What Is Keratin And How Effective Is Keratin Treatment For Hair

Reviewed by Dr Jaspreet Sarna
Published: February 26, 2021
Updated: March 3, 2023

Long, strong, healthy, glossy, and frizz-free tresses can envy anyone and become a subject of admiration throughout the globe for you. Healthy and soft silky hair is a boon for some people. While others just struggle to get that hair and try a lot of things to make it looks perfect. It enhances your beauty. However, it demands an extra effort to give your hair a lovable touch.

For sure, you have tried many home remedies to get your desired hair, but now you should try some science on hair. The beauty industry has been introducing a variety of products to treat hair having different issues, and the keratin treatment is one of them. The treatment registers a large number of success rates and has a loyal fan following. If you are not well aware of the Keratin Treatment, you should read the blog.

What Is Keratin?

Keratin is one of the types of proteins responsible for making your hair, skin, and nails. It is also present in your glands and internal organs. The protective protein is less vulnerable to be feared than any type of cell the human body produces.

Hair cosmetics use keratin proteins as one of the active ingredients derived from the wool, feathers, and horns of different animals. This protein is known as the structural building block of your tresses. Keratin Oil, Keratin products, and Keratin supplements are believed to strengthen your hair and healthier.

What Is A Keratin Treatment?

The chemical process to smoothen down the hair, make it tangle-free, and add more shine to hair is called a Keratin Treatment. The treatment types vary from Brazilian Blowout, Cezanne, Goldwell Kerasilk, and customizable as per the need of your hair. Earlier, most of the treatments contained formaldehyde. However, newer versions such as the “Rio” keratin treatment are formaldehyde-free.

In the treatment, the protein dives into the hair follicles and fills the porous areas with keratin, an essential hair protein.

Benefits Of Keratin

You have known that your hair, your fingernails, your toenails, and skin, are all made of Keratin. Amino acid molecules which we obtain from our diet forms hair keratin.

The treatment hugely benefits hair. Following are listed some benefits of Keratin:

Keratin Treatment Strengthens Your Hair

Keratin treatment provides strength to the hair strand and makes hair capable of resisting low and high temperatures. If you use heat on your hair with hair styling tools, it damages hair and its bonding between the keratin structure. It results in breakage and damage of hair. So, intake of protein through diet is essential and also apply Keratin to your hair directly.

Keratin Treatment helps remove Frizzes

Keratin makes hair easier to manage and more lovely. The application of Keratin smoothes down the cells and overlaps your hair strands.

Hair cuticle absorbs the keratin protein and makes hair full and glossy in appearance. The treatment of Keratin makes curly hair less frizzy and straight.

Keratin Treatment Seals In Colour

The treatment can be done on both natural and chemically treated mane. It also seals color in your hair. So if you are thinking of coloring your hair, do it before undergoing keratin protein treatment. The process of keratin treatment seals protein in hair, and it will also seal the color in your hair in an effective way. It extends the color time to fade. It will be double beneficial.

Keratin Treatment Prevents Damage And Repairs Too

With Keratin Treatment, your hair will get an extra layer means extra protection. You might need to conditioning your hair if it has been damaged by chemical treatment. It even works to replenish the tresses during specific seasons when your hair is prone to be extra dry. Good health of hair prevents split ends and breakage. Use keratin oil if you want your hair to grow better.

How Does Keratin Help In Smoothing Hair

Keratin is a protein that is responsible for building your hair. On the other hand, Keratin treatment is a process to infuse an artificial protein into hair to make it appear smooth, glossy, and frizz-free. The benefits of keratin have made it quite famous among not only women but men as well. Sometimes hair loses protein, and overly-porous mane causes frizz, tangles, and breakage of hair. The keratin treatment is used to fill in the porous spots and rebuild it by putting back the lost protein into your hair.

Taking keratin treatment depends on a few factors such as the healthiness of hair and thickness of hair. People who have taken keratin treatment feel the smoothness in their hair, and it becomes tangle-free as a result of the treatment. Keratin protein smoothies down the cells of each hair which overlap your hair strands completely. Hair cuticles, the layers of cells absorb the keratin and result in the full and glossy mane.

Is Keratin Good For Hair?

Keratin is a buzzword in the sphere of hair care necessities. It is good for those who want straight, shiny, and freeze-free hair. It gives a gorgeous look to your hair and your personality. But, it is a chemical process and involves high heat. The chemical and heat straighten out the curls.

However, every coin has two sides. As the treatments use high heat on your tresses, so you should avoid it. But, if you are one such person who uses heat styling on a daily basis, then you should go for a keratin treatment. It will be the best option and alternative to daily heat styling.

Method To Use Keratin On Hair

Brazilian keratin treatment or Salon keratin treatment is a time-intensive method to provide keratin protein to manes. The method of infusing keratin to hair involves several steps.

Firstly, a hair cream that contains chemical formaldehyde is applied to your tresses properly from tip to bottom. Secondly, experts blow dry it and apply heat to hair to seal the keratin. Thirdly, the professional will advise you to keep your hair dry for a few days.

