Curly Hair Keratin Treatment: Friend or Foe

Keratin treatments, commonly known as Brazilian blowouts, have experienced a significant surge in popularity over recent years, offering individuals a semi-permanent solution to a myriad of hair care challenges. While traditionally associated with straightening, these treatments boast a myriad of benefits, particularly for individuals blessed with curly locks. Not all keratin treatments are made the same. Salon-grade keratin treatments will usually contain ingredients like formaldehyde that produce a straightening effect. This can be desirable for some but not for those who want to keep their curls healthy and defined.

Despite misconceptions, opting for a keratin treatment doesn't necessitate bidding adieu to your cherished curls; rather, it presents an opportunity to enhance their natural allure and vibrancy. There are keratin treatments that do not have a straightening effect and you only have to know what ingredients to avoid to achieve a curl-friendly keratin session. With that said, let's delve into why choosing a keratin treatment tailored to curly hair could be the transformative step your locks crave.

Preserving Your Curls

Salon-grade keratin treatments often contain formaldehyde which is what gives the hair a straightening effect. If this is your desired result, it’s advisable that you go to a salon to have this professionally done as formaldehyde is a toxic chemical that should only be handled by professionals.

However, if the goal is to only give the hair a smoothing effect and not to straighten out curls, a formaldehyde-free option is what you should go for. This variant will also be safe to use at home. This will preserve your natural curl pattern but enhance its looks by giving the hair a smoother appearance. Bonus: curls love keratin!

Combatting Frizz

One of the most notable advantages of keratin treatments is their ability to tame unruly frizz, a common concern for individuals with curly hair. The inherent texture of curls often renders them susceptible to frizz, especially in humid or dry conditions. By undergoing a keratin treatment, you can bid farewell to frizz-induced frustrations, allowing your curls to stay defined smooth and shiny.

Strengthening Your Strands

Keratin is the very protein that your hair is made out of. A keratin treatment coats the hair with a layer of protein that will strengthen, smooth, and protect the strands. When keratin levels are low, hair starts to get frizzy and porous, making the hair more susceptible to damage and dryness. By coating the hair with keratin, this repairs the damaged and porous cuticle and makes it less prone to damage, hair fall, and dryness,

Protecting Your Tresses

Keratin treatments envelop your hair in a protective shield, safeguarding it against environmental stressors and physical damage. This defensive layer not only locks in moisture but also shields your hair from pollutants, toxins, and free radicals, promoting long-term health and vitality.

Enhancing Shine and Manageability

An added benefit of a protective layer of keratin coating on your strands is the fact that it gives the hair incredible shine and smooths your tresses out. This not only provides the practical function of maintaining your hair’s health, but it also gives you the desirable aesthetic of smooth, shiny, and manageable hair. The need to use hot tools to style hair will also lessen which means less damage all around.

Long-Lasting Results

One of the most appealing aspects of keratin treatments lies in their enduring effects. With proper maintenance, treatments can deliver results lasting up to three months. Subsequent touch-ups ensure sustained efficacy, granting you the luxury of consistently impeccable hair. We’ve already discussed that keratin treatments give the hair a layer of protein. This protein eventually wears away over time as well as gets absorbed into the hair.

Revitalizing Porous Hair

High porosity hair is when your hair’s cuticle takes a lot of damage and becomes more “porous” or has holes in it. This is what causes the hair’s frizzy appearance and it also has an impact on your hair’s ability to preserve moisture. Low porosity or normal porosity hair has a harder time absorbing moisture but also locks the moisture inside effectively. For high-porosity hair, moisture is absorbed quickly and it is also lost just as quickly. This makes for a lot of issues because hair can easily be overloaded with moisture as well as become very dry. Contradictory, right? But that’s because hair was made to hold in moisture and not absorb it.

A keratin treatment can solve this problem. The holes in your cuticle will be smoothed down and patched up with the keratin coating on the strands making it harder for moisture to escape and easier for moisture to stay inside. This will improve your hair’s health in the long run.

Embracing Everyday Elegance

Contrary to drastic hair transformations, a keratin treatment for curly hair accentuates your existing beauty without resorting to harsh chemicals and can improve your hair’s overall health rather than destroy its health just for aesthetics.

By integrating a keratin treatment tailored to curly hair into your hair care routine, you embark on a journey of self-expression and empowerment. Embrace your curls in all their natural glory, knowing that a world of beauty and possibility awaits with the transformative power of keratin.

So, friend or foe?

A formaldehyde-free keratin treatment is definitely your best friend if you have curly hair! However, do note that it’s recommended that you only use formaldehyde-free options to keep your curls defined. A formaldehyde-free keratin treatment can address the most common issues that curlies have and will benefit hair in the long run. If you have curly hair, you can rock a keratin treatment and still embrace your curls and keep them in perfect health.