Is Keratin Treatment Good For Thin Hair? Pros, Risks, & More

From my years of experience, I find that a significant question among beauty enthusiasts is, “is keratin treatment good for thin hair?”

This concern is pretty valid, especially when considering the processes involved in keratin treatment balanced against the general nature of thin hair.

I’ve carefully analyzed the effects of keratin treatment on thin hair and provided recommendations on keratin products you’ll find super helpful.

So first, what are the processes involved in Keratin for thin hair?

READ MORE: Is Keratin Treatment Good for Black Hair?

What Processes are Involved in Keratin for Thin Hair?

The processes involved in keratin hair treatments are similar for all hair types, and they include applying the keratin products to the hair, blow-drying it, and finally, sealing the hair strands with a keratin complex flat iron.

Keratin treatments, also known as Brazilian blowout or Brazilian keratin treatment, are an ideal option if you have thin hair.

After the hair treatment, you can make your hair look healthier and more robust. Let’s look at the Keratin treatment process in detail.

Applying keratin products

During keratin treatments, hair care products, i.e., keratin solutions containing the structural protein, Keratin, and other active ingredients needed for making the human hair smooth and stronger, are applied (1).

Applying keratin treatment on hair

This is a super important aspect of keratin treatment for hair, especially if you have low-density thin hair. The hair care products used must be carefully selected to prevent chemical damage that can result in further hair loss.

Blow-drying

The application of the chemical treatments will leave your hair wet.

Blow-drying your wet hair with the hair dryer will help ensure that the applied chemical solution penetrates the hair fiber beyond the hair surface.

Blow-drying also helps make the hair apply fuller, vital for those with scanty hair density. Hair density lack can be made up for through the process of blow-drying.

Sealing hair strands with a flat iron

Keratin is a natural protein with disulfide bonds that can help reseal the bonds in the hair cuticle layers (2).

After applying the keratin chemical treatment and blow-drying the wet hair, the bonds in the human hair shaft structure are sealed to give you straight hair.

Sealing keratin treatment with a flat iron

How Good is a Keratin Treatment for Thin Hair?

Keratin treatment for hair is good for thin hair as it helps to make it healthier, giving you smooth and shiny hair and preventing your hair from possibilities that can cause further hair breakage or hair loss.

Keratin treatments do not necessarily contain thickening fibers that can make your hair thicker. However, keratin filaments can do many things to improve your hair strength and hair growth.

Keratin filaments impart strength to the hair structure, making the hair stronger and reducing the possibility of suffering hair breakage later on, as hair breakage is one of the reasons for scanty hair density.

Keratin filaments are the main protein in epithelial cells in the hair follicles, and keratin chemical treatment helps to boost their concentration. This boost in the level of Keratin in hair is a plus for those with thin hair.

Is Keratin treatment good for thin hair? You can watch this video for more details:

Under What Circumstances are Keratin Good for Thin Hair?

Keratin is suitable for your thin hair if your hair is also curly, color-treated, and coarse. You’ll be able to profit much from keratin chemical treatment if you have wavy hair, curly hair, or frizzy hair.

But if your thin hair is straight, smooth, and delicate, you might not need a Keratin treatment. There are several other hair treatments that you can consider if increased hair volume is what you need.

READ MORE: Is Keratin Treatment Good for Curly Hair?

What are the possible risks to keratin treatment for thin hair?

Harsh chemicals in keratin solutions can risk keratin chemical treatment for those with thin hair.

You should bear in mind that keratin solutions not only contain the essential hair protein keratin. They also have other active ingredients, such as formaldehyde.

When formaldehyde concentrations get too high in the keratin products, it becomes toxic to the hair.

An experienced stylist usually knows how to choose the appropriate product for thin hair with minimal formaldehyde concentration levels.

However, it has recently been found that most cosmetics products contain formaldehyde concentrations considered unsafe for hair, and hair stylists may not be aware.

This is because when formaldehyde becomes mixed with water, it becomes named methylene glycol (3).

This might be tricky as hair stylists might not be aware of the formaldehyde derivative in the hair care products they have chosen because they are not familiar with methylene glycol.

Formaldehyde solution is harmful to hair and exposes other body parts to health hazards. According to research, hair stylists are at significant risk for asthma due to their daily exposure to formaldehyde in hair straightening products (4).

Other chemical products that can pose risks to hair when their concentration in keratin products gets too high include calcium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and lithium hydroxide. Calcium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and lithium hydroxide dissolve Keratin filaments in solutions.

Thin hair is quite vulnerable to heat damage, and the use of several hot irons during heat setting can be risky.

