You'll need to keep your hair completely dry for the first three days of your keratin treatment after care. Yes, that includes sweating too. If your hair gets sweaty when you work out, it's super important to blow-dry your strands as soon as you're done. This will help make sure your sweat doesn't damage the treatment.
Sensitivity to Moisture: Keratin-treated hair can be sensitive to excessive moisture. Sweat, being salty and often acidic, can affect the keratin's bonding with the hair, potentially leading to frizz and a diminished smooth appearance.
In order to ensure long lasting results of your keratin treatment, you must use a sodium chloride-free shampoo. Parabens is another element to avoid when having the keratin treatment done. It is a common preservative added in beauty and care products.
During the first three days, we recommend if you are working out, that post workout you blow dry your hair until it is completely dry. This will ensure that your sweat doesn't damage the treatment. Invest in a keratin-infused hair care routine.
Avoid getting your hair wet for some time post-treatment. Chlorine in pools and saltwater in the ocean can weaken the keratin bond, so if you must swim, saturate your hair with fresh water beforehand and apply a leave-in conditioner for extra protection.
Washing your hair too soon after a keratin treatment can strip the keratin from your hair, reducing the treatment's effectiveness. It may cause your hair to revert to its previous texture, losing its smoothness and shine. Always wait at least 72 hours before washing your hair to allow the treatment to set properly.
One of the common culprits for frizz after a keratin treatment is product buildup. Over time, styling products, oils, and environmental pollutants can accumulate on the hair. So, they start creating a layer of residue that weighs it down and compromises the effectiveness of the keratin treatment.
Visiting a sauna or bath for keratin hair straightening in general is not recommended. Exposure to hot air and steam negatively affects the durability of the effect and makes hair curl and frizz on the entire length.
Wash Your Hair Less
Ideally, wait a week before your first wash. By doing so, you allow the keratin to fully bond with your hair, providing longer-lasting results. Fewer washes also mean less exposure to harsh water and shampoo chemicals, which can degrade the treatment over time.
If you strain your keratin-treated hair into tight ponytails, you run the danger of stretching the coating so much that it loses its ability to cling to your hair. You'll end up with frizzy, difficult-to-manage hair as a result.
High Temperatures: Never use heat styling tools at their maximum temperature. Excessive heat can break down the keratin coating faster, leading to frizz and a diminished smooth appearance.
Products with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) like glycolic acid or beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) like salicylic acid can help remove keratin plugs and smooth the skin.
The Downsides
While it can strengthen strands, keratin treatments can potentially cause other types of damage to your hair. Mensah explains that the process involves high heat and harsh chemicals which can lead to moisture loss and leave hair dry.
Understanding the Impact of Humidity on Keratin Treatments
High humidity introduces excessive moisture into the air, which can interfere with the bonding process during the application and setting phases.
Sweat is made up mostly of water, with trace amounts of ammonia, urea, sugar, and salts. Those salts can cause your color to fade quickly and the dampness of your hair makes it vulnerable to damage as well.
What if my hair accidentally gets wet during the waiting period after my keratin treatment? If your hair accidentally gets wet, blow dry your hair immediately and then use a flat iron to re-straighten it.
What not to do after keratin hair treatment? Avoid washing your hair too soon, using products with sulfates or harsh chemicals, and exposing your hair to saltwater, chlorine, or excessive heat.
"After any Keratin Treatment, the Moisture vs. Protein balance in our hair will be "out-of-sync" due to the high protein concentration used during the procedure. This will cause hair to feel rough, coarse and brittle in the short or long term if nothing is done to counteract it.
The Role of Keratin in Hair Health
That is why keratin is fantastic for hair growth! While it doesn't cause the hair to grow at a faster rate, it does grow stronger and more resistant to breakage. Hair that snaps or breaks off easily lacks elasticity and keratin and appears to grow at a much slower rate.
You'll need to keep your hair completely dry for the first three days of your keratin treatment after care. Yes, that includes sweating too. If your hair gets sweaty when you work out, it's super important to blow-dry your strands as soon as you're done. This will help make sure your sweat doesn't damage the treatment.
You should wait 24 hours before continuing with your normal workout programme at the gym to be able to wash your hair. We highly recommend getting your 1st hair wash after your treatment by your hair stylist that administered your Keratin treatment.
Clean and dry hair is needed for a keratin treatment, otherwise even after the treatment, your hair will be frizzy. If there is dirt, oil, grease, or any product in your hair, then the treatment won't adhere to the strands and you'll just be wasting time and will get no results in the end.
When you don't like how the hair looks or feels, you want to reverse it. While it's possible to reverse a keratin treatment, you can't do it in one day. You also can't do it in one week. It will take you several weeks to completely reverse the keratin treatment.
Brazilian straightening is the least damaging hair straightening method thanks to the use of keratin and gentle formulas that respect the natural structure of the hair. By offering long-lasting results and improving the overall health of the hair, Brazilian straightening stands out from other straightening techniques.
The treatment usually takes about 1-3 hours, and lasts about 3 months. (A keratin treatment is different from hair relaxing, or chemical straightening, which lasts until your hair grows out.) Keratin treatments can be very effective if you have coarse or unruly strands.