Which of these treatments is better: keratin or smoothing?
It depends on your hair type or the kind of look you want to attain, any one of them can fulfill your needs or both of them.
Keratin treatment is best if you are looking for flat-ironed straight hair and smoothing is best when you are only looking to cut down the frizziness and are ok with curls and waves.
You all dream of having perfect, flowing, flawless, silky, and smooth hair, don’t you? But you find it difficult to manage your hair, because of lack of time!
Hair treatment like keratin and smoothing will make your hair look gorgeous and beautiful.
Still, confused about which one to go for?
If you are struggling to manage your uncontrollable, frizzy, wild, and flyaway hair, then this article is what you need to go through before you jump on any of these treatments.
So, without wasting any time let’s dig in…
What Is Keratin And Smoothing Treatment
Keratin is a family of structural proteins basically found in the outer skin, hair. and nails.
Your hair naturally has keratin which protects from heat, frizz, and even breaking your hair.
Keratin and Brazilian blowout treatments are exactly the same processes, so don’t get confused about it.
Using chemicals, over styling your hair, or applying heat consistently diminishes natural keratin in your hair.
Because of this damage, most stylists recommend keratin treatment to fill the gaps and this makes your hair less frizzy and more feasible to manage.
Whereas a smoothing treatment literally makes your hair more silky, smooth, shiny, and soft.
It is also a chemical process that uses different creams and is perfect for hair straightening.
Just like keratin smoothing takes around 3-4 hours of whole treatment in any salon, the timing also depends on what type of hair and length you have.
Smoothing treatment effect can last about 3-5 months whereas keratin treatment can last for 4-5 months.
Which of these treatments is better: keratin or smoothing? Before this let’s take a look at how these treatments are done!
What Is The Working Of Smoothing Treatment
The process is somewhat similar to keratin but it mostly suits women having frizzy straight hair or wavy type of hair.
This treatment does a great job of straightening your hair without making it look unnatural.
It will not work well if you have curly hair, as it won’t last straight for too long, but it does give you natural-looking straight hair.
Smoothing treatments are mostly formaldehyde-free and it does not change the structure of your hair.
It does not give your hair the straightness which keratin gives.
Here is the process of smoothing treatment-
- Hair is washed and conditioned properly.
- A cream is applied on your hair after blow-drying.
- This cream helps to break the hair bonds which makes it easy to modify it accordingly.
- After 35-40 minutes cream is washed and your hair is flat-ironed with the help of hair straightener.
- Then to lock the effect a neutralizer cream is applied on your hair and finally washed after 25-30 minutes.
- Again, wash your hair and blow-dry.
How Keratin Treatment Is Done
The keratin treatment process is somewhat similar to smoothing, but here keratin is used and most keratin treatments contain formaldehyde.
It is usually done in the salon and it lasts up to 5-6 months depending upon the hair type and how diligently you followed after-care.
So, what’s the process of a keratin treatment?
- First, washing hair.
- Then keratin is applied on your wet or dry hair, with the help of a brush.
- And it is spread evenly with a tooth comb on your hair.
- This formula takes around half an hour to saturate each hair strand.
- After this flat-iron and heat is used to straighten the hair.
- Hair is flat-ironed to settle the treatment in small sections.
Which One Is Better Hair Smoothing Or Keratin
Kertains
- If you like soft, straight, shiny and frizz free hair then keratin treatment is perfect for you.
- It helps to keep your hair straight, adds shine and glow, and makes it look thicker.
- Also managing dry, frizzy, and wavy hair becomes easier.
- This treatment in most cases lasts upto five-six months.
- Many use heat for styling hair daily, this treatment reduces frequent heating of your hair.
- It is more expensive than smoothing treatment but lasts longer than it.
Smoothing
- This treatment is perfect if you have curly or wavy hair.
- If you just want shiny and frizz free hair without changing the texture of your hair, this treatment is just for you.
- You will not get flat-ironed straight hair in this treatment.
- And if you like your curly and wavy hair, and want to get rid of frizz and improve the smoothness then just go for it.
- The cost of treatment is low as compared to keratin.
Side Effects Of Keratin & Smoothing Treatment
Both these treatments are effective and improve your hair health, but the chemicals and formulas used in the treatments are harmful to your health also.
In most keratin treatments, a chemical known as formaldehyde is used, which is very harmful to your health according to the American Cancer Society. (1)
Products that use formaldehyde tend to release gas into the air, which can affect hairdressers and the person who is getting the treatment.
It also puts at risk of developing cancer over a period of time, some other common side effects are itching, running nose, cough, rashes in skin, scratchy eyes, irritation in the scalp, etc.
Most industrial and beauty products use formaldehyde like shampoos, dyes, nail polish, plastics, nail polish remover, paints, etc.
Like keratin, smoothing treatment also comes with consequences!
Smoothing products that use formaldehyde can cause dandruff, loss of hair, hair breakage, headache, irritation in the scalp, nose, and throat, etc.
Using a chemical treatment that uses formaldehyde like something can also induce asthma in people. (2)
Hair smoothing treatment should be avoided by people who have:
- Fine and scattered hair
- Are pregnant or are in the breastfeeding phase.
- Curly and thick hair because it is less effective on these types of hair.
The Bottom Line
Both these treatments have been popular all over the world because of the results they provide.
And as to which of these treatments is better: keratin or smoothing?
I hope you have got an idea about how to approach this treatment, both have merits and demerits, so it’s better to choose the treatment wisely, without regretting it later.
Make sure to consult any hair specialist or professional before you proceed with any of the treatments.
And always adhere to the after-care guidelines so that the positive effect of these treatments stays for a long period.
Feel free to comment below if you have any doubts or you can write to us.
Cheers!
