Friday, June 28, 2013

The Keratin Treatment

My hair stylist/colorist extraordinaire, has been after me for THREE years, to get a Keratin treatment for my hair. You see, as I may have lamented on this blog before, my hair does NOT bode well in Humidity. And where do I live? Charlotte, North Carolina. Probably in the top five most humid places during the summer. Which means, I go curly in the summer (straight hair is not even on my radar when there's 90% humidity) and even when I go curly I'm STILL a bit frizzy.
She says the Keratin treatment is "life-changing." She's been wanting to give me one forever. I resisted, because of the formaldehyde stories I'd heard, but she told me Aveda does NOT use it. So, yesterday afternoon, I let her give me one.

First, I was pleasantly surprised at how painless it was. She brushed a bunch of crap on my hair that smelled like tanning lotion, let it sit, and then blew my hair dry and flat-ironed it. (The flatiron was at 450 degrees, which made me nervous--you know that "cooked tanning lotion skin" smell you get when you leave a tanning salon? Yep that's what my hair smelled exactly like.)

So, apparently, once you've had a Keratin treatment, you have to wait 72 hours to do ANYTHING to your hair. And I mean ANYTHING. I was surprised at the list of "don'ts" Here they are, in random order:

1) Do not wash or wet your hair for 72 hours. (3 days)-no surprise here. Although I am worried, because the 3rd day happens to be on Sunday, and I have church, and I have to stand up and conduct a meeting with my nasty three-days-unwashed hair. Ugh.
2) Do not tie hair into a ponytail. !!!!!! WHAT?? In all this heat and humidity? It's going to average 92 this week! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HAVE KNOWN THIS BEFOREHAND.
3) Do not wear hair clips. As If.
4) Do not wear hair bands. Um, how will I wash my face?
5) Do Not Sweat. Are you KIDDING? So, basically, don't do housework, don't go outside, don't work out...basically EXIST IN A VACUUM for three days? Asking me not to sweat is like asking the Pope to not be Catholic. It just. Isn't. Happening. And apparently, if I DO sweat *gasp!* I am supposed to runlikehell to the nearest blowdryer and flatiron and immediately blow the offending sweaty hair dry and flatiron it. OR ALL WILL BE LOST. Nice.
6) Do not place hair behind ears. OH MY HECK how am I supposed to remember that? So, what happens if I do? Do warning bells sound and some sort of Hair S.W.A.T. team descend on my house with rappelling ropes? (I asked, and she said my hair would naturally form in that direction and I'd hate it.)
7) Do not wear bobbypins. I haven't, since like age 25
8) Do not rest glasses on hair or use them at all if they are wide-framed. Apparently I will be driving all squinty because all my sunglasses are taboo. Thank heaven I wear contacts...
9) Do not have hair color/highlights done for at least 2 weeks. DUH.

Apparently, the Keratin takes 72 hours to "cure" like cement. So, I'm on Day One of the 72 hours. I will return and report at the end.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm teriffied to get one. Can't wait to hear what you think!

-Janey

p.s. glad to see you blogging again!

Fernanda said...

Keratin is an innovative process that transforms the hair without chemically altering the hair strands, but by sealing the hair in keratin. Keratin is the primary protein of the skin, hair and nails. The use of a keratin-based product adds moisture and strength to hair damaged by blow drying, coloring, and traditional relaxers.Know more about keratin treatment and their therapies at http://artbeautyonline.com/