thoroughly applied.
Apply The Product: This is the most important part of the process and you must be very careful to follow the guidelines that come with the product. Before taking out the product, make sure that you wear gloves on your hands. Then, pour out the necessary amount of the product onto a bowl. Take out small amounts of the product and apply it to your hair. It is best that you start at the upper middle area of each hair partition and work up and down to coat your hair completely. You can use your fingers to make sure that each and every area of the hair is coated with the product. If any area seems to have been left out or haven’t had enough of the product, use your fingers to get the area coated. However, you have to make sure the hair is thoroughly coated, not drenched.
Dry Your Hair: Once you have applied the product thoroughly, you will have to allow the hair to dry. For this, you will need your blow dryer once again, but on medium heat. Make sure that the hair is completely dry and use clips to prevent flipping your hair. It is best that you wear a mask during this step so as not to inhale the formaldehyde. Wait for approximately 10-15 minutes before moving on.
Straighten your hair: Once the hair is dry, get your flat iron and get it heated up. It is best that the temperature is 400° F or more for the best results. Use the flat iron to gradually straighten the hair. For this, you will need to iron the hair around 5-7 times. The hair must be divided into separate sections before you start ironing. Make sure that you have ironed all parts of the hair and no area has been left out. Once you see that your hair is straight and glossy, you can stop.
Different Types of Keratin Treatments for Your Hair
Since its introduction in the beauty industry, keratin treatment has become diversified to suit the needs of all. And since different types of hair require different treatments to get the desired result, various types of keratin treatments now exist in the market. Each is suited for specific hair types as well as the needs of the person getting the treatment. So, before you even think of getting a keratin treatment, here is a brief on the different keratin treatments that are currently available in the market:
Brazilian Keratin Treatment: This type of keratin treatment is ideal to remove frizz and smoothen curly hair that is prone to damage from humidity. This type of treatment usually doesn’t include formaldehyde and straightens the hair gently, the results lasting about three months if proper care is taken.
Soft Keratin Treatment: This is ideal for people who want to retain their curls, but want to make the hair more manageable. By removing the frizz from the hair, this treatment ensures that you can have well-defined curls in your hair without having to use a whole lot of products. This type of treatment is ideal for fine as well as medium textured hair. The treatments are usually free of formaldehyde and will last approximately two months.
Japanese keratin treatment: This keratin treatment works on the hair bonds to break and realign them. Naturally, the results are comparatively quite permanent (till the hair doesn’t grow out). This type of keratin treatment is mostly used by the experts at hair salons and rarely available as at-home keratin treatment products. If you intend to do it at home, make sure that you take the advice of the experts to ensure no hair damage.
Japzilian keratin Treatment: This type of keratin treatment is a blend of Japanese and Brazilian techniques. As such, the treatment not only straightens and smoothens your hair, the results last much more than the Brazilian technique. Usually, the benefits of the treatment last around 3-6 months.
Moroccan Keratin Treatment: This type of keratin treatment aims at rebuilding your hair to make it vibrant, elastic, and naturally soft. This is possible because of the Moroccan oil that conditions your hair and adds more vitality to it. Such treatments usually last much less, but help improve your hair quality over time.
Keratin Express: If you are looking for a quick technique to get straight and smooth hair only for a few weeks, this technique is for you. The process takes only about 45 minutes, and you should be able to blow dry your hair much quicker than earlier. Once the treatment is complete, make sure that you use a sulfate-free, keratin-based shampoo and get a hair wash every alternate day to ensure that the results stay on for around four to six weeks.
Upsides and Downsides of Keratin Treatment
For those that have a hell of a time with their curly and frizzy hair, a keratin treatment is a great savior. It has many benefits that have made beauty enthusiasts go bonkers over it ever since it was introduced in the market. Though the effects of the treatment may slightly vary, you can expect to see the following benefits:
Long-Lasting: Compared to other hair straightening techniques, a keratin treatment can give you smooth and straight hair that lasts at least two months or more. This means that you will not have to go for straightening every couple of weeks.
Frizz-Free Hair: If your curly hair makes it difficult for you to let your hair loose during the rains or at the beach, then keratin treatment is for you. Wherever you want to be and whatever you want to do, you can do so without worrying about tangled and frizzy hair.
Time Saver: Keratin treatment is ideal for women who find it hard to keep control of their hair. By smoothening and straightening out curly hair, keratin treatment ensures that you no longer have to spend time managing your unruly hair. Moreover, since the results of the treatment last quite long, you save time that would otherwise be spent on repeated straightening and smoothening sessions.
Hair Nourishment: Unlike other hair straightening treatments, keratin treatment doesn’t only smoothen and straighten your hair, but nourishes it too. It provides the hair with much-needed proteins and other nourishment that often the body fails to generate in ample amounts, especially as you age. Thus, a keratin treatment can help improve your hair condition and make it look more youthful. It can make your hair soft, smooth, shiny, and healthy from within. Not only that, with a keratin treatment, you do not have to worry about brittle hair that most hair straightening techniques cause.
