Otherwise known as the holy grail of frizz-reducing, smoothing hair treatments, a keratin blow dry (often called by one of its brand names, the Brazilian blow dry) is up there with an oxygen facial and gel manicure as one of those treatments that A-listers like the Kardashians, can’t live without. Famed for its ability to leave unruly hair silky-smooth and totally manageable, it’s also one of those treatments us mere mortals can’t get enough of either. A simple and relatively fast process (depending on the thickness of your hair), the finish is achieved by coating washed and roughly dried hair in keratin, the substance that makes nails, hair and skin naturally strong and healthy. This is then blow dried in to lock in the goodness. So that’s the easy part. What we want to know is, what are the post-treatment rules? Can hair be styled as normal or are there certain things to avoid? To help navigate the way to glossy hair heaven, we chatted to an expert who performs them regularly in his salon, Chris Johnson White (@hausofchrisjwhite) of Liverpool’s White Haus Hair & Beauty…
By Georgia Day
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1 So how long can I expect a keratin blow dry to last?
‘A good keratin treatment should last around 3 months,’ says Chris. ‘If you have it done regularly it will start to have an accumulative effect meaning it layers up on your hair; you could in theory get up to around 6 months of smoothness and manageability out of it.’ Those with really curly and coarse hair might need to have it done more frequently than every 3 months to see maximum benefits, but no more than once a month.
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2 Are there any rules for right after a treatment?
A keratin blow dry is a chemical treatment and like any other, it means your hair requires a little TLC straight afterwards. The main thing to ensure is that you don’t use anything which could react to the keratin and strip it off your hair (resulting in an unattractive peeling effect and a patchy texture). Avoid exposing your hair to chlorine and use a gentle sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner throughout the duration of your blow dry.
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3 So how soon can I wash my hair?
‘In my salon we use a system called Alphaparf Milano and the brilliance of it is that we can wash our clients’ hair right after the treatment has been applied in the salon; it’s formaldehyde-free which allows you to have much more freedom with what you can do with it. Other keratin treatments are more restrictive and don’t let you wash your hair or even tie it in a bobble for a while afterwards for fear of it creating a kink in the hair surface. To be sure, check with your stylist before you start,’ advises Chris.
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4 How soon can I get my colour done after a keratin treatment?
While it’s tempting to want to make your hair look as great as possible to show off the benefits of your new ‘do, it’s advisable not to add colour for at least a week after your treatment. ‘When it’s applied it’s done so as a coating on your hair, which inhibits colour particles properly adhering to it,’ says Chris. ‘If my clients are desperate then I’ll do a semi-permanent colour on the same day, but it’s preferable to let the treatment settle on your hair before you do any more chemical processes.’
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5 Can I use my normal styling products?
You can but just make sure they’re good quality professional products. ‘Right after a keratin blow dry, your hair can feel a bit flat and almost too smooth’ says Chris. ‘I like to add a bit of root lift in to offset this. L’Oreal Professionnel Techni.Art Lift gives it a bit of extra body.’
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6 Can I use my heat stylers as normal?
The beauty of this kind of blow dry is that it negates the need for straighteners, so you shouldn’t need to use them. ‘If you want to use curling tongs (or a hairdryer post-wash for that matter) you can, but combat any potential damage by using a good heat protection spray first, like L’Oreal Professionnel Techni.Art Pli.’ advises Chris.
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