Keratin or Chemical Smoothing? Let’s straighten out the details

For a lot of people, hair straightening or smoothing can seem like a big commitment – but does it have to be?

Of course a lot of us reach for our daily straightening and styling tools, but if doing that day-in-and-day-out is giving you bigger biceps than you’d like or taking up that extra 20 minutes of snooze time then we’re here to chat different, more permanent, solutions.

The big two or Chemical and Keratin Straightening or Smoothing processes. But what are they really? What’s the difference? Well, thank goodness we’re here to help you straighten things out.

What actually is “Chemical Straightening”?

First things first, Chemical Straightening has a few different names and types – Thermal Reconditioning, Reverse Perms, Japanese Straightening and Relaxers just to name a few.

And when we say permanent, for the majority of people we mean permanent. This is because they work by using super strong chemicals to break down bonds inside your individual strands to take out any curls or waves and get that straighty-180 look. Essentially it damages your hair to make it straight.

On the upside, because this process uses such strong chemicals it can straighten the hair of even the wildest curls. On the downside, when new hair grows, that hair will still have your natural waves, curls, and kinks to it so you will need to refresh it to maintain the pin straight look from root to end.

Also, as it uses such strong chemicals, this kind of straightening is often not recommended for coloured or bleached hair.

All-in-all definitely a viable solution for those boys and babes looking for permanent hair straightening but please for the love of hair, leave this one to the professionals.

What actually is “Keratin”?

Keratin hair straightening is actually also a chemical process, but in this version keratin proteins are added back into your hair. These keratin proteins are natural in your hair, and are the thing you need for shiny, healthy hair. So what happens is when your hair gets overly porous, it becomes frizzy, tangled, and well… unhealthy looking.

So we add keratin back into the hand strands to restore it to its former glory. But don’t get it confused, these natural proteins will run out again and you’ll need another boost. Because everyone’s hair is unique, results may vary but we expect to see you again for a keratin pick-me-up between two and six months.

Unlike chemical straighteners, you can happily use keratin products on coloured hair. Because this process makes your hair healthier, it can do big things for colour damaged hair.

All in all, despite this being a non-permanent straightening solution, you know in the long run you’ll be left with healthier, stronger locks.

Can you do this at home? Yeah. Should you though? Probably not.
Again, hairdressers are professionals for a reason. And if that’s not reason enough, getting it fixed will cost more than just getting it done properly in the first place.

If you think either of these solutions are options for you, or you’d just like to chat or learn more, then book your appointment with Taleah and the team to make your straight hair dream a reality.

Love, Taleah and your Savvy squad xx