I had previously read a lot about keratin smoothing, keratin hair and a keratin cure and was never quite sure whether a keratin treatment at the hairdresser is now rather good or bad for the hair. The more excited I was when I had the hair appointment at my hairdresser in Frankfurt to collect my own experiences with a keratin smoothing. Do you really get gorgeous shiny Hollywood hair?

Straight hair without a straightening iron thanks to keratin straightening? Sounds tempting! My hair is naturally slightly wavy. When I air dry my hair, it waves – the higher the humidity, the more extreme.

When I think of some vacations in Florida, I struggled with this extremely. Wavy hair is generally not wrong, but my hair becomes slightly frizzy and flies in all directions. My hair then quickly looks slightly broken or brittle, which they are not. They are usually then even extra soft.

While I was still wondering if there could be complications with the keratin smoothing because of my hair extensions or my Olaplex treatment or maybe because of my roots color and Balayage strands with hair contouring, so I was looking forward to my hair appointment in Frankfurt.

I love the feeling when you can just sit back at the hairdresser and know that you will leave the salon happy all around in the end.

I only knew a keratin straightening from my colored friends from America, who got straight hair from one day to the next from really frizzy hair. Even then, keratin straightening was a “luxury” for my friends, but it was part of good styling.

I smiled at the time when I heard that after a keratin smoothingKeratin treatment you are “afraid” of water and rain. Today, I now know the problem, even if in the meantime some of the chemical agents or additives have changed, or there are various options for a keratin smoothing.

Keratin treatment at the hairdresser – procedure keratin straightening.

First, I got my roots and hair lengths recolored as usual. After washing out and shampooing, my hair was washed again with a special shampoo. This shampoo serves as preparation for the keratin treatment and opens the hair structure. The hair is thus very sensitive for a certain time and you have to be careful that the fresh color can not escape directly again.

Now individual strands of hair were treated piece by piece, or strand by strand. High-quality keratin was applied to individual hair strands with a wide dye brush and blow-dried dry with a round brush. When the hair strand was dry, a straightening iron was used in addition to sealing. Strand by strand, the procedure was now repeated. The “gooey white gloop”, as I affectionately called it, was thus the solution to frizzy hair and frizz – pure keratin. This was also seen immediately in the mirror – beautiful smooth and shiny hair.

Smooth hair with keratin cure – How harmful is a keratin treatment for the hair?

At the latest now it was time to talk about the active ingredient to understand the process. Therefore, I pestered Asibe me everything that I had so far associated with the term “keratin”. How harmful is keratin? Does keratin ruin the hair? Why do you need keratin when there is now also Olaplex and which is better? Does keratin and keratin straightening make hair thinner? But everything in turn…

Keratin is not harmful to hair because our hair is made of keratin. By the way, our fingernails and toenails are also made of keratin. If you give keratin to the hair to fill in the gaps in the hair, it is comparable, like Botox. Keratin is simply said “Botox” for the hair as a gap filler. Keratin treatment has been around for several years and thus there are different techniques and procedures.

Harmful in a keratin treatment is never the keratin, but the additives. If you take the Brazilian Blowout treatment, for example, you will find chemical substances in the keratin solution, such as formaldehyde or methylene glycol (formaldehyde gas dissolved in water). During the straightening process, gases are produced that can cause respiratory, skin and eye irritation and are classified as carcinogenic. For this reason, this hair straightening process is banned in some European countries. While abroad, especially in America, one constantly notices the term “Brazilian Blowout”, here in Germany one hardly comes into contact with it.

With Japanese Hairstraightening or also “Thermal Reconditioning” the hair is permanently changed from the structure and remains smooth. However, the roots then need a new treatment. This treatment is also harmful due to chemical agents. The hair can break or fall out if the activator solution remains too long in the hair.

With Brazilian Blowout and Japanese Straightening, hair coloring becomes more difficult afterwards. Due to the fact that the structure of the hair has been chemically altered, the absorption of the hair color is also no longer possible as usual.

My variant of the keratin treatment comes with as little chemistry, as possible – however, a hair straightening also does not work only by the “power of flowers”. For me it is important that my hair is not damaged by the keratin treatment and no health risks were taken.

