First of all, anybody who tells you that this is too complicated to do by yourself must work for a salon. They want you to fork over $200 – $400 for them to do something that you are completely capable of doing yourself. Now, if you’re loaded with money and can afford to do that kind of thing, then by all means, go for it! But most of us would willingly save that kind of money and just do it ourselves.
You may think it’s a bit extreme to call this a life-changing treatment, but think about it…how many hours do you spend every single day battling frizzy, curly or wavy hair. If it’s super curly, you probably apply gobs of product to fight frizz and puffiness. If it’s wavy, I’m guessing you’re always attempting to bend the waves in the right direction so they aren’t sticking out every-which-way. Wouldn’t it be AMAZING to be able to blow-dry your hair & have it lay flat all by its self, with minimum styling?! Think of all the time and frustration you will save yourself. The dream of having soft, shiny, straight hair is what brought me to try this treatment.
After seeing so many reviews on this straightening product, and all of the wonderful before & after pictures online, I decided to give it a whirl. I found an awesome deal on it by typing “Brazilian Keratin Straightening Treatment” into an Ebay search, and picked it up for only 35 bucks! I purchased the 2.5 oz bottle of the Global Chocolate Keratin Treatment. You will find some with and without the cocoa added – I chose this one because the cocoa extracts help to fortify and hydrate hair. The particular formula I chose DID contain formaldehyde, which some people prefer to avoid because of the strong odor. After much researching online, I found that the treatments with formaldehyde give better, longer-lasting results.
Remember, beauty does not come easy! Get ready for a somewhat lengthy process – I have just below shoulder length hair and the entire event took me about two hours. Although, thinking of how many hours I’ve spent battling my hair in the last year (probably a total of about 300 hours!), 2 little hours pales in comparison. Before you begin, make sure you’re comfortable and have enough time to complete the whole process without taking short-cuts. In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps and what the hair looks like during every step of the process. (In Picture A you can see my “before” hair – the curly, wavy coars mess I had before finding this awesome treatment!) Now, on to the process…
YOU WILL NEED
Step 1 – WASH WITH CLARIFYING SHAMPOO
Scrub your hair using the clarifying shampoo. Remember, this is going to be the last time you will wash your hair for 3 or 4 whole days, so make it count! I lathered, rinsed, then repeated to make sure my hair was squeaky clean. Clarifying shampoos typically remove every bit of product and residue from your hair, so after rinsing, your hair will actually sound squeaky when you rub it, and will probably be a tangled mess. DO NOT use any conditioner after you shampoo. You want the hair to be porous to absorb the keratin treatment. To remove knots and tangles, gently use the wide-tooth comb to gradually separate and untangle hair. If you have a particularly stubborn knot, rub the center of it with your thumb and fore-finger to loosen the hair, then gently un-knot using your fingers. Once all knots are removed, comb through one last time so that hair is smooth and tangle free.
**TIP** For someone with especially long and/or curly hair, it might help to wash in sections. Use a giant butterfly clip to separate hair into 4 sections and shampoo/comb each section separately. If I had a problem with knots on shoulder-length hair, I can’t imagine the problems that someone with long hair may encounter.
Step 2 – DRY HAIR COMPLETELY
Dry hair completely using a blow-dryer set on high heat. Make sure hair is thoroughly dry before moving on to the next step. I dried my hair for about 8 minutes, then sat around for another 10 minutes only to find that it wasn’t completely dry. So, I went back in and dried it for another 5 minutes until there was no moisture left.
Step 3 – COMB & SEPARATE HAIR
Comb hair with wide-tooth comb, again removing all knots and tangles. Hair will probably be puffy and straw-like, but not worry – that’s all about to change! Using large butterfly clips, separate your hair into 3 sections (pinning up both sides & most of the back), leaving the bottom-most section of hair hanging down. Throughout the application process in the next step, you will probably be re-positioning the butterfly clips to hold more hair so you can have easy access to the hair you are coating in the Keratin product.
Step 4 – APPLY KERATIN TREATMENT
You can apply the Keratin Treatment in one of two ways:
1) Empty it into a bowl and apply with the same type of flat brush you would use for hair coloring. (Can be purchased at any beauty supply store.)
2) Squeeze directly from the bottle into your gloved hands (or scoop from the bowl with your gloved hands) and apply on the hair from just below the root to the tip.
I used the “scoop from the bowl with your gloved hands” method.
First, put on your plastic gloves. To apply, go section by section (each section being a 2 inch width of hair). Apply the keratin to the upper middle of each section of hair and then distribute it downwards then upwards, using your gloved fingers, until the entire section is coated. Rake through the strands with your fingers to ensure that all hair in the section is thoroughly coated. I’d suggest using a small amount to start so you don’t run out. You can always go back and re-coat the strands once your entire head of hair is coated and you have left-over product. If you feel that you’ve applied too much product, comb through with the wide-tooth comb to remove any excess. Hair should be saturated with product, but not so wet that you see globs of the product on your strands. (Pictures B& C show how my hair looked immediately after applying the Keratin Treatment.)
**TIP** – again, if you have very long or thick hair, pile more hair into the clips on top of your head and gradually release it from the clips. This will make for better and easier coating of the sections. The same goes for step 6, when you begin the straightening process. The less hair you have to deal with hanging down from the clips during steps 4 and 6, the easier the process will be.
