Are keratin treatments good for 4c hair?

A stylist puts the treatment in and flat irons the hair, keeping the new cuticle fibers in their place. The salon process usually takes about 90 minutes. Keratin works best on those with excessive heat and/or chemical damage because  it can fill gaps in the hair cuticle with its amino acids.

The pros

• It will eliminate frizz, even in light rainy conditions
• Your hair will be softer and shinier than it was before
• Keratin strengthens the hair shaft

The cons

• Keratin treatment upkeep can be expensive, as it needs to be touched up every couple of months.
• You must wait a few days before cleansing your hair. So if you're outside in the elements, the build-up in your scalp and odors will be less than pleasant. But you cannot wash.
• The long-term effects of keratin treatments can do more harm than good to your hair cuticle, causing the very damage it was intended to repair.

To sum it up

If your hair is extremely damaged, a keratin treatment might help revitalize it. However, after you do it to your hair multiple times your hair will begin to feel over-processed (much like a chemical relaxer) and the products might undo all of the good they have done. So if you feel that a keratin treatment will be beneficial to your hair’s health, be sure to get it done at a reputable salon and try to only do it once or twice so it does not begin doing damage to your hair.

Want more?

Read more in depth information regarding keratin treatments in our classic article, Keratin Treatments 101.

KeraStraight Ultimate Treatment and Booster

THE HYPE:

KeraStraight Ultimate Treatment is a Keratin Treatment (also known as a Brazilian blow dry) that has been designed specifically for people with afro/frizzy hair types and focusses on smoothing, straightening, and simultaneously repairing hair, with results reportedly lasting up to 4 months.

Is also doesn’t have harsh chemicals like relaxer, so you don’t get extreme straightening.

REVIEWER:

Bandi Manzini

BEAUTY BIO:

The thickest, knottiest, most unmanageable afro hair that you could ever imagine. My hair is both the bane and joy of my life. The joyful bit: I have a LOT of it, it's thick and can withstand literally anything that’s done to it. The frustration: it's prone to knotting and tangling, which makes any sort of treatment that involves combing/detangling feel like a punishment.

Like most black women, I stopped relaxing my hair almost 10 years ago due to the damaging (and painful) effects it has on our hair and scalps. The ‘mode du jour’ for most back women now is to either wear our hair in natural styles (braids, twists, afros etc) or in a protective style under wigs or in weaves.

A Keratin treatment is something that many black women are fearful of as they may not know how it works, how it’s different from relaxers and have a general feeling that it will thin out and damage your hair - volume is errrythang, dont you know!

KERATIN TREATMENT FOR AFRO HAIR REVIEW

I arrived at the stunning Trevor Sorbie Salon in Covent Garden and was immediately attended to by the lovely and knowledgable head stylist Ben, who, having a similar hair type to mine, was able to quickly quash my concerns about the treatment. He explained that because of the type of hair I have (i.e. kinky afro) my treatment would require a few more steps.

The process started with a pre-treatment cleanser (KeraStraight’s own brand), and this was left in for 10 minutes to allow for it to really penetrate the hair. After this was washed out, Ben got ready for the main course - the actual KeraStraight itself.

The KeraStraight solution was applied in small sections to my hair until all the hair on my head was generously coated. It tingled a little bit (nothing unbearable) and I suspect this may have been partly due to my scalp being tender from removing my hair extensions earlier that day.

This was left to marinate on my head for 45 minutes before a rinse. Ben then followed this up with moisture lock that he left on my hair for a further five minutes. I noticed at this point that my hair was already looking different. Although still afro, it was definitely in a looser, more malleable coil (and that’s was even before Ben began blow drying).

The blow dry was painstaking work, with Ben drying each part of my hair in sections using the Easy Comb by KeraStraight, which painlessly separated my stubborn, knotty strands and allowed the straighteners to glide over each section effortlessly. That comb is a GODSEND.

It was incredible to see just how straight my hair became and at the end of the treatment I had pretty much poker straight hair.

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FINAL VERDICT

Seeing my hair not in its usual knotty, big old afro state felt refreshing, I did lose a lot of my volume, though, which I guess is the inevitable sacrifice I had to make as a trade off. Being a big hair girl, it did feel a bit flat to me and remind me of when I used to relax my hair texture wise. However a few weeks after my treatment, more of the kink and texture of my own hair is back - albeit very subtly - and I’m pleased about that as it doesn’t look as shiny pressed and poker straight as it did immediately after the treatment.

I have noticed that along my hairline where not so much solution was applied during treatment, there is definitely a kinkier texture compared to the rest of my head. I haven’t applied the booster treatment as yet as I wanted to give my hair a bit of a break, but I am excited to try it out.

I’m not sure my hair will necessarily make it to 4 months in this same condition as it grows really quickly, with my roots inevitably growing to their natural kinkier texture.

However, The KeraStraight treatment itself didn’t feel as brutal as relaxer treatments, and I felt assured by the fact that there were many steps to the process that were mostly for protective purposes.

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Which keratin treatment is best for African American hair?

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