Leah LOVES hair. So much so, she dedicated an entire website to it! One of the founders of Hair Everyday and Chief Editor, Leah enjoys reviewing all the hair products and showcasing the best. She believes her most underrated articles are her hair care tips!
What not to do after keratin treatment? Do’s and don’ts you have to follow to maintain your keratin-treated hair at home!
Keratin is the main protein that builds the hair and makes it strong and healthy. But sometimes you can end up losing keratin from our hair, making it look dry and unhealthy.
Now, tis can be caused by various factors like stress, age, bleaching, etc. If you want your hair to look healthy and shiny again, you can get a keratin treatment done.
This is a very common hair treatment that restores your hair health and vitality. And the bonus? It makes your hair smooth, manageable, and silky.
So a lot of curly haired folks go for it as well!
Related: Keratin Express Vs Keratin Treatment
Related: Incredible Side Effects of Keratin Treatment
Related: Best Sulphate Free Shampoo For Keratin Treated Hair
A Keratin treatment saves a lot of time because you don’t have to spend hours grooming and styling your hair.
It is a shortcut to achieving smooth and silky hair minus all the hassle of blow drying every day.
But if you jump into the keratin bandwagon without knowing much about aftercare, you will most likely ruin your newly styled hair.
I have curly hair and have done a number of keratin treatments over the years, and let me tell you this treatment is not cheap. So if you want the results to last long, you have to take good care of it!
What Not To Do After Keratin Treatment
Here, I have listed some of the things that you should definitely not do after getting a keratin treatment.
Don’t use a regular shampoo (use a special keratin-safe shampoo instead)
Keratin treatment can be expensive so you might be a little apprehensive while splurging in an expensive shampoo and conditioner. But it is important to invest in a high-quality shampoo and conditioner that will not wear off your keratin treatment.
Yes, some of it might be expensive but if you want your keratin treatment to last long, you should stick to these shampoos. It is also important to check the ingredients list of the shampoo and make sure that there are no harmful ingredients.
It is always best to steer clear from ingredients like sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oils, alcohol, etc. as these are either too harsh on hair or have proven side effects when used.
But when you have keratin-treated hair, you should strictly stay away from sulfates and sodium chloride. This is because these ingredients can literally strip away the keratin coating from your hair.
Sulfates can also strip off the natural oils from your hair to make your hair look dry and frizzy.
If you use drugstore shampoos with these ingredients, your keratin treatment will be unfortunately short-lived. Some of my favorite shampoos for keratin treated hair are:
Keratin Complex Keratin Care Shampoos
Alfaparf Keratin Therapy Shampoo and Conditioner
Stay away from clarifying shampoos
Your regular shampoo might not get rid of all the residues and buildup from your scalp. So you need to use a clarifying shampoo once a week to deep clean your hair.
Clarifying shampoos helps in detoxifying the hair and scalp by thoroughly cleansing them. But when you have keratin-treated hair, it is not a good idea to use a clarifying shampoo.
Using a clarifying shampoo can open up the cuticles and they have a high ph level. This will dissolve the keratin treatment from your hair. So it is important to stick to mild shampoos that are gentle on your hair.
Don’t touch your hair frequently
It can be quite tempting to keep your hand on your hair all the time when you get a keratin treatment done. Your hair definitely becomes super smooth and soft to touch after a keratin treatment.
But this is not a good tendency and will affect the quality of your hair. Keratin treated hair is malleable and the shape of your strands can easily be manipulated when you get it done.
You don’t want to kink up your strands and cause dents on your otherwise straight and silky hair. So you have to strictly keep your hands off your hair on the first few days of getting the treatment.
Do not use heavy oils to condition hair
Oils are definitely a great product for your hair but it is not a good idea to use them when you have keratin-treated hair. A lot of hair oils such as coconut oil, almond oil, etc are difficult to wash off.
You might even have to shampoo twice to completely get rid of it. When you wash your hair this frequently, your keratin treatment will be short-lived since it will get washed off with the oil.
If you are planning to oil your hair, use non-sticky, lightweight oils that are easy to wash off.
Davines OI Oil
Lanza Keratin Aftercare Oil
Don’t wash your hair frequently
You should not be washing your hair frequently after you get the keratin treatment. Just like semi-permanent hair color, keratin treatments will wear off every time you wash your hair.
It is also not a good tendency to stay for a long time under the shower and saturate your head with water. When your hair gets saturated, it might open up your cuticles and lead to the loss of keratin particles.
You have to get out of the shower as soon as possible when you get the treatment. If you have an oily scalp or if your hair gets greasy fast, invest in a good dry shampoo.
Do not style your hair, tie it, or braid it
You have to let your hair open for a few days after getting a keratin treatment done. Ideally, you should not style or tie up your hair or style it for at least two weeks after getting it.
Keratin-treated hair is very malleable and its shape and structure can be manipulated easily when you exert pressure. Hair styling tools can pull and tug your hair which will disturb the structure.
Even hair accessories like hair clips, pins or bands can demark your hair and leave dents. Also, if you are going to use any hair accessories on your hair, make sure they do not exert too much pressure on it.
If you want your keratin hair treatment to last long, you should leave your hair open as much as possible.
Do not put sunglasses on your hair
Even though sunglasses are not hair accessories, they do spend a lot of time on our hair. If you use sunglasses, you might subconsciously tuck your sunglasses on your head.
A lot of us even use sunglasses to hide a bad hair day. This can cause disturbance to your keratin-treated hair and even cause minor dents.
If you don’t want your hair shape to get manipulated, it is best to keep the sunglasses away from your hair.
Don’t color your hair for at least three weeks
If you want to get your hair colored, it is best to do so before the keratin treatment. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the color pigments to penetrate your hair which is coated with the keratin treatment.
Do not tuck your hair behind your ears
Now, this might seem like a task since you don’t want hair flying in front of our faces. But if you want to make the most of your keratin treatment, you have to take care of the minor details.
When you tuck your hair around your ears, it could lead to dents on the hair behind your ears. So you should try to avoid this as much as possible to avoid these unwanted creases.
Don’t work out too much
I’m are not asking you to put your workout at a halt. But it is a good idea to tone it down at the gym when you get a keratin treatment done.
When your scalp sweats a lot, it will affect your keratin treatment and will not get absorbed properly into your hair. You also have to take a shower frequently when you hit the gym.
This can also get rid of the keratin treatment from your hair. If you cannot halt workouts at all, try to reduce the frequency of your workouts for at least two weeks after getting the treatment to prevent this.
Do not sleep on a cotton pillowcase
You need to create a smooth atmosphere for the hair to rest when you are sleeping. When you use a cotton pillowcase, it can cause friction between your hair and the pillowcase which will cause creases and dents.
This will manipulate the straightness of your hair. Invest in a good silk or satin pillow to sleep in. Silk and satin and soft and smooth materials that do not cause much friction with your hair.
Your hair can glide easily through these materials so they are the best alternatives to cotton pillowcases.
It’s perfectly safe to get your hair keratin-treated. If you have curly hair like mine and want a more long-lasting smoothening effect, keratin treatments are your best option.
But like any other hair perm, the smoothening and straightening effects of a keratin will last if you take care of your hair.
So make sure you follow my suggestions above to keep your tresses looking fabulous!
Also Read:
What Is Amino Acid Treatment For Natural Hair
Best Keratin Shampoo And Conditioner For Damaged Hair
