With so many words floating in the hair industry that can represent treatments, styles, cuts, and more, it’s hard to keep straight which treatment does what and how to know what you need.
Some popular treatments to get on your hair these days are the Brazilian Blowout and Keratin treatments. Both do the exact same thing and are often used synonymously. But there are slight differences that can make a big difference when choosing what is right for you. We’re going to teach you what is up, what the differences are, and how to know what to choose.
The main goal of Keratin treatments and Brazilian blowouts is to smooth, shine, and protect hair. It is often used to de-frizz frizzy hair and add protection to your hair where it may lose it over time. As your hair grows without being cut, it is subjected to the natural elements of the outside world and to the damage we might do to our hair ourselves.
Using heat products like curlers and straighteners damages our hair over time and extended periods in the sun, cold, or extreme moisture. Your hair develops holes of its natural protein, and therefore makes your hair more brittle and easier to break.
What these treatments do essentially is put the natural protein back into your hair to fill in the ‘holes’ that were caused by various lifestyle factors. These treatments are recommended to people who are looking to bring some moisture back into their hair and restore it to its natural, healthy beauty.
It is often very hard to distinguish between these treatments because “The “Brazilian Blowout™” is, in fact, a brand name carrying a registered trademark. The name is also used by a company that provides professional hair smoothing products. Many salons use the name Brazilian Blowout to describe their own smoothing service, regardless of the formula they use. They often use some other products instead of the original Brazilian Blowout smoothing solution to achieve similar effects.” according to softerhair.com.
Your stylist might recommend a Brazilian or another type of keratin treatment to fit your needs depending on your hair type. Brazilians are known to be more customizable. If you want to keep your volume and calm your frizz, a Brazilian will be for you. If you want to calm unruly curls and have too much volume, a Keratin treatment might work better.
Keratin treatment is known for taking a bit longer and is very thorough- “the product is applied section by section and evenly distributed throughout the hair. For best results, a cap is placed over the head for 20-30 minutes to allow the product to soak deep into the hair shaft. The hair is then blow-dried again, and flat ironed at a 450 F setting. The client needs to refrain from washing the hair for three days.”
Softerhair.com also tells us about a Brazilian saying it may only take 1-2 hours and “The product is carefully applied to sections of hair. The hair is blow-dried and straightened using a straightening iron set at 450 degrees. Your hair is then rinsed thoroughly to remove the product and apply a deep conditioning masque. Finally, your hair will be blow-dried again to get the final result” and you can continue to wash and style your hair like normal after.
Keratin treatments are considered “heavy” in comparison to Brazilians, they are a full-out strengthening treatment. Blowouts are a lighter option and will ease frizz but still leave volume while Keratin will give you straighter hair and reduce volume, frizz, the whole 9 yards.
Different from relaxing your hair, these treatments are “usually temporary and wash out after a few months, straightening chemical relaxers are permanent” according to mainaddicts.com. This is for people who are trying to bring moisture and health into their hair while getting rid of frizz and softening curls. If you are looking for stick-straight hair, you might lean more towards getting a classic Keratin treatment. Your stylist will be able to easily let you know which will work best for the results that you want.
These treatments became popular when the Brazilian blowout became a regular occurrence by celebrities and people who set the trends. While these treatments are not necessarily cheap, people say that once you see the difference they make on your hair, you will never go without it. Contact your stylist for advice on the best treatment for you and sit back and admire the perfection that your hair will be afterward.