During application, the pungent smell from the Keratin products is another downside to Keratin chemical treatment.

Here is an awesome transformational video of thin keratin-treated hair.

@keratinone Keratin on fine/thin hair ♥️ #hair #keratin #keratintreatment #specialist #foryou #manchester #hairsalon ♬ original sound – keratinone

How Long Does Keratin for Thin Hair Last?

Just as with every other professional keratin treatment, Keratin treatments for thin hair can last up to six months. Yes, it can be as long as that.

Although this depends on how you treat your hair after the Keratin treatment process, hair experts advise that you keep your hair from intense moisture in the first three days after the treatment.

This is necessary to help seal the keratin solution properly into the hair follicles and cuticle scales.

It takes some time for the solution to penetrate beyond the outer layer of the hair fiber and get into the deep layers of the hair cuticle.

There are other recommendations you should follow after having a Keratin treatment, for instance, on how to sleep within the first three days after the treatment process.

A lady with beautiful straight thin hair

After a Keratin treatment, you should also reduce how much you wash your hair. Washing your hair regularly can strip your hair of the applied Keratin, which might reduce the longevity of the effects of the treatment.

I recommended that hair washing after a Keratin Treatment should be limited to twice or thrice at the most per week to sustain the effects of the treatment.

Top Products to Help You Make the Best of Keratin for Thin Hair

In this section, I’ll be giving you a list of five products that you can not only use for an at-home keratin treatment but that is very beneficial for thin hair. Here’s my list.

Vitamins Keratin Hair Serum

This product is suitable for all hair types, including thin hair, as it combines collagen and biotin well with hydrolyzed Keratin. This combination helps to boost hair strength.

It also contains castor and coconut oil, which help moisturize your thin hair, preventing it from looking dull.

Schwarzkopf Keratin Color Intensive

Coloring your hair, similar to heat styling, depletes the keratin levels in hair. This can be pretty risky if you have thin hair.

This product is a brilliant idea if you have thin and would love to improve your hair color without suffering keratin loss.

Color Wow Dream Coat

This anti-frizz treatment helps to create a coating over the hair surface. This shield-like covering will protect your hair from elements that can cause frizz and induce breakage in your thin hair.

Rene Furterer Absolue Keratine

In addition to its ability to strengthen thin hair strands, this serum is a repair formulation for those with damaged hair. It helps to improve the fragile hair parts.

It’s a 10 Miracle

This is an ideal choice for thin hair with natural curls. It contains a blend of hydrolyzed Keratin and panthenol, a lightweight conditioning agent.

FAQs

Which is better for thin hair: Keratin or shampoo?

lady picking the best shampoo for rebonded hair on the grocery store

The shampoo is better for thin hair as it doesn’t contain as many risky ingredients as keratin products. However, the sulfate-free shampoo that you want to use for your thin hair must have the necessary additives that can help improve thin hair health.

Does Keratin work for thin hair recovery?

Keratin helps to recover hair strength in thin hair and helps to reduce hair breakage.

Conclusion

So, “is keratin treatment good for thin hair?”

With all the details provided above, I’m sure you now have answers to the question!

Your thin hair can be enhanced better if you know how well to treat it. I have recommended Keratin products compatible with thin hair, and you should trust your hair to do fine with them.

Also, remember to talk to your hair stylist for recommendations on sulfate-free shampoo.

A lady at the salon getting hair treatment under tittle Is Keratin Treatment Good for Thin Hair?

Resources

  • 1. Presland RB, Dale BA. Epithelial structural proteins of the skin and oral cavity: function in health and disease. Critical Reviews in Oral Biology and Medicine: An Official Publication of the American Association of Oral Biologists. 2000;11(4):383-408. doi:10.1177/10454411000110040101
  • 2. Sciencedirect.com. Published 2022. Accessed September 14, 2022. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021925819623537/pdfft?md5=48ce1abeb0d15b1038ebf998339a9fb5&pid=1-s2.0-S0021925819623537-main.pdf
  • 3. Golden R, Valentini M. Formaldehyde and methylene glycol equivalence: Critical assessment of chemical and toxicological aspects. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. 2014;69(2):178-186. doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2014.03.007
  • 4. Dahlgren J. Asthma from hair straightening treatment containing formaldehyde: Two cases and a review of the literature. Accessed March 2018. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/James-Dahlgren/publication/323875661_Asthma_from_hair_straightening_treatment_containing_formaldehyde_Two_cases_and_a_review_of_the_literature/links/5dfc0b30299bf10bc368d7d5/Asthma-from-hair-straightening-treatment-containing-formaldehyde-Two-cases-and-a-review-of-the-literature.pdf