Gettin’ my keratin
Hiiiii 😀 How are ya? Hope your day has been wonderful <3
Bella and I ended up deciding on the farmer’s market– it was such a gorgeous day today.
TONS of amazing vendors
and Bella got to meet many new dog friends:
I didn’t end up buying anything because I haven’t planned out this week’s meals- the main thing I wanted was goat cheese and they weren’t there today. It was fun to walk around, people watch and food watch 🙂
After the market, I grabbed a snack:
and met my madre at the salon to get my hair did.
Today we did a Keratin Complex treatment, which is a hair smoother. There is a lot of controversy and heresy out there about hair straightening and smoothing treatments, mostly due to the Brazilian Blowout, which my mom’s salon (and many others) have refused to offer. Brazilian Blowouts have made quite a few people very sick and contain high levels of formaldehyde. Ever since I heard about it, I’ve been wary about getting any type of straightening or smoothing treatment on my hair and have spent the last year drilling my madre about Keratin Complex and doing online research. She’s an Educator for the company (so she travels to train stylists on how to use the product and perform the treatments) and could answer ALL of my questions… including scientific mumbo jumbo that flew right through my brain (I’m a math girl, not a science girl).
Keratin Complex is a smoothing treatment, unlike Brazilian Blowout, which is a straightening treatment. Keratin Complex contains a high level of keratin (a protein that is in your hair—the keratin for this product is derived from sheep’s wool and they aren’t hurt in any way during their haircuts). As a smoothing treatment, Keratin Complex repairs your hair, whereas straightening treatments break the hair down. We lose keratin in our hair from everyday damage such as blowdrying and straightening (which I’m guilty of both on a very frequent basis), and no over-the-counter products will repair this damage.
Keratin Complex contains aldehyde, which is a plant-based preservative (all beauty products need some type of preservative to keep them from going rancid). It’s at a level 2, which is the same level that’s found in perfumes and body lotions (I use both of these). I found the treatment to be extremely gentle –it didn’t hurt my eyes and smelled lovely- and feel like it was way less abrasive than getting my hair colored.
Of course, you always have to do what’s right for you. There are a boatload of hair treatment options out there and it’s up to everyone to become educated and make their own decision. Just wanted to share my experience with you 🙂
First, my madre washed my hair with a clarifying shampoo to bring my hair to the proper PH level. She then blow-dried it and applied the keratin treatment to my hair, from roots to ends. She wore gloves, but said the only reason for the gloves is that the molecular structure of the keratin is so small, it would end up going into her hands instead of my hair.
The treatment sat in my hurr for 20 minutes, not so that a chemical process would occur, but so that my hair would soak up all the keratin:
Then, she dried my hair again and straightened it to seal in the product.
My hair feels SHINY and NEW 😀
I’ve been banned from sweating for 2 days (which is perfect because I usually take Sunday and Monday off or active recovery) and then my hair will blowdry more quickly and be frizz free. FRIZZ FREE?!? I can’t even imagine!
Here’s what it looked like before: And after:
(After waking up hahah)
Fun 😀 It will still curl when I want to go curly, too.
After hair, we went and grabbed some lunch at Choice Greens, a create-your-own salad place.
You fill out the ingredient list with all of your salad choices:
and the chop it all up for you!
A brilliant concept 🙂
My salad beast of joy contained:
-romaine
-artichoke hearts
-asparagus
-sundried tomatoes
-mushrooms
-albacore tuna
-balsamic on the side
+ a veggie soup
I’m off to pick up a cake for my friend’s birthday and then celebrate!
Have a fabulous night <3
xoxo
Gina
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sounds very cool. Its nice to see that you researched it a bunch and shared all that info with us. I just straighten my hair every day with a flat-iron, damaging yes, but i have never looked into much else, especially chemicals. I hope to hear more about this keratin treatment, so that maybe one day i will decide to do it.