My hair was shiny smooth after the 2-3 hour visit to the hairdresser. My hair really rarely looked so healthy and tamed. In my case, at the end of the treatment, I still got a cleansing cut for my extensions so that the hairs that fell out with the hair roots stuck in place could not become too bushy and tangle the healthy hairs.

Hair care after the keratin treatment

First of all, I must not wash my hair now for 48 hours. The keratin now needs time to bind itself firmly to the hair. During this time I should also not use hair elastics, so that there can be no pressure points. Since it was raining outside in Frankfurt, I was glad I had remembered my umbrella and kept my long hair tucked right under my coat. Moisture can stop the keratin from building up and mess up the results.

So now I know how it must have felt to my American friends at the time. You certainly don’t want to weaken the result. A keratin treatment is about 250 EUR for my hair length – you don’t want to lose this investment again because of a rain shower. No matter what the weather is like when you visit the hairdresser, it is better to always take an umbrella with you to the hairdresser if you have planned a keratin treatment.

Every time you wash your hair, it builds up even more. If you want to help your hair, use keratin shampoo, such as Kerastase Shampoo, and blow dry your hair with a round brush. For support for even smoother hair, plan on straight hair for the next few stylings first.

Use your straightening iron to strengthen the new structure of your hair. After each hair wash, you will notice your hair to be smoother. Similar to Botox, the keratin will break down a bit over the next few months, but it will accumulate again more easily when you treat it again.

Thinner hair with keratin treatment and keratin straightening?

Generally, the hair does not become thinner with a keratin cure or keratin straightening. As keratin is placed around the individual hair, the hair itself becomes stronger and thicker. Overall, however, the hair appears thinner and finer, since its structure is no longer “roughened”. The individual hairs can now lie against each other much more easily than was previously possible with frizz. One speaks therefore of a volume reduction of the hair, since the hair becomes smoother in its structure.

I have also previously considered whether my hair would probably seem too smooth and too little after a keratin straightening. Since I currently wear hair extensions, for which the keratin cure was also not harmful, the timing was perfect for me. So despite keratin smoothing, I didn’t feel like my hair was too thin or too little. The hair feels smoother and stronger – however, the braid seems a little less voluminous to me.

Whether you prefer volume or healthy straight hair is something to consider before treatment. For smooth and shiny hair the keratin treatment the best option. After the first styling with a straightening iron, you can also style curls again, which will also look neat and shiny.

Keratin straightening or Olaplex?

Does the newly discovered and hyped Olaplex now replace a keratin treatment? No. They are two completely different variations. Both help restore the defective sulfur compounds in the hair. However, it can be roughly compared to a face cream. It is good to use a cream, but there are differences between an extremely nourishing anti-wrinkle cream and a simple drugstore day cream.

For example, Olaplex is already good for the hair to nourish it during coloring or bleaching. Keratin acts even more extreme and protects the hair in which the hair is built up and coated. So you still need both. For coloring you should use Olaplex and for permanently shiny hair – keratin.

Those who want to care for their hair only with shampoo, conditioner and cure should also make sure that keratin is included in the shampoo. Who wants to care for his hair as naturally as possible, should already pay attention to the diet.

Keratin are proteins, which means that you can pay attention to a protein-rich diet by eating a lot of fish, meat, eggs and milk. In addition to the hair, the nails are also strengthened. In protein metabolism you need vitamin biotin, which is found in cereal products, carrots, mushrooms and peanuts.

Conclusion – Keratin smoothing – smooth hair with keratin cure – hairdresser experience

My impression and experience on the keratin treatment was very good. Due to the fact that I wear hair extensions, the visually finer hair does not bother me. On the contrary, I enjoy finally having beautifully groomed hair. Because great hair has long been part of the beauty ideal for many people. Shiny hair conveys not only a top well-groomed appearance, but also health and success.

I would definitely repeat the keratin smoothing, even if I didn’t wear extensions. I will report back to you if and when I need another Keratin treatment.

Update 08/10/2016: The keratin straightening lasted about 6-8 weeks for me. It was easier to maintain the hair in that time, the hair needs less washing and still works very well, however, you should consider if it is worth the cost of over 250 EUR.