Straight hair is the dream of every woman, but it’s too bad that not everyone is born with straight hair genes. Well, lucky for you, there are treatments that you can have done to smoothen and straighten the hair. Keratin treatment is one of them. Here is what to expect from your first chemical straightening appointment at a keratin treatment salon.

Keratin Treatment – How Is It Done?

Before diving into the expectations of keratin treatment, it’s better to know how exactly the process is done, so that you’re not exactly going in blind. Here is what happens in a keratin treatment:

1. First, your hair will be washed. You can either have already washed your hair, before going to the salon, but a hair wash is usually included in the price of the keratin treatment, so why not enjoy that extra bit of pampering?
2. The shampoo used in keratin treatment isn’t a normal one. It’s usually a clarifying shampoo that gets your hair super clean and ready for the treatment. Sometimes, one wash is enough, but it’s also normal for women to go through two shampooing sessions to get their hair clean.
3. Next, on wet hair, the keratin treatment will be applied. Keratin treatment is essentially a very potent and rich treatment that’s brimmed with protein and great stuff for the hair. Aside from that, it also contains agents that break down the protein in your hair to make it look frizz-free and smooth.
4. Once the treatment is applied liberally on the mane, it will be combed through to get the treatment to spread all over the hair. After that’s done, the waiting starts. Usually, it takes anywhere between 2 to 4 hours for the keratin treatment to work its magic, so hang in there, because the results will be worth it, in the end.
5. Once the time is up, a heating tool and blow dryer are used to fuse the treatment in the hair. A flat iron fuses the treatment in the hair and makes it look very silky straight and sometimes, a blow dryer is used in combination to dry the hair quickly. Keep in mind that there is no washing after this step and that’s pretty much it.

Keratin Treatment – What To Expect?

Now that you know what happens in a keratin treatment, here are some things that you can expect to occur whilst going through the treatment. It’s completely normal, although you might get freaked out by some things.

Your Hair Won’t Be Straight

This is probably the most gimmicky aspect of a keratin treatment and that’s the fact that it doesn’t necessarily straighten the hair. A keratin treatment is usually done to get rid of those nasty frizzy tendrils of hair. It makes the hair smooth to the touch and if you have very curly hair, then it will give your hair a smooth look that will make you want to run your fingers through it all the time.

If you have straight hair by nature, with just a slight wave to it, then a keratin treatment can straighten the mane, but you can’t expect it to make your hair from unruly to dead straight.

It Will Damage Your Hair

This one is no surprise and it’s also something that you need to mentally prepare yourself for. A keratin treatment, even though it makes the hair look glossy, shiny, and oh-so-smooth, will damage your hair.

Why is it damaging to your hair (to some extent)? Because there are certain ingredients in the treatment that will make the hair very brittle and it will show, especially if you don’t take care of it after the fact.

Formaldehyde is one of those ingredients that break down the frizz in your hair, but also make the hair very damaged. It can also burn your scalp if you have sensitive skin.

Your Dyed Hair May Become Lighter

If you got full hair color or highlights from a balayage salon Potomac before getting keratin treatment, the dye may become lighter. This will prompt you to get it done again. However, you should consider hair coloring two weeks after the keratin treatment session.

It Will Take Hours

A keratin treatment isn’t something that you can get done within an hour and walk out of the salon. It takes hours to do, typically 3 to 4 hours, depending on the hair type, the coarse texture, and the thickness of your locks, in general. You want to let the treatment set in for as long as possible because the results will only be promising if you let the treatment do its magic.

If you wash out the treatment before the time is up, then you have wasted all of your time and money. So, sit tight, because it is going to be a long ride.

There Will Be A Chemical-Like Smell

Keratin treatment has formaldehyde in it, that’s not a surprise anymore, but something that can happen during the treatment is that you might notice a very pungent and sharp smell coming from the treatment and the hair. That’s typically formaldehyde.

Even though there are a lot of treatments now that don’t use formaldehyde and give the same results, the best ones out there still use formaldehyde, because it’s just that efficient in making frizz history. So, while you’re sitting in that chair getting your treatment done, don’t get alarmed if you smell something chemical, because that’s completely normal.

There Might Be Flakes

After the treatment has been applied to the hair, and when it’s time to blow dry it, there might be flakes coming out of your hair, while it’s being brushed out and manipulated. That’s nothing to be scared or embarrassed of, because no, you’re not shedding or getting dandruff flakes on the spot.

It’s the formaldehyde exfoliating your scalp and getting rid of that top, dry layer of skin on your scalp. A lot of the time, this doesn’t happen if someone already takes good care of their scalp, but if you’re not one of them, then this is a normal sight to see.

There Will Be A Lot Of Heat

You might get alarmed by the amount of heat used in the hair, to the point where you will cringe and think that the keratin treatment is doing the opposite of what it’s supposed to do for your mane, but it’s all part of the process.

A keratin treatment needs a lot of heat to be fused and set in the hair follicles, so don’t be alarmed by the temperature setting on the flat iron, because that’s exactly what’s going to give you the best results in the end.

Say Goodbye To Frizz

Lastly, once all of the application, drying, and flat ironing is done, you will see your tresses go from a frizzy and unruly mess to smooth and straight that is glossier than ever. A keratin treatment does promise healthy-looking hair and that’s exactly what you’re going to get, once you walk out of that salon door.

To keep frizz at bay in the future, it’s best that you take the directions seriously, take good care of your hair, and let it loose and flowy, while styling.

Conclusion

Keratin treatment can sound scary, especially if it’s your first time getting it done and you have no idea what to expect. This guide will ease some of those beginner’s nerves. Get keratin treatment by hairstylist Potomac to get frizz-free hair.