I’d love to hear another review about the Keratin treatment in a few days. I hadn’t heard of it until your earlier post, and was glad you posted a follow up about it now. Anyway, it piqued my interest – I have mega frizz- so I googled keratin treatments to get some info on it, and all the first results were basically horror stories about people losing hair!!! Nonetheless, I trust that you researched it well (no one wants their hair to fall out!) so I am really curious to see the results in the coming days! Your after pic looks great – very very smooth.
yes, i’ll update for sure! there are many different types- keratin complex by coppola is the one i had done
I so love this post! I have been thinking about getting that treatment, but being a 3 time cancer survivor, I was really afraid! I have short frizzy/curly hair and am so tired of it! My hair grows so slowly that I have been very afraid!
Are there any specific questions I need to ask at local salons?
ask if they offer keratin complex but coppola- its the one i had done and from what i researched is the safest. of course, do your research and make sure it’s a good choice for you!
3 time cancer survivor? you are AMAZING <3 way to ninja kick it, my friend… sending a happy hug your way
Your hair looks gorgeous! I don’t have much problem getting my hair to stay frizz free, but that sounds like a great option if it’s something your hair needs! 🙂
Can you do post on the kombacha drinks? I see them in whole foods and am curious about the benefits and taste. Thank you!
sure! i was going to make my own, so when i do, i’ll do a full post on it 🙂
I’ve been getting the Coppola for about 6 months now and I love it! My hair is so easy to dry and that’s all I have to do. I hope it’s great for you also!
good to know! i’m excited about that
Whew, Gina you looking sleek!! It looks so smooth, I want to hear how you like it after washing and doing it yourself. I have super coarse, frizzy, curly hair. It’s pretty short now (not a good idea) but I could see myself trying this in the future.
@MMILLER- wow!!!! Major props to you!
Your hair looks great! We have a made-to-order salad place near me (and the name escapes me at the moment!) and my girlfriends and I can’t wait to try it out!
Your hair looks beautiful!!
Your hair looks gorgeous Gina! I love custom salad places too. We have a chain about an hour from where I live called Freshii (and I think there’s some in the US too) that makes delicious custom salad beasts and wraps. SO good!!
Wow, it looks amazing!! I think I might have to try this. I never dye my hair, but I embrace the sun lightening that takes place during the summer. Soo my hair is slightly sun damaged and could def use some TLC. Plus I do use a little sun-in w/ my blow drier so I don’t look like I have roots growing in during the winter. Yeaa I could absolutely use this!
Whoaa!! Does this work on curly hair (and like, can you keep wearing your hair curly if you get it done?!?!) Also, is it very expensive?! I’m super interested in this!! Thanks for the post!
you can wear it curly but you have to use a curling iron
not sure how much it costs since my mom did it for me 🙂
Your hair looks absolutely beautiful! My poor hair probably hates me after the constant blow drying I put it through. I have been dying it less though to help it repair a bit and have been going easy on the blow drying.
I did the keratin treatment too and I loved it for awhile but it’s NOT for every hair type. My hair is naturally curly and now when I want it to curl I have to use a curling iron, I almost cried because I feel like my natural curls are gone forever.
Your hair looks beautiful! I haven’t thought about getting any kind of treatment on my hair, and I know that if I do, I need to do my research. For now I just hope and pray that my hair looks somewhat decent each day 🙂
So your mom owns/runs her own salon? Did you ever think of getting into that sort of career?
i did think about it when i was younger, but it never really turned into anything. in high school, i cut a friend’s hair and colored it red… and my mom had to fix it haha
Your hair looks so pretty! My mom had this done and the difference was amazing.
Love the hair! It looks so cute!
How fun that you can wear your hair straight or curly. My choices are straight, straighter, and more straight. Lucky girl that your mama is so good with hair! 😉
Girl, your hair looks FANTASTIC!
love the hair!! looks fabulous 🙂
Your hair looks sooo NICE and super shiny!
Also, I recently stumbled upon your blog and absolutely love it. (Annnd as a fellow Tucson citizen, I must admit that Choice Greens is one of my fav eateries!!)
Just a little FYI,
The Brazilian Blowout is also a smoothing, not a straightening treatment. No keratin treatment is a straightening treatment, per se, as they do not alter the bonds of the hair permanently, only ‘coat’ the hair to create a more circular (smoother) hair shaft. Any keratin treatment, like other chemical services, can cause issues if not applied properly per manufacturer’s directions. I applaud you for your research, Gina! It’s so important for consumers to find certified salon stylist/educators to insure proper application of the product. Enjoy the smooth hair… it really has changed my morning routine for the better!
