A keratin treatment is a hair procedure that uses bonds to make your tresses appear straight and smooth. It's a common process performed at salons all over the world, but many people don't understand how it works. After all, what exactly is going on when you get a keratin treatment? Let’s talk about it.

Is There a Difference Between a Keratin Treatment and a Regular Hair Bond?

Keratin is the protein that makes up your hair and nails. It's also used as a structural component in skin, feathers, horns, and hooves. There's no difference between a keratin bond and a regular hair bond other than the sizing of the two. A keratin treatment is a procedure that applies keratin and other ingredients either into or onto the hair shaft, depending on the type of treatment you receive.

How Are Keratin Bonds Formed?

Keratin bonds are formed by a reaction between sulfur atoms and disulfide bonds. The disulfide bonds are the ones that hold hair together, so when they change into cystine or another amino acid molecule, they are much weaker than they once were. Keratin treatments that use formaldehyde or other harsh chemicals break the bonds, resulting in straight but damaged hair. Keratin Salon Direct, which is free from formaldehyde and other harsh chemicals, does not break the bonds. This allows the user to have reduced curl but will not result in pin straight hair.

What Makes Up Hair Strands?  

In order to understand how keratin bonds are created, it's important to know that hair has three layers: the cuticle, the cortex, and the medulla. The cuticle is a layer of overlapping scales that protects the inner layers of your hair shaft from environmental damage and water loss. It also reflects light back into its core, which is what gives your hair its shine.

Now, the cortex is made up of proteins like keratin. This protein structure is what makes our hair strands appear smooth as long as they're healthy. Finally, the innermost core is called the medulla, which is mostly air.

In order for a keratin treatment to effectively work and add shine to your locks, it needs to gain access into the cortex of the hair to infuse it with necessary ingredients.

The Science of Hair Straightening Treatment

Keratin smoothing treatments are a type of chemical straightening that uses keratin proteins to strengthen and smooth the hair. Keratin Salon Direct uses proprietary formulations comprised of a combination of safe and effective ingredients that have been used for many years in hair care and in the food industry, including keratin and a proprietary blend of nutrients, conditioners, vitamins, and botanicals. These at home keratin treatments penetrate through the cuticle of the hair and gently modifies the bonds, while it is delivering its nutrients deeply into the hair strand delivering soft, smooth, manageable, lustrous hair. The science behind this treatment is complex--and very cool! Let's take a look at how it works.

The process of keratin smoothing is a complex one, but it's also very effective. The key to making this treatment benefit you is knowing how it works. With Keratin Salon Direct’s at home keratin treatments, your hair will become smoother and easier to manage than ever before!