One of the newest crazes in the beauty industry are keratin straightening or smoothing treatments. These processes take kinky, curly or frizzy hair and make it smooth and soft or straight depending on the treatment used. Women all over the world have tried this out and found that even the most hard-to-tame hair can be made soft, silky and manageable.
Wow, can keratin really do that?
Smooth and silky? Sure! But straight? Definitely not.
Remember, keratin is a natural protein that makes up most of your hair. The properties of keratin are amazing in that they can refresh dryness and damage, but if your hair is naturally curly, there is nothing keratin proteins could do to change that.
So what’s the deal with ‘keratin straightening’? To answer this, we need to get into the structural difference between straight and curly hair and exactly how chemical straightening works.
First, what causes curly hair?
To put it simply: genetics. Your genes will determine how straight or curly your hair is. More specifically, your genetics determine the number of disulfide bonds you have within your hair proteins.
Wait, what?
See, every hair strand grows from a sac in the scalp called a follicle. In the follicle, keratin and other proteins are created. These eventually die and become the hair shaft (hair is made of dead protein cells being pushed out of the follicle by new, living cells).
The proteins in your hair contain sulphur atoms, which are called sulfides. When two sulfides bond (called a disulfide bond) they can create a bend in the hair fiber. Curly hair has a large number of bonded sulfides, while straight hair has very few.
How does chemical straightening work?
Chemical hair straightening works by breaking down those disulfide bonds in curly hair and resetting them so the hair is straight. This is done in three stages: relaxing, neutralizing and conditioning.
Depending on the treatment, the relaxing, neutralizing and conditioning agents may all be combined into one cocktail, and the hair may be set with a blow dryer or straightening iron, but these are the chemical components:
First the bonds need to be broken down. This is called ‘relaxing’ and is done with chemicals that contain alkalis (do you remember high school chemistry? Alkalis are basic so they denature proteins, meaning they change the way proteins fold over onto themselves).
These alkalis are designed to do a controlled amount of damage: just enough to break down the curls but not so much as to break the hair. The chemical is washed off when the desired amount of damage is done.
The second step is to restore the pH balance of the hair. Since alkalis are basic, an acidic neutralizer will be put on to stop the chemical process and keep your hair from further breakage. At this point, the hair will be straight, but very delicate.
The final step is to apply a conditioner that will repair the hair damage and protect your hair from any additional damage.
So why is it called a ‘keratin straightening treatment’?
You might have guessed by now that the role keratin plays in this whole thing is the conditioning stage of straightening. New developments in keratin hair products mean that damage can be repaired more completely than it has been in the past. Not that it’s a great idea to abuse your hair, but keratin does allow it to recover from some pretty harsh treatments.
What this translates to in the world of hair straightening is the opportunity to use stronger chemicals to break down the sulfide bonds. Formaldehyde, for instance, is occasionally used as an ingredient in the relaxer. The aggressive chemicals allow hair to be straighter for longer and the use of keratin can counteract any damage (though there have been reports of salons overdoing it with the relaxer and serious hair damage as a result—only get this treatment done at a reputable salon).
So while keratin is a major component of a ‘keratin straightening treatment’, it shouldn’t be confused for a straightening agent. The role keratin plays in a keratin straightening system is a positive one by conditioning and strengthening and reversing damaged hair.
As for why the term ‘keratin straightening’ gained popularity, I can only guess that it was for marketing purposes… ‘formaldehyde straightening treatment’ doesn’t have quite the same appeal.
Thanks so much for this information, and although you seem to have answered everything I still have ONE more question for clarity… OK. I am african american and I have natural hair. My hairdresser said that se has a keratin treatment that DOES NOT have formaldehyde (Keratin Brazilian treatment)and it only last a few weeks and the hair reverts back to it’s natural state. Is this possible? I love my natural hair, but would also like to de-frizz for a few months as an option. Will this permanently change the texture of my hair?
It is possible that the hairdresser has a system that does not contain formaldehyde, however, the effectiveness of this treatment and how long it would last would depend on the system and what technology it uses. What system does your hairdresser use?
This is incredibly thorough info. Thank you for breaking down the science of so much. My hair is curly and a long while back I used to brush with a protein shampoo and it seemed to loosen the curl a great deal so I stopped using it, thinking I was temporarily perming my hair. Now going back to it, I think what it is really doing is eliminating frizz entirely, by making every single hair behave like they should, as opposed to only certain areas. What is your take on this?
