Keratin hair treatments have become increasingly popular. They can transform dry, lifeless, and frizzy hair into a luxurious and shiny head of hair. For those who get keratin treatments regularly, they are a godsend. But many are left wondering, “Does keratin cause hair loss”?
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Keratin is Tough Stuff
The animal kingdom makes horns, feathers, and hooves of keratin. In humans, keratin is a resilient protein that is the base for epithelial cells that cover your body inside and out. The lining of all our organs contains keratin, and so does our skin, nails, and hair. Our bodies produce keratin fifty-four different keratins.
Protein depletion is caused by environmental stressors like the sun and wind, hair products wrong for our hair type, and coloring, perming, and bleaching your hair. Once depleted, restoring the keratin helps to replenish the proteins to keep your hair healthy.
These keratins are divided into two types. Type 1 has eleven kinds of hair keratins and seventeen epithelial cell keratins. Type 1 keratin protects body cells from internal stressors. Type 2 has six hair keratins and twenty skin cell keratins. Type 2 balances Type 1 keratin and directs cell activity.
A large variety of hair products contain keratin, including keratin hair treatments. Another name for this treatment is a Brazilian Blowout. Consumers expect the keratin hair treatments to leave their hair shiny and healthy with a silky texture. Unfortunately, some leave the salon with less hair than when they arrived.
Why Keratin Hair Treatments are Used
We have all had bad hair days, too much frizz, dull, unmanageable hair. The aesthetic appeal is your silky, shiny hair after the treatment. Hair is porous; the keratin fills the porous holes in the hair, resulting in the glossy, smooth look it gives your hair strands. It also reduces frizz, so your hair is easier to style. The more manageable your hair is, the quicker it is to style.
If your hair is curly, it leaves your curls softer but doesn’t remove or flatten the curl. However, the texture of your curls may change. When you are ready for another treatment, your natural hair texture will have returned. Keratin treatments make your hair healthier by protecting it with an added protein layer. Using it reduces split ends and hair breakage. Ultimately, it makes your hair seem to grow faster but grows at the same rate. Keratin strengthens the hair by bonding it for a time. That is why the split ends disappear, and your looks are shiny and smooth. Eliminating the split ends gives the appearance of longer hair. A good keratin treatment can last two to six months.
Using keratin-enriched shampoos and conditioners is great for long-term hair health but does not produce the same smooth, silky results that a keratin treatment can give.
Home-use keratin treatments are available, but the results will depend on whether you are doing the process correctly, the health of your hair, and the temperature of the heat-activation device you use. The wrong temperature on your hair could result in disastrous results!
What Else is in a Keratin Hair Treatment?
There are two types of keratin treatments for the hair. One contains formaldehyde, and the other is formaldehyde-free. Disinfectants, fungicides, and germicides all contain formaldehyde. Most people know formaldehyde from its use in funeral homes to preserve bodies once a person dies.
The other ingredients in the keratin treatment include formalin, methanal, methanediol, and methylene glycol. The ingredients, when mixed with water or heated, release the formaldehyde. When humans are exposed to formaldehyde for lengthy periods, they can develop cancer. Formaldehyde is an irritant that can cause respiratory issues, chest pain, rashes, irritated eyes, nausea, and vomiting.
Formaldehyde-free keratin treatments have no formaldehyde, and their ingredients do not cause formaldehyde to be released.
Ironically, today, keratin treatments often use Acetic acids, Glycolic acids, and Glyoxylic acids to tame frizzy hair!
Keratin No-Nos
To answer the question asked in the beginning, Keratin does not cause hair loss IF applied properly. Before the treatment is started, your hair must be washed twice with a clarifying shampoo and blow-dried; this helps remove hair products, oil, and dirt. The hair needs to remain 20% wet to apply the keratin treatment.
The lotion should be applied to your hair and NOT your scalp to prevent hair loss! After the keratin lotion, there is processing time, and then the hair is completely dried with the lotion in place.
The most important step is flat ironing the hair at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. This step, heat- activates the keratin, sealing the keratin and moisture in each strand. Afterward, your hair is washed to remove the keratin solution and then redried.
Hair Raising Side Effects
Keratin treatments are not without side effects. Despite being used to strengthen hair, the high heat needed to activate the therapy causes hair to become dry and brittle, and hair may break off, creating split ends.
Keratin treatments will cause your scalp to be dry. The drier the scalp, the better the treatment will work. Your body will restore the scalp’s moisture in three to four days.
The result of the treatment will depend on the quality of the solution used and your stylist’s experience.
Preprocessed hair from bleaching, coloring, and perms is not ideal for these treatments. It could result in keratin alopecia (hair loss).
Be sure to use the recommended hair products the stylist suggests; these are manufacturer-recommended and will give the best long-term results.
Boost your keratin with keratin-rich foods. Foods offering high doses of keratin include chicken, onions, sweet potatoes, garlic, mangos, Greek yogurt, berries, spinach, and dairy products.
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