Step 5 – DRY HAIR ON MEDIUM HEAT
The first part of this step is to put on your mask! You can either keep your gloves on or remove them. I removed them because the latex kept sticking to my hair when I was trying to run my fingers through it during the drying process. Now, you want to completely dry the Keratin Treatment that you just placed in your hair. Using a hair dryer set to high speed, but medium heat, blow dry using either your hands or a vented brush to rake through and lift hair as you dry. DON’T flip your head upside-down to dry the under layers – the fumes will be too strong, seeing as how the hair will be flying into your face. If you can’t seem to dry the under-layers, use a butterfly clip to secure the top sections of hair while you dry underneath. Once hair is COMPLETELY dry, wait 10-15 minutes before proceeding to the next step.
(Now is a good time to turn on your straightening iron so it’s pre-heated. If it goes up to 450 or 500 degrees, set it at 500 for maximum results. Mine only goes to 410, and that worked just fine, but I would not recommend going any lower than 400 degrees because any lower will not seal the Keratin Treatment onto your strands.)
After waiting the 10-15 minutes, you will often find that patches of your Keratin-coated strands are not as dry as you thought they were, and you will need to go over it once more with your dryer set to medium until they dry completely. If you do not dry your hair completely, the next step of the treatment will not be as effective and you’ll be left with wavy strands rather than straight ones. At the end of this step, I was already amazed at how straight and shiny my hair looked, and I hadn’t even straightened it yet!)
Step 6 – USE FLAT – IRON TO STRAIGHTEN HAIR
Now, you’re finally ready to begin straightening! Comb your hair again, one last time to make sure there are no tangles or knots. Again, your hair will feel very dry and frizzy, but that’s all about to change. Section hair back into the large butterfly clips, the same way you did in Step 3. You want just the very bottom layers to be hanging free. Make sure your iron is hot, and set to the highest temperature setting – no lower than 400 degrees.
Make sure you’re wearing yourmask before you begin straightening! Now that you are putting the hot iron in contact with the Keratin, some fumes will develop – so make sure you have windows/doors open for some ventilation. Starting with the front sections of hair that are hanging down, free from the clips, begin straightening in small sections (no bigger than 2 inches wide). Go over each section with the iron at least 5 times. I went over each section about 10 times since my iron doesn’t go to the recommended 450 degrees. (Picture D shows me undergoing the straightening process.) Continue this process with the 2 inch wide sections of hair until your bottom layer is completely straight. It might be a bit tricky to get the back layers straightened unless you tilt your head all the way to the left or right while straightening. Tilting your head will cause the back layers to sway whatever direction you choose, so you can have easier access to the sections in the back. It also helps to have access to a double-mirror so you can see the results on the back of your head. If you don’t have one, just use a hand held mirror to look into while you stand facing away from your main mirror – this will allow you to view the back of your head.
Continue this process (gradually releasing hair sections down from the butterfly clips) until your entire head of hair is straight. Be careful when straightening your bangs – hair gets very hot and it will hurt when you release them from the iron and they fall against your forehead! When straightening my bangs, I tilted my head all the way back before releasing from the iron so they would fall onto the rest of my hair rather than my forehead. This worked well, and prevented any burns. Have patience with your bangs – I found the bangs to be one of the tougher sections.
Congratulations! You’ve finally completed the treatment process. Now flop down on your sofa and grab a big glass of wine to celebrate your newly straightened hair and the fact that you didn’t pay a beautician 300 bucks to do this for you! This is how your hair will look for the next 3 or 4 days. If you can stand to go 4 days without shampooing, then by all means, do it – but never shampoo before the 3 days are up. The natural oils in your hair cause the Keratin to settle deeply into the strand cuticle and this is what makes the treatment last. When your hair starts to re-gain its waviness and curl, you can do the treatment again. You can actually do it every month, if you need. The more you use the Keratin, the silkier and softer your hair will stay.
(Pictures E shows the final result – my shiny straight hair!)
DO’s and DON’Ts
DON’T do this a day or two before a special event! (The product leaves hair rather filmy & greasy until it can be washed 3 days after applying).
DON’T take short-cuts or rush when ironing your hair. If you’ve gone over each section of hair 4 or 5 times, go over each one again an additional 3 times or more, even if your hair already looks really straight.
DON’T use a flat iron anywhere under 400 degrees. Directions suggest one at 450, I used one at 410. The hotter the better, for optimum results!
DON’T use clips or pony tail holders for longer than half an hour, until after your 3 day time period is over. If you do, re-iron that hair so it doesn’t take on a funky shape!
DON’T use any shampoo/conditioner/styling products that contain Sodium Chloride (Sulfates) as part of your after-care routine.
DON’T shampoo every single day after the 3-day waiting period. Every other day or every third day is best to make the treatment last longer.
DO complete this process in a well-ventilated room. Keep bathroom door & window open, and/or use a fan that blows to the outside.
DO relax and take breaks if your arms get tired from all the straightening. There’s no time limit, take as many breaks as you need in order to do a good job!
DO be prepared for your hair to be stick-straight for 3 days. After you shampoo, it will go back to it’s lively self.
DO re-iron your hair every morning after waking up. Your hair gets bent into strange positions while you sleep, you don’t want it to stay that way!
DO dry and re-iron your hair if it gets wet from rain, showering or sweating during the 3 day period.
DO remember to wear your mask when re-ironing your hair during the 3 day period. The fumes are still strong until the mixture is washed from your hair.
DO allow at least 3 full days before washing your hair.
DO enjoy your new head of silky, soft STRAIGHT hair!
AFTERCARE TIPS
PROS
CONS
All of this considered, choosing to use this Keratin Treatment in my hair was one of the best beauty decisions I’ve ever made. I’m insanely happy with the results, and have already saved several hours of time in the styling department. Friends and co-workers comment on how wonderful and healthy my hair looks – they thought I was going through the arduous process of straightening it every single day, until I told them my secret! I hope this treatment works as well for you as it did for me. Happy Straightening!
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