It is very unlikely that a shampoo would be causing any perm processes on your hair, so you do not need to be concerned about that. Protein shampoos will certainly help, and potentially bind well and help align proteins within your hair. However, it depends on what type of proteins. The ones containing keratin are much more effective that the ones with hydrolyzed wheat, soy or other vegetable proteins in as it is much more effective to fix like with like. Also, there are many other components to the formulation that will help with frizz. Frizz is often most related to how moisture comes in and out of your hair, so products that help maintain the moisture balance in your hair are helpful. Without more information on the products you were using it is hard to say what would be having the biggest effect on your frizz control, but regardless of other things, a protein rich shampoo will be helping.
What lastest Info on mainiatn healthy Africa Amercain Hair?Any new info that you would like to share about keeping black (africa american) hair Healthy and beautiful.Well this is what i been doing on my hair and its working pretty well :I have relaxed hairI recently cut itI Wash it every weekDeep condition every weekHot oil treatment about 2 times a monthI try and make sure i have good balance between protein and mistrusting productI avoid any products with Petroleum , mineral oil ectI seal in my mostroust on my hair by applying oil on it afterI try to stay away from heat but its a hard battleI still a flat iron but i use alot of heat protectionAVOID GEL ITS OUR EMENY!! LOLuummm i think thats it but heres the products i useI mostly use : Aphogee Leave in conditioner like on a daily (great for relaxed damaged hair protects agaist breakages)Also Leave in Liquid Haor Mayonnaise by Organics (smells great + good ingredents)When im living large with money i use carol daughter Leave in conditioner Tui or Black Vanilla Both great ANd also they got other good stuffWhen i living cheap i use S curl No drip Moisturizer because it does great as a moisturizer leave hair extra soft and its not only for s curlsThen i seal in the moisturzier with :Aphgee Essential Oil (GREAT ingerients)Wild Groth Light Moisturing oil (Great ingertenit too)I deep condition with Aphogee Keratin 2 minutes Reconstructor (i alway leave for more than 2 minutes with a cap)Switch between them 2I use Motions Herbals Condition Shampoo a very little (shampoo is bad for your hair dries it out)Also i give my self a emergacny treatment (serious protein treatment to stop breakage) 2 or 3 week before relaxAlso i use a flat iron with ceramic plates and its a Chi ( but i reccommened a GHD or FHI They are gGREAT!!!!) and or cousre heat protecter and black magic cherry for the finish touchI use QP its likr promade as gel its way betterWell does any have any adivice , comments or advice for ppl who are nature hair ect ?THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!
African American hair is damaged by chemical and physical treatment in the same way as any other hair type. Relaxers are often caustic and these are particularly damaging to hair, causing it to become weak and brittle. Unfortunately the same process that makes relaxers work also damages the protein that the hair is made from. The particular proteins in Keraplast Hair Rescue with Replicine Functional Keratin bind to damaged protein in the hair, zipping together like teeth in a zipper, to repair that damage. Many other products will coat the hair, provide a short term shine, or try and cover up the damage temporarily. To genuinely repair the hair intact keratin proteins are needed to bind to the damaged keratin inside the hair. Keraplast Hair Rescue is the best way to deliver these intact proteins to your hair. It is still a fairly new product and only the most innovative salons are using it. Talk to your local salon about trying a treatment.
I had done a home keratin treatment and it did NOTHING unless I used a blow dryer — with the dryer, my hair was straight and silky, and without it, my hair reverted to its natural texture and wave. But a friend offered to do a salon treatment on me as a gift (she’s a stylist, obviously:) Do the salon “keratin straightening” treatments leave hair straight even after air drying — I prefer to air dry because of time — or will I have to use the dryer?
We are not aware of a current home based system that gives sustained straightening. The change required in the hair to make it stay straight is quite difficult to achieve in a durable way that doesn’t revert back to natural curl quickly, and heat helps this process a lot. Having a process done in a salon means that heat can be applied in a controlled way by an expert. This is important because too much heat damages your hair, and too little makes the process not as effective. In answer to your question, some salon systems do create straight hair that is sustained. However, you have to look at each system on a case by case basis. They use different technologies to achieve the effect and you have to consider your hair type, treatment history, and safety concerns of the ingredients being used in the system.
