What are keratin treatments and do they really work?

We love a lazy girl hack, so we always want to hear about beauty treatments that promise to make our mornings easier. One such example is a keratin treatment (also known as a keratin blow dry or Brazilian blow dry). Just like lash extensions leave you with a fuller flutter for an extended time period so you can skip mascara in the morning, a keratin treatment can give you the look of a banging blow dry, but for up to six months. Yep really.

In a nutshell, keratin blow dries are one of the most effective treatments for smoothing hair, boosting shine and improving manageability to leave strands looking sleeker and straighter. The treatment counts the likes of Meghan Markle and Jennifer Aniston among its celebrity fans, since it takes the agg out of getting hair ready and leaves it looking semi-permanently polished.

The treatment involves applying a keratin formula to hair before sealing it with heat. It takes around 2-4 hours to apply, lasts for up to six months and costs £200 and up. However, not all treatments are made equal and there’s one ingredient that you should be wary of, so read ahead for an in-depth dive into everything you need to know about keratin treatments.

What is keratin?

Keratin is “the main protein in hair, skin and nails”, says Jez Barnett, founder of smoothing hair treatment brand, Fabriq Hair. “It makes up to 91 percent of hair and contains 16 different amino acids, with cysteine being the most important one as it creates the sulphur bridges in hair that give it its internal strength,” she explains. It can shield hair against humidity which is one of the primary causes of excess frizz. Our hair loses keratin due to the environment around us, heat, styling, sun exposure and brushing, for example, can all deplete the levels of keratin in our hair.

Why does our hair need keratin?

If your natural keratin levels are low, your hair can appear dry, frazzled, dehydrated and damaged, which is where the man-made treatment comes in.

What is a keratin treatment?

Keratin treatments are the umbrella term used to describe a hair-smoothing treatment that uses keratin. A keratin treatment is a semi-permanent chemical smoothing treatment which can smooth hair and add shine for up to six months. It works by forming a coating over the hair to fill the gaps left behind by depleted keratin, smoothing each strand and creating a waterproof coat around hair. Essentially, it achieves a blow-dried finish for an extended period of time, to improve manageability.

Unlike straightening treatments, a keratin treatment won’t break the protein bonds in hair and, since its job is to smooth rather than straighten, it leaves a little extra body in hair. Just be aware, the smoothing process will remove volume from the root, so if you have fine hair, or like having lift at the root, this is something to consider.