Keratin Treatment Every Month: Is it Okay? [Pros & Cons]

If you consider the advantages of keratin, you might be tempted to have keratin treatment every month.

Perhaps you’ve heard that keratin treatments can have side effects if done too frequently, and you want to find out if a monthly routine isn’t a wrong idea.

I also had to answer this question, and this led me to make some exciting findings.

Here, I’ll be sharing what the appropriate time to have keratin treatment is and the pros and cons of doing it monthly.

Can I Have Keratin Treatment Every Month?

No, you shouldn’t have a keratin hair treatment every month. Regardless of your hair type, whether you have curly hair, frizzy hair, bleached hair, dull hair, dry hair, unruly hair, or even damaged hair, you should not have keratin hair treatment every month.

Keratin treatment is a chemical process that involves the application of hair products that contain the essential hair protein – keratin. It also contains other chemical ingredients to improve hair health, giving you shiny hair and straight hair.

Also Check: Best Straightener for Keratin Treatment

Some of the chemicals on the ingredient list include formaldehyde, sodium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide.

Although the chemical composition of keratin hair treatment products differs based on the brand of product you’re using, the protein keratin is a constant in any of these products.

The application process helps to seal the structural protein – keratin into hair follicles, making the hair shaft smoother and straighter, giving you a better hair texture with a shiny appearance (1) & (2).

If you have ever had a keratin hair treatment before, you will probably want to make it part of your regular hair beauty routine.

However, you must be aware that the effects of the chemical treatments your hair receives during a keratin treatment will last 3-6 months. 

How long a keratin hair treatment lasts depends on the type of hair treatment that you get. There are different types of keratin salon treatments, and each of them has its peculiarity as to how long their effects last.

Later in this article, I’ll mention the different types of keratin chemical treatments with the time their effects on hair last so you can know exactly when to make your next appointment with your hairstylist.  

Also Read: How Often Can You Get Keratin Treatments?

What Happens When You Have Keratin Treatment Every Month?

Let’s look at the pros and cons of having a keratin hair treatment monthly.

Pros

• It makes your hair strands resilient and protected from environmental damage as a result of renewed keratin coating forming over them.

• If you have unmanageable hair, a monthly keratin treatment is an end-all solution to several kinds of hair health issues, including frizz, brittleness, etc.

• Monthly keratin hair treatment is not as damaging as daily heat styling. Heat setting can cause damage to the hair making the hair weak, and this can be risky.
• It helps to save blow-drying time.

Cons

• Monthly keratin hair treatment means increased exposure to formaldehyde which might cause an over-straightening hair problem leading to hair loss and hair breakage. The formaldehyde gas in keratin products is the active ingredient that helps to keep the hair cuticles straight.

• Long-term formaldehyde exposure can also have other effects on your health causing skin allergic reactions and respiratory conditions. This is one of the reasons keratin hair treatment must be done in a well-ventilated area.

The effects are more dangerous for pregnant women and nursing women. According to research, altered pregnancy incidences may serve as a potential indicator of reproductive formaldehyde toxicity (3).

• Monthly keratin hair treatment will make your hair sleek and smooth, and when this gets excessive, your hair volume might begin to appear depleted.

• The anti-frizz effect of the treatment on your hair might get very intense, making it easy for your hair strands to become limp and greasy.

• A monthly treatment can make hair porous as the keratin hair treatment involves cycles of breaking hair bonds and resealing them.

• It can make your hair strands coarse. The coarse strands can be a result of the keratin coating that keeps forming over your hair, preventing moisture from getting into your hair core.

What is the Ideal Time for Keratin Treatment?

The ideal time for keratin treatment varies based on the specific type of keratin treatment that you’re having. Each keratin treatment type is formulated with a unique hair product ingredient list, and this affects when to do it.

Let’s look at the different types of keratin hair treatments and the duration of their effects.

1. Brazilian Blowout

A Brazilian blowout/Brazilian keratin treatment lasts up to three months. This means that you should only do a Brazilian keratin treatment once in three months.

2. Japanese Keratin Treatment

This takes five months for the effects to last. A Japanese keratin treatment should not be mistaken for a Japanese straightening which is a permanent straightening procedure that employs the use of chemical relaxers.

It is an alternative option for those with extra-sensitive hair who will prefer to have formaldehyde-free treatments.

3. Keratin Express

The effects of this treatment last up to six weeks.

The Keratin Express treatment has the shortest duration, which is still more than one month. You might have to wait an average of 4-5 months for the next appointment if you are considering either a Japanese or Brazilian keratin treatment.

Watch this video to find out the top five keratin treatment products for different hair types:

FAQs

Conclusion

Keratin treatment every month is a big NO, at least for the sake of your hair health. Make sure you keep to the recommended time interval between each treatment appointment.

You should also talk to your hairstylist for specific advice based on your keratin treatment type.

How long after do you do keratin treatments? Let us know in the comment section!

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 [Internet]. 2000;11:383–408. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11132762

2. Paus R, Cotsarelis G. The Biology of Hair Follicles. Epstein FH, editor. New England Journal of Medicine. 1999;341:491–7.

3. Duong A, Steinmaus C, McHale CM, Vaughan CP, Zhang L. Reproductive and developmental toxicity of formaldehyde: a systematic review. Mutation Research [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2021 Aug 11];728:118–38. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21787879/