However each at-home and in-salon hair therapies “come in multiple forms, including creams, liquids, and sprays depending on the brand and manufacturer,” says hairstylist and [Salon] 718 proprietor Michaella Blissett-Williams.
What does a keratin remedy do to textured hair?
On all hair varieties, an in-salon keratin remedy will end in a smoother look, says Lam. The beauty chemist explains that the hair’s cuticle is already manufactured from keratinised cells resembling scales. When these cells develop into broken, dry, or when the hair is of course susceptible to frizz, “these scales lift and fray.” “When a keratin treatment is added to the hair, the product covers the cuticle and seals in these scales thus reducing frizz,” says Lam.
For textured hair, this course of additionally loosens the hair’s curl sample. While you wash your hair after your silk press has run its course, your coils will probably be looser. Whereas some keratin therapies promise strengthening, not straightening, Everett says that, in her expertise, most really change the form of curls.
Whereas this may make your hair simpler to comb and detangle, it does so by loosening your curls. So in case you naturally have springy 4B curls, they might seem nearer to 4A or 3C as soon as your silk press reverts. The hairstylist can management how a lot looser your texture will get by the variety of instances you move the flat iron over the hair (extra on that later).
If the considered altering your curl sample makes you uneasy, I get it. However when a keratin remedy is finished accurately, the outcomes needs to be short-term. Not like a relaxer or texturiser, a keratin remedy sits on prime of the cuticle as an alternative of penetrating it, so the keratin will wash out after 5 to 6 months and your hair will theoretically return to its pure state.
In accordance with the hairstylists we spoke to, nevertheless, there are instances the place these with pure hair can expertise everlasting harm and lack of its pure curl sample. For the reason that remedy is warmth activated, the extra warmth utilized to the hair whereas the keratin remedy is in, the straighter it will get—so there may be potential for warmth harm that takes your curls to the purpose of no return. That is why it’s vital to go to a skilled skilled and do an intensive session to find out the precise outcomes you need.
What’s the strategy of getting a keratin remedy on textured hair?
Earlier than beginning my remedy, I briefly chatted with RaeAnne Cotto, my hairstylist for the day. We talked by means of my hair practices and desired outcomes. I needed to have the ability to swap between sporting my hair curly and straight – and Cotto confirmed {that a} keratin remedy could be good for this.
Course of-wise, there’s no actual distinction between getting a keratin remedy on textured hair versus straight hair. Regardless of your hair kind, this remedy is a protracted one (two to 5 hours) so put together to spend a bit of your day on the salon. I began my appointment at 10:15am and ended at 3:00pm. Be prepared for prime costs, too — a keratin remedy at NYC The Staff begins at £400 and might enhance relying on the size and density of your hair. You possibly can count on to pay the same base worth in most main cities.
Cotto started by utilizing a clarifying shampoo to take away any buildup earlier than towel-drying my hair and dividing it into quadrants, completely detangling every part. Cotto and I agreed to make use of the Brazilian Blowout remedy, a formaldehyde-free system that works finest when the hair is moist. (Completely different keratin therapies have barely completely different directions; Blissett-Williams makes use of one from Keratin Advanced and can get the hair partially dry — about 80% — earlier than making use of the remedy.) Cotto started making use of the remedy in small sections all through the hair, pausing each jiffy to rehydrate the hair with a water spray bottle. This took about half-hour.