Hair Protection: Since keratin treatment strengthens the bond between the hair roots and hair strands, your hair becomes stronger and can easily withstand harmful environmental pollutants. Moreover, it can help keep your hair shiny even if the weather is too dry or windy or you live in an area that sees a lot of smog.
Less Blow Drying: Blow drying can help you keep your locks straight and sleek. But too much use of the blow dryer is harmful to your hair. Not only that, it takes up a lot of time to blow dry your hair every morning to get that smooth, silky look. A keratin treatment will ensure that you do not have to use your blow dryer all that much by preventing the hair from going limp too soon.
Versatile: Keratin treatment is not hair-type specific. Any type of curly or wavy hair can be treated with keratin for the best results. So, irrespective of your ethnicity and hair condition, a keratin treatment can solve problems with curly hair.
Variety of Styles: Since keratin treatment effectively straightens and smoothens all types of curly hair, you can now style your hair as you want without having to bother about those unruly locks.
Though keratin treatment sound to be an incredible solution to your frizzy, curly hair problems, it is essential that you consider the downsides that this technique may pose. As with all other techniques, keratin treatment, too, has its fair share of downsides which must be well considered before you buy any product to use. Let’s talk about the disadvantages of keratin treatment:
The Formaldehyde Effect
Believe it or not, formaldehyde, the main component that helps keep the hair straight and frizz-free, is harmful to your health. Prolonged exposure to the gas can lead to brain cancer and leukemia. That is why it is suggested that you opt for keratin treatments that have less than 0.002% formaldehyde. However, it must be noted that there are many products in the market that claim to be free of formaldehyde. Do not fall for such products as most of them have been tested to contain formaldehyde. So, it is best that you get the keratin treatment at a salon that will take care of the formaldehyde percentage or be in a well-ventilated space when you use the keratin treatment at home. This will help the gas escape easily, thus reducing the chances of harm to you and those around you.
Allergies and Respiratory Problems: Not only does formaldehyde increase the chances of cancer, but it can also cause other problems, mainly respiratory in nature, like difficulty in breathing, nose bleeds, sore throats, etc. It can also cause irritation of the eyes.
Hair Damage: If excess heat is applied to the hair during the treatment, the hair may start drying out faster than normal which will eventually lead to breakage. Not only that, if the hair is already damaged, the heat may cause further damage.
Greasiness: As keratin treatment removes the frizz from your hair, it tends to attract dirt and grime faster and become greasy.
Special care: Once you have had a keratin treatment, you will have to change the shampoo and conditioner that you use to ones that are suitable for use post keratin treatment. This is to ensure that they do not contain sulfates that may harm the keratin-treated hair.
Costly: Keratin treatments offered by professionals at salons are quite expensive. Typically, a keratin treatment can cost you somewhere between $300 and $800 and the results would last around 3-4 months. As such, salon keratin treatment would come across as costly for most people.
Why is Keratin Treatment at Home Products so Popular?
Keratin treatments are a savior for anyone tired of unmanageable and lack-luster hair, but the salon treatment costs are quite high, especially considering the fact that the treatment is semi-permanent and you would have to undergo at least 3-4 treatments per year. Naturally, it becomes quite expensive for many. However, now you can do keratin treatment all by yourself at your home. Yes, that is right. DIY or at-home keratin treatment products have flooded the market and offer you great results along with great savings. These products can be easily applied at home with little or no previous experience and give your smooth, silky, and straight hair that will last several weeks. Naturally, at-home products are everyone’s favorites.
Safety Precautions for Keratin Treatment at Home
Keratin Treatment at home can save you a lot of money that would otherwise be spent at an expensive salon. However, you have to ensure that you are very cautious and careful throughout the entire process. Here are some tips for a hassle-free keratin treatment at home:
- Make sure that you wear gloves before taking out the product.
- Wear a mask after you have applied the product to your hair.
- Ensure that the place you are in is well ventilated.
- Make sure that you do not straighten the hair too much.
- Do not use shampoo for at least 3 days after the treatment.
- Post 3 days, use a shampoo that is recommended for keratin-treated hair.
- Do not use hair clips, scrunchies, etc. for at least 48 hours after the treatment to prevent creases in the hair.
- Try to avoid heat drying your hair.
- Do not wash your hair too frequently. While washing your hair, use shampoo only, skip the conditioner.
Conclusion
Getting a keratin treatment will, undoubtedly, make your hair healthier and straighter. With the best keratin treatment at home easily available in the market these days, you can easily choose a product that will give you the desired results without repeated salon visits or hefty expenses. Just make sure that you choose a good product from the list given above and apply the same following the instructions given and voila! you will have hair that will turn heads.
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