Do Keratin Treatments Work on African American Hair?

Keratin treatments are one of popular hair-smoothing options to choose from, especially if you’re looking for alternatives to ironing or pressing. These are also known by some different names. For instance, it is much familiar called Brazilian keratin treatments (BKT). But do these treatments work on African American hair, too? Are they safe?

African American hair is more sensitive

Hair of black women (including for African American women) has unique structures. Typically, it contains less water and grows more slowly. But this can vary, too – especially the texture.

Since their hair contains less water, it can be very dry and easier to break. African American women may be about 2-3 times as likely of white women or other races to have hair breakage. So, it’s not only about very kinky, coarse texture!

And many times, hairstyle practices are to blame to worsen the problem. In fact, hair loss problem in black women is also quite common to be associated with their hairstyle practices. See also common causes of hair loss in black women in this section!

So, choosing the right hair treatments can be much more important if you are a black woman. How about keratin treatment? Does it work – is it safe, too?

What actually is keratin treatment?

This hair treatment is not DIY option, and you need to go to a salon to take it! The result is also dependent on the skill of your stylist. In fact, it is really about putting your hair in the hands of a professional.

The use of this treatment is quite controversial, especially about the claim of whether or not it is safe. While salons and manufacturers of products for keratin treatment say that it’s good and safe for hair, some experts and professional stylists may suggest otherwise.

What is it for?

It’s not always bad to have frizzy, curly hair. But in fact it is not always acceptable, too.

And if you are sick of frizz and curls, keratin treatment can be one of alternative choices to help straighten the coils of your hair. And this is not only about to look great and shinny, but can also be helpful to make your hair easier to comb. You can save about 40-60 percent of your blow-dry time (time-saving tresses).

Yap, it’s not permanent. But at least, it usually lasts about 2 or even maybe 3 months – this can be quite enough to kick frizzy hair in the humid days of summer.

Overall, it could be a good fit if you are looking for hair treatment to straighten your frizz but not permanently alter the texture of your hair!

How does it work?

Again, it is not a DIY option – you need a professional stylist to get the best result. In essence, the treatment uses a keratin hair-straightening product that leaves your hair frizz-free. It is directly applied to hair, and then your stylist will use heat of a flat iron in order to help seal it in!

How long does the treatment take? This is usually dependent on the length of your hair. In general, it can take about 90 minutes on average.

After the treatment, the result is quite durable. It usually will not change even though you walk out in light /moist rain.

But the solution also needs time to work. Therefore, it’s usually recommended to avoid washing hair for 3-4 days after treatment. And to keep the result last longer, the use of sodium-sulfate-free shampoo is recommended when you need to wash and shampoo your hair after the don’t-wash waiting period!

Does it work on African American hair, too?

Keratin treatment what we’re talking about was actually discovered for the first time in Brazil by a mortician, that’s why many times it’s also called Brazilian keratin treatment.