On Sep 29, 2014, I did the Keratin Treament at KenAris Salon. The Keratin Treatment cost $488 for my hair length which was considered long. I was a little wary at first because I did try Keratin Treatment once in the United States and it was unsuccessful. Gilbert heard my concerns and reassured me that I will be satisfied with the results. He mentioned that my split ends will be less noticeable after the treatment. The whole treatment took 3.5 hours. First they washed my hair with the special shampoo. My hair was given a good wash to thoroughly remove build-up and other impurities. When my hair is damp, the keratin treatment is applied carefully section by section. A shower cap is put on to retain the head's natural heat. They let it soak for 20 mins or so then they rinsed it off. After that, they put another ingredient on my hair will at the sink and let it soak for another 10 mins. My hair was blown dry section by section to seal the keratin. After that, a flat iron was used to seal the treatment. Lastly, my hair was rinsed off with water and then blown dry naturally.
In order to prolong the effects of the keratin treatment, Gilbert recommended that I wash my hair every other day instead of every day. He also reminded me to wash my hair with cold water to prolong the treatment.
Five days after the treatment, I had my hair curled and styled for my cousin's wedding. I even had my hair braided and put up for the evening. I was worried that my hair was no longer going to be straight after the hair styling, but after washing it out, it went back to being straight and smooth. Gilbert told me to put lots of conditioner after the hair styling to keep it soft and smooth.
I went swimming two week after I did the keratin treatment. I tried to minimize contact with chlorinated water but it was almost impossible to do. However, it did not seem to cause the keratin to be stripped off. My hair was still smooth and straight.
Three weeks after the keratin treatment, my hair was noticeably straighter and not as frizzy. However, I found that my hair was too flat. I tried to follow Gilbert's advise to not wash my hair everyday. But after a week of doing it, I could not continue. My hair will be oily at the end of Day 1, and it will be super flat and oily on Day 2. I just could not stand the greasiness of second day hair after the keratin treatment.
My hair started to look more natural after about 1.5 months. It continued to be smooth but less flat; my hair regained some of its volume back. That was my ideal hair look.
Gilbert said that the keratin treatment should be able to last 3 months if I use the specified shampoo and proper care. I finished using the bottle of Kerastraight shampoo in December 2014, and started going back to my usual Essential Rich Shampoo. Now, in January 2015, which has been four months, my wavy roots are showing. But the rest of my hair is still relatively straight. My frizziness has somewhat returned but it is still better than my au naturel hair.
Keratin treatment was supposed to make the hair still look natural and not flat straight. I will not do Keratin treatment again. Yes, it does make my split ends less noticeable but I do not like how flat it makes my hair. Plus, I find that after the keratin treatment, my hair gets oilier more easily. A big no-no in my books. Lastly, keratin treatment is very expensive and does not as long as other smoothing treatment.