Chemical straightening is bad no matter what you do. After you get this done your hair will never be the same again! It’s much safer to use a treatment that has keratin which is naturally present in healthy hair. The Cocoa Keratin System is the best I’ve used so far and it doesn’t damage hair at all, it even comes with its own pre and post shampoo + conditioner. Very complete and it lasts for 5 months
I have curly hair and I want it to be straight without having ti straighten it so what’s the best thing I should do?
Making curly hair straight in a temporary way can be achieved with styling, simply the use of heat, water (blowdrying it straight) and using styling products depending how curly your hair is. Unfortunately in order to have any durable effect that will last more than a few hours or a humid day then you will need to look at straightening products and systems, either at home or in a salon depending on your budget and desired outcome.
I thought keratin was just a protein to condition hair until I started hearing about the use in straightening. I recently bought nunaat Brazilian keratin intensive hair mask. My aunt does a Brazilian treatment to straighten her hair and now I’m nervous that this product may do the same. I’m supposed to leave it on for 15 minutes then rinse. PLEASE tell me that this is just a conditioner. I love my natural curly hair and really just want a deep conditioner for moisture and better hair health.
The main use of keratin is to repair and condition hair. The various keratin treatments that claim to be straightening are using other chemicals to achieve the straightening effect, not the keratin. The nunaat Brazilian keratin intensive hair mask you describe does not straighten, it is designed as a deep conditioner and moisturizer, so you should be fine. However, please don’t be fooled by the label on the product. It claims to be a keratin treatment but you will see from reading the label that there is no keratin in the product. There are several plant proteins (soy, corn and wheat protein), which will make your hair feel very nice, but there is no keratin so it will not offer genuine repair. For genuine repair from inside the hair fiber then an intensive treatment using Replicine Functional Keratin is the best option.
I am African American, I am in the process of growing out my chemical relaxer. I have very kinky hair. I would like to use a keratin treatment that will give me the option of wearing my hair straight but mostly curly. I mainly want to be able to manage my hair easily. It is very think, and sometimes unmanageable. What Keratin Treatment do you suggest that I look into, that will just soften my kinky curl to the point of a loose curl, with the option of adding the minimal amount of heat to straighten?
Thank you
This based straightening systems may be best for the loosening of the curl that you describe. The recent developments with these straightening systems have improved them substantially from several years ago. This one from Keune contains particular keratins known to strengthen hair well which should also help with recovery from relaxers. http://www.keune.com/products/keune/keratin-smoothing-treatment/keratin-smoothing-treatment. Replicine Functional Keratin in the form Hair Rescue, available in some US salons, will also help with additional strengthening and repair.
Hi, I was interested in getting the keratin treatment done but I had a couple questions. Does the treatment make you loose more hair? Will it cause a loss of volume or body in my curly hair? I have thin hair with curls of all sizes that i love and don’t want to ruin. I wanted to lose the crazy frizz without messing with the body or volume of my hair. Will it weigh down my hair?
I think you must be referring to a keratin straightening or smoothing treatment. The outcomes really depend on the system used and the skill of the person doing them. The systems that use formaldehyde can make hair weaker and break more easily. If you want to keep some curls and volume then I don’t think that most of the straightening or smoothing treatments in salons will be what you want, they will be more likely to take all of your curls away.
I am African American and I have a friend who’s also African American and she had small tight curls to began with and after using the treatment her hair came out with a really loose curl pattern and hair texture changed and became soft and silky and it looks really good how did this happen? And will my hair possibly come out the same way?
I think you must be referring to a keratin straightening or smoothing treatment. The outcomes really depend on the system used and the skill of the person doing them. There are many, many different systems that use very different approaches to making hair less curly. Be sure to check what system your friend used and for safety reasons make sure it doesn’t contain formaldehyde.
Hi!
I want to know about keratin complete product and its proper use.
Thanks
Hi Rafif, please tell us more about what your need is. Keratin products can be used for many things, including straightening and repair. The most proper use is to repair hair damage, if the correct keratin is applied then it can rebuild the damaged keratin structure inside the hair. Replicine Functional Keratin is best for this purpose.