I got a keratin treatment to smooth my bleach-damaged hair, here’s how it went

Frizz be gone.

As someone who has always spent a great deal of time thinking about their hair, I’ve always been envious of the girls who could just run a brush through it and go. For context my hair is not exactly curly, but very far from straight. It’s frizzy and textured, with dry patches from a decade of bleaching it blonde every three months.

In the lead-up to my wedding, I decided to embrace my natural colour. I knew I couldn’t maintain the blonde for the rest of my life, and I didn’t want to look back on my wedding photos and see a completely different person. When I eventually made the call and went back to my natural colour, I was shocked my hair didn’t immediately revert to its soft, silky pre-bleach condition.

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I was still spending 45 minutes before I left the house blow drying and styling, using all the heat protectant, smoothing cream and styling products the experts tell you to use. Then I’d step out of my front door and a gust of wind would leave my hair frizzy, knotty and likely in a slicked-back bun for the next few days.

Then I discovered keratin treatments, which boost your hair’s natural fibrous protein to smooth, straighten, protect and reduce frizz. While keratin does naturally occur in the hair, exposure to sun, styling, heat and other chemicals causes its potency to dwindle over time. The treatment helps to replenish lost keratin, helping your hair to return to its (almost) pre-damage state. If you’re also finding yourself fighting the frizz, read on to hear more about my keratin treatment experience.

How much does a keratin treatment cost?

This particular treatment cost me $300. My hair that sits just below my shoulders, and the price depends on how long your hair is and how much product the salon will need to use. I’d recommend getting a quote before you book.

How long does a keratin treatment last?

It can last up to six months, depending on how frequently you wash your hair and the kind of products you use. Speak to your hairdresser to learn more about how to preserve your keratin treatment.

What’s the process like?

My treatment didn’t contain formaldehyde, which is often used in these kinds of smoothing treatments. It can have some nasty side effects – particularly if you’re more sensitive – and I opted to go formaldehyde-free. My hairdresser said it’s not common in most Australian keratin treatments but if you’d rather avoid the risk, it’s worth asking before you book.

The process takes about three hours but considering I was used to spending longer than that waiting for my blonde foils to develop, I didn’t mind one bit. They start by washing your hair and then blow-drying it. They then saturate the hair in the keratin treatment and then let it sit for a while (around 30 minutes).

After that they blow dry it again and seal it in with a straighter – this is the part that took the longest, with my hairdresser going over each strand of hair five-plus times. Finally, once they’ve gone over every inch with a straightener, you’re left with pin-straight hair that’s covered in a mask-like coating. They finally wash it all out, taking extra care to remove all the product, and They blow dry it one last time.

Something to note is that if you colour your hair, this treatment will strip some of that out. I did the treatment two weeks before a scheduled appointment as advised by my hairdresser. If you have freshly coloured hair, I wouldn’t recommend it – wait until you’re due for a touch-up and go then.

Did it work?

Even after a professional blow dry, my hair is not normally dead straight. It very much was after the keratin treatment, and it also felt extremely soft and smooth. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the footy, after which my hair would normally be a knotty mess from the wind.

But post-game, my hair was as smooth and shiny as when I left the salon (a win). I felt the same level of joy the next day when I woke up, brushed my hair and was ready to leave the house without any further intervention. The major test came on wash day. I washed my hair a few days later the way I normally would with salon products. Some products can strip the keratin out, so check with your hairdresser before taking an everything shower.

After washing my hair, I blow-dried and styled it with my Dyson Airwrap and was amazed! It took half the time and effort it normally would and there wasn’t a stray hair in sight. I will say my curls did drop more than they normally would, but it felt a lot nicer to touch and was much easier to refresh in the days that followed.

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