The next step demands you to reach the salon a second time to wash out the chemicals. Then, another treatment is applied to hair which seals keratin protein completely.

Keratin Serums, Shampoos, Keratin Oil, and Conditioners

There are products containing keratin protein available in the market. However, the salon-like look can not be found in Keratin serums, keratin oil, shampoos, and conditioners. These products are definitely damage-resistant and repair damaged hair.

You can find keratin in products by looking for “keratin hydrolysates” in its ingredients list. Traya hair care products offer hair products containing keratin.

Keratin supplements

Keratin supplements are also present in the form of capsules and powder. But the supplements come with risks. Over usage of the supplements can cause too much protein to build up in your body.

Keratin Treatments In Salons

Getting Keratin treatment in a salon is termed Brazilian keratin treatment. The treatment is ideal for damaged and frizzy hair. In Brazilian keratin treatment, the stylist cleanses the hair first, then applies a keratin solution to tresses, then removes the moisture through blow drying, and at last seals the chemical in hair by using a hair straightener on high heat.

Formaldehyde used in keratin products for treatment is a known carcinogen chemical. Hence, choose the only professional salon for your hair that takes extreme care of your hair. It contains multiple and expensive chemicals, and can not be friendly to your pockets. So, choose the best salon for your hair.

Using Keratin At Home

Salon keratin treatment comes with a few side effects. You can switch to another option which is keratin treatment at home. There are many shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, and hair sprays available in the market with keratin. These products give the exact glossiness to your hair at home. Make sure to use good products such as Traya hair care products.

If you do not want to go for keratin treatment, then keratin protein can be obtained in capsules and ampoules. You can ingest it internally. However, do not try it yourself. Consult a medical professional before taking such keratin protein.

Side Effects Of Keratin

Keratin protein definitely benefits hair, repairs damage, and gives a glossy look to your hair. But, it also has a few side effects which can not be ignored. The keratin treatment in salons uses large amounts of chemical formaldehyde. Employees who handle keratin treatment in the salon complain about nosebleeds and respiratory problems due to formaldehyde in the products.

As per a study, the percentage of formaldehyde in keratin products exceeds the standard of the national safety for chemical exposure by five times. So, pregnant women and women who breastfeed should avoid this treatment. Also, if you have any kind of allergy to formaldehyde or have any respiratory problems, then you should also avoid the treatments.

After undergoing keratin treatment, your mane will lose its bounce. It becomes straight and lacks volume.

Keratin removes frizz, so your hair becomes oily and greasy easily.

Keratin treatment is exorbitant and is not pocket-friendly. Above all, its effect lasts only 3 to 5 months.

You will need to take some extra care while swimming to avoid water contact.

Formaldehyde present in smoothing keratin treatment may lead to nausea, skin-irritation, eye-irritation, etc.

Precautions To Take After Undergoing A Keratin Treatment

Once you get the keratin protein for your hair, you will be required to observe some precautions for better results and avoid side effects. The following are suggesting precautions:

Do not wash your mane for at least 48 hours or 2 days after undergoing the treatment. The option of dry shampoo is available to you. You can switch to dry shampoo.

Do not tie your hair tight or tie your hair in a ponytail for the next two days after undergoing treatment. Pay attention while sleeping also.

After two days, use only sulfate-free shampoo and conditioners to wash your tresses.

Avoid using styling products and tools for a few days.

Start using only those products which are suitable for keratin-treated hair. Take guidance from your hairdresser or stylist on what product you should use.

Also, keep your hair type in mind before choosing your shampoo and conditioner after a keratin treatment.

Things To Keep In Mind Before Getting A Keratin Treatment

Getting Keratin treatment or keratin protein for hair can be a good option for you but consider the below mentioned things before getting a treatment:

Do proper research after making up your mind about getting the keratin treatment. Update yourself with all new products and details about keratin.

You with fine or straight hair should skip the keratin protein. This treatment works the best for people with curly and frizzy hair.

Before approaching for a keratin treatment, take consultation with your stylist as they might suggest the best-suited formula for your hair type. It is not necessary that Keratin treatment suits everyone equally. It depends on the requirement and type of hair.

Wrapping Up

Keratin treatment benefits hair surely and makes it look way better than before. Keratin protein applies to hair cuticles, and by using heat, keratic is locked in hair and gives hair a glossier appearance. However, you should be well aware of the chemicals involved in its keratin treatment. There is also a misbelief regarding the treatment that if you get keratin protein once then you have to keep getting it to avoid showing you heat damage in the hair.

Even the risk is there for the salon employees who give keratin treatments due to high levels of chemicals involved in the treatment.

You are thinking of going for a keratin treatment before trying a hair care product containing keratin to see if only keratin products can give the glossy and straight hair look.

For you, the recommendation is to give proper care to your hair with Keratin-friendly products. You can find some products which contain keratin in them, and one such product is Traya's product for keratin. Keratin products can be more useful than keratin treatment.