Here's What To Expect When Getting A Keratin Straightening Treatment
Hair is made up partly of keratin proteins, so it makes sense that a keratin treatment would help straighten, soften, and de-frizz even the most troublesome heads of hair. Here is what you can expect when getting keratin straightening treatments done at the salon.
Preparing for Treatment
Before going in for your keratin straightening treatment, it's a good idea to prepare your hair to ensure that it reacts to the treatment well. Luckily, it doesn't take much to prepare for an effective keratin treatment. If you dye or bleach your hair, consider refraining from doing so for a month or two before getting your keratin treatment.
Hair dye and bleach damage your hair, and a keratin treatment can mitigate the damage that your hair has already experienced due to regular dying. So, letting your hair grow out a little and letting the dye fade away will help ensure that your hair doesn't end up looking damaged after a keratin treatment. Otherwise, all you have to do is wash, dry, and thoroughly comb or brush your hair before showing up to get your treatment.
The Treatment Process
When you show up at the salon to get your keratin treatment, your service provider will likely inspect your hair to ensure that it's healthy enough to be treated. They'll also cut away the split ends and create a new hairstyle if you want one before they start treating you. Then your service provider will apply the keratin treatment and let it soak into your hair for a period of time – typically anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple of hours depending on your hair's type, condition, and needs.
Your service provider may use a hot flattening iron to heat the keratin solution up, seal it in, and help it get fully absorbed into your hair. Afterwards, your service provider will rinse off any excess keratin solution that might still be in your hair and then style it, so you're ready to head out the door. Overall, you should expect to spend a few hours at the salon to have a keratin treatment done.
Managing Your Treatment
Your service provider will likely ask you to refrain from washing your hair or using any styling products on it for a couple of days after getting your keratin treatment. Therefore, you may want to gather some hair ties and hats to wear during those days, so you feel comfortable while out in public. And you should use shampoo and conditioner that are free of sulfates to enhance the length of time that your keratin treatment lasts overall.