With Brazilian Keratin Treatment, a stylist applies a solution made with keratin. Using a 450-degree iron, the hairdresser seals the formula onto the outer layer of the cuticle. It sticks to the cuticle’s rough edges, trapping moisture and hydrating the hair.
Initially, the hair may seem too straight for many curlies.
“My hair was stick straight,” Frankel says. “It was beyond Marcia Brady straight. I’ve never had my hair so straight in my entire life. Personally, I didn’t like how straight it was.”
Unlike thermal reconditioning, the process washes out so the hair gets wavier over time. Another advantage over thermal reconditioning is that the hair can be curled, giving people more styling options.
“The hair has body and natural movement,” Ramos says.
The process typically lasts from six weeks to a few months — longer for color treated hair — depending on how often the hair is washed. There is no demarcation line between the treated hair and new growth.