One. Your hair looks fabulous.
Two. I tried that Kombucha the other day & I actually liked it. (the other flavors I’ve tried were sort of nast.)
Three. That salad place looks baller. I want to go there haha.
That’s awesome! I’ve been thinking about getting my hair chemically straightened but the harsh chemicals always turned me off. It’s good to know there’s another option out there.
How cool about the keratin treatment! Love gathering new info!
Wow, your hair looks beautiful! I’m interested in hearing about how fast it blow dries.
Thank you so much for sharing, I got a Brazillian blowout this summer, which I was told would condition my hair and make it stronger, and did not contain any “harmful” chemicals. Unfortunately, I did not ask to read ingredients(something I usually do) and this did the opposite! Seven months later and I still have dull, lifeless, flat hair!
Thank you for the in depth comparison of keratin vs. brazilian blowout. I have had the later and I just assumed based on some of the reading I had done and people i had talked to that they were very similar…bad assumption on my part since they do sound quite different…yet the results of awesome straight, friz-free hair seem similar.
Your hair looks amazing, Gina! I am so happy for you since you’ve clearly poured your heart and soul into researching it all and wanting it.
And what better person to do the treatment for you than your mama 🙂
Sooo jealousss, I love how straight your hair isss!
Wow…your hair looks so smooth! I’ve considered getting this treatment for my frizz ball but wasn’t sure if the amount of protein in the treatment would be good for me since my hair is fairly thin. Looks fantastic, though so I’m going to have to investigate a little more. =]
what a great day! I love the smooth look. GORGEOUS!
Gorgeous!!!! Seriously! My mom does hair too and she used to give me a keratin treatment before she moved overseas…I miss them so much 🙁 My hair is horrid these days.
Gina your hair looks great! I’ve never heard of a Keratin treatment before but after seeing your results I am definitely interested! Can it be used on straight hair too? My hair’s already straight but I would love to give it the shine and glossiness.
yup it can totally be used on straight hair
I’m way jealous that it is warm enough to have a farmers market! Midwest is a huge downer for the farmers market world.
This stuff was banned in Canadian salons due to the level of formaldehyde…http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/_2010/2010_222-eng.php
yeah i discussed the aldehyde in my post– it’s around 2% which is similar to most beauty products.
I’m not sure I believe in this miracle treatment, but your hair does look pretty! Keep us updated on how it weathers over time!
your hair looks awesome!
Your hair looks gorgeous! I’ve been sucking on Kombucha all weekend. I saw a comment that you were going to make it!?!?!?! please do it would save me some major $.
yup i’ll prob start a batch this week 🙂
My brother’s a hairdresser and my Mum got hers done as well – it looks fabulous! Considering it for me as well.
Your hair looks beautiful! Just wanted you to know I made your chocolate chip protein ballz today and they are amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
your hair looks great!
i love your hair! im jealous.
I seriously want to go to that salad place! And your hair looks fantastic!
Your hair looks so healthy!! Love it!
Hey Gina – I am sooooo jealous of your thick hair! My hair is very fine but it is also pretty frizzy (“fuzzy” is probably a more accurate description), but it’s definitely not curly (straight and fuzzy?). Does this treatment work as well on us blonde, fine-haired girls? I usually have to straighten my hair or use hot rollers to keep the fuzz out.
Thanks for all the great info!
i think it would definitely still work on fine hair
Your hair looks beautiful! I actually really like the “before” picture, too 🙂 and I think you have gorgeous hair no matter what. Also, thanks for the info about this treatment — I’ve never heard of it and am now interested in looking into it for myself!
Your hair looks great- good choice 🙂
Its like shiny new hair! I bet it feels amazing : D …… I need a trim, badly!
You will love the keratin treament!! The first couple of days stink, but totally worth it in the long run.
i already want to wash it SO BADLY!!
Gina,
I so applaud you for the research and for sharing the information. What you didn’t mention is that the Keratin treatment’s “aldehyde” is really just a weaker version of the formaldehyde chemical. Its obviously a personal choice but its best that people know the chemical is still the same one in both treatments, just to a lesser degree in Keratin.