How harmful is keratin treatment for hair?
Keratin treatment has some health issues, like most keratin products contain a chemical known as formaldehyde, which has serious implications on your health. According to the American Cancer Society formaldehyde can be the reason for causing cancer. But other treatments have gained popularity which is using glyoxylic acid and it is a lot safer for your hair.
Still, there are many misconceptions about keratin treatment, like many people consider it as not effective as other treatments!
And it’s not true, so if you are planning an appointment for a keratin treatment, this article will help you decide whether you should go or not!
Before that, you should know what keratin is exactly…
What Is Keratin
It is a family of structural proteins which make up your hair, nails, skin, and scales, it also protects your epithelial cells from any kind of damage or stress.
A keratin treatment is basically a hair straightening process that makes it easy to manage frizzy, curly, or wavy hair.
But why do you need keratin treatment?
Because over a period your scalp loses natural keratin and this treatment helps to fill those gaps with new keratin proteins.
It uses formaldehyde derivative or glyoxylic acid to straighten the hair by applying it to the hair.
Usually, it works well on most hair, but it mostly suits curly or frizzy hair.
But, is keratin treatment good for hair, or is it harmful?
Keep reading to know more…
What Are The Harmful Effect Of Keratin Treatment On Hair
As a woman, you are always looking to find ways to style your hair or keep it in good condition.
For this, you try a hair spa, different conditioners, shampoos, or other chemicals.
Similarly, for a keratin treatment, you should first understand your hair type and then go for it, because it has some serious effects on your hair health and skin also.
Most women just want beautiful, shining, and silky hair, but you should also know some harmful effects of this treatment.
This treatment can not only have a negative effect on your hair but also on your overall health.
Here are some genuine keratin treatment side effects your hair has to go through-
- Keratin treatment releases formaldehyde which is a harmful chemical that is colorless and has a strong smell.
- When formaldehyde comes into the air, it can cause serious health issues or reactions like, itching, sensation, nose bleeding or sore throat.
- According to the CDC formaldehyde can also cause cancer or respiratory disease.
- Some hair stylists also don’t do this treatment because they are exposed to formaldehyde more than their customers.
- It can lead to hair breakage, because it uses flat iron at a high temperature on your hair.
- If you have damaged or fine hair then this treatment can also damage your hair in the long run because of the high heat it uses.
- Always check the label or list of ingredients before you go for this treatment and select only those products which are organic, natural and formaldehyde-free.
Hair Breakage After Keratin Treatment
If you have broken hair after keratin treatment or you have split ends, then it’s because the products used were not up to mark or the treatment was not done properly.
And maybe you didn’t take all the precautions your stylist told you to follow!
I am sure no woman likes their hair to look frizzy, or look electrified which seems like it has got an electric shock or in some cases they look lifeless and very dull.
Sometimes your hair loses moisture after the treatment, this happens because the treatment and after-care haven’t been done properly.
And this results in breaking hair cuticles and damaging ends of the hair.
Once your hair cuticles are damaged the moisture will be gone and will result in breakage and unhealthy hair texture.
When your hair loses moisture it becomes dry and then you have to try products like masks, shampoos, and conditioners having hydrating ingredients in them.
How Harmful is Keratin Treatment For Curly Hair
What I am about to tell you, will surely bring a sense of relief to you!
Because keratin treatment is not as bad for women with curly hairs, as it is supposed to be for women with fine or thin hair.
Keratin treatment helps to straighten the curly hair and makes it easy to manage from damaging the texture of your hair.
Although there is no guarantee that it will 100% straighten your hair, but it also depends on how curly your hair strands are!
It gives your hair shine, makes it more relaxed, reduces frizz and you can easily take care of your flyaways hair.
There is one major caveat, if not done properly, this treatment can damage your natural curl and it will change your hair completely, also using high heat can also damage your curly hair structure.
Choose Right Keratin Treatment According To Your Hair
Keratin does have some negative effects, but if you understand your hair better and choose treatment wisely, then you can improve your hair health also.
This treatment helps you get frizz-free shinier hair, and that too for 5-6 months with only a single treatment.
If you are choosing formaldehyde-free products and using only organic and natural ones, your hair health will certainly improve in the long run.
It also comes with some sacrifices like you can’t wash your hair for 3 days after the treatment, you can’t clip your hair nor you can touch it.
In some cases, results can differ and some of you might not get the full straight hair look but there will be some waves left that will need flat-iron to straighten it.
The Bottom Line
I hope now you must have understood how harmful is keratin treatment for hair!
The best possible way to get the most out of this treatment is to always know your hair type and stick to the after-care suggestions your hairstylist gives you.
Finally, if you have any doubt or would like to suggest anything, feel free to comment below or contact us.
Cheers!
