Keratin is a protein commonly found in hair treatments. Advertisers claim that it helps to restore hair health by improving moisture content. While some people attest to the effectiveness of keratin treatments in restoring their dry and damaged hair, others report hair loss after a keratin treatment.
Key Takeaways
- Keratin treatment helps restore hair health by increasing moisture in hair.
- Some people report hair loss after a keratin treatment due to using harsh chemicals that can dry and damage hair, lead to excessive scalp itchiness, weaken hair follicles.
- Additionally, if the keratin treatment is not applied correctly, or the hair is over-processed, it can lead to hair loss as well.
- Strategies to prevent hair fall after a keratin treatment include: avoiding hair manipulation, washing hair regularly with a mild shampoo and moisturizing conditioner, incorporating a healthy lifestyle, not combing or brushing wet hair, avoiding prolonged exposure to water, not applying dye to hair.
Why Does Keratin Treatment Cause Hair Loss?
Keratin contains harsh chemicals, which make hair drier and damaged. The harsh chemicals also lead to excessive scalp itchiness resulting in your hair falling.
Some people may argue that keratin is a protective protein naturally produced in the body to promote healthy nails, skin, and hair. As such, a keratin treatment should not damage hair.
However, the type of keratin found in commercial treatments is not the same as that found in our bodies. This type of keratin is derived from animal horns and skin. Chemicals like formaldehyde and glyoxylic acid are also used in the treatment, which can hurt your hair and your health as a whole.
Both formaldehyde and glyoxylic acid break hair bonds and reform them, leaving the hair straighter. Unfortunately, formaldehyde particularly weakens the hair follicles leading to the hair falling off.
Also, a keratin treatment involves exposing your hair to high heat multiple times, which can further lead to dryness. After the keratin treatment is applied to your hair, it is blow-dried and then flat-ironed to seal in the keratin.
It is then rinsed and blow-dried once again to make the hair straight. Straightened hair can last 3-4 months.
How to Prevent Hair Loss After Keratin Treatment
The main strategies for preventing hair fall after a keratin treatment include avoiding hair manipulation such as aggressive brushing, combing, tugging and keeping the hair moisturized.
Also, washing the hair regularly with a mild shampoo followed by a moisturizing conditioner or masque helps eliminate any residual chemicals from the keratin treatment and promotes hair health.
Use a moisturizing treatment within a month of the keratin treatment to balance your hair PH. Ultimately, incorporate a healthy lifestyle for optimal well-being and promoting hair growth.
#1. Do Not Comb or Brush Your Hair While It’s Still Wet
Even without a keratin treatment, wet here is quite fragile. When combed while still wet, it tends to overstretch and break. The hair follicle attachment to your scalp is also loose when the hair is wet.
Therefore, wait until the hair dries before combing it. If it tangles excessively, making it harder to comb when dry, wipe off the excess water and gently comb it with a wide-tooth comb while moist, making sure to smooth out the tips.
#2. Wash Your Hair Regularly
It is important to wash your hair regularly after a keratin treatment to avoid adverse side effects. Regular cleaning removes any harmful chemicals that may have remained in the hair after the treatment. However, wait at least 72 hours after the treatment before washing the hair.
Use a mild shampoo to remove chemicals, dirt, and oil without causing further damage to your hair. While washing the hair, massage your scalp gently to improve blood flow to the hair cells, promoting growth.
Rinse it and follow up with a moisturizing conditioner. Once you’ve rinsed and dried the hair, massage the scalp again with oil or hair serum. These oils not only moisturize your hair but also strengthen it and prevent dandruff.
#3. Leave the Hair Alone
Avoid manipulating the hair in any way that causes stress. This is not the right time to try out complex hairstyles that involve aggressively tugging your hair, brushing it, or exposing it to heat, as you risk further breakage. Also, do not apply dye to your hair after a keratin treatment.
#4. Avoid Exposing Your Hair to Water for Prolonged Periods
Avoid swimming and using the sauna or steam room in the first week or two after a keratin treatment. The chlorine in the swimming pool will be too harsh on the fragile hair, while the excess heat in the sauna or steam room weakens it further.
If you regularly engage in activities such as running and cycling, which cause your hair and scalp to sweat, apply a leave-in conditioner on the hair each time before you head out. Bring an umbrella or a hooded raincoat to avoid getting your hair wet if the weather is rainy.
#5. Do a Moisture Treatment Within a Month of the Keratin Treatment
Usually, a keratin treatment offsets the protein-moisture balance in your hair. The high protein content in the treatment can make your hair rough and coarse. So, you must follow up the keratin treatment with a treatment that adds moisture to your hair within a month.
Use deep moisturizing hair treatments that contain ingredients such as peppermint, avocado, eggs, aloe vera, honey, lemon, coconut oil, peppermint, shear butter, and Moroccan oil, among others.
#6. Take Care of Your Health to Promote Healthy Hair
Eat nutrient-packed foods, stay hydrated, exercise regularly, get enough sleep and rest, and avoid stress. You require a wide range of essential micronutrients for healthy hair, including B Vitamins, Vitamin C, zinc, fatty acids, folate, and many more. Therefore, ensure that your diet is rich in fruits and vegetables.
Drinking at least eight glasses of water daily ensures that your entire body is well hydrated and nutrients are adequately transported throughout the body, including to your hair cells. Adequate hydration can also help to prevent split ends.
Regular exercise stops hair loss because it brings more blood and oxygen to the scalp. On the other hand, rest provides the body ample time to recover and rejuvenate. All of these health tips keep you from getting stressed, which can cause hair loss and a lot of dandruff.
Conclusion
Keratin hair treatments are often suggested by hairstylists as a way to get rid of frizz and make hair more shiny and straight. While it works well for some hair types, it causes others to dry out and fall out. Because of this, keratin-treated hair needs special care, as we’ve talked about above, to keep it from falling out and keep it healthy.
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