Keratin straightening for porous curly hair: death of curls or new life for hair

In order to achieve a smoother, sleeker look, many people with curly, porous hair are choosing keratin straightening. Many people adore how this treatment can easily manage and style unmanageable, unruly hair. However, concerns regarding its long-term effects on curls accompany these advantages.

Those who have naturally curly or wavy hair may find that keratin treatments have two cons. They claim, on the one hand, to lessen frizz and leave hair glossy. Conversely, there’s the worry that curls could become permanently deformed and lose their bounce.

This article investigates if keratin straightening can save your natural curls or if it’s a game-changer for frizzy hair. We’ll go into detail about the treatment’s effects on hair structure and what to anticipate if you choose to use it on your curls.

Aspect	Description
Effect on Curls	Keratin straightening smooths curls, reducing frizz, but may weaken natural curl patterns over time.
Hair Health	The treatment can improve hair texture, making it shinier and more manageable, especially for porous hair.
Longevity	The straightening effect lasts a few months, depending on hair type and aftercare.
Damage Risk	While keratin treatments are generally safe, overuse can lead to dryness and potential breakage if not done properly.

When you can"t love your hair

I made my decision last summer after growing weary of the constant warm winds and rain. What’s the point of getting up early, washing and conditioning your hair, applying cream, brushing it straight, smoothing it with oil, spraying it with hairspray, putting on a headband, opening an umbrella outside, and trying your best to hide from the raindrops? I have an untidy, fluffy head at work at nine in the morning.

I refuse to accept it when someone goes to someone, even if it’s just careless fluffy to the face. Curls never seem as neat as I would like, no matter how I arrange them. Thus, my faithful friends Brush and Feng, cosmetics for smoothing. However, even they aren’t able to save me in the intense humidity of the spring and summer.

I become a dandelions. Stabbing or inserting the tail won’t help because the hair curls everywhere, on both short and elderly animals, creating an uncontrollably large ball of fluff above your head. Remember the Cossacks with the hat stacks right away?

I make an effort to clean them. Only a portion of it is captured by invisibility; the rim works better, but… Spending a lot of money on hair cosmetics, taking your time, planning your exit, and walking with a tail and rim is all very "nice." I’m just over everything from last summer in general.

I discovered a salon in the center that has a lovely website, positive reviews, and a reasonable price tag. Enrolled. I enjoyed the caring. My hair may turn out to be a swamp color after the procedure because it is treated with a chemical and then lightens by 1-2 tones under the high temperature of the iron (and with grass it can turn green…). This was the first warning I received when I decided to dye my hair with a henna and basma mixture.

I chose to take a chance. I truly wanted it, so it was a shame to turn it down. "If anything, I’ll tint it chocolate," I reasoned as I started to count down the days until day X.

Keratin straightening procedure in the salon

It was a rainy August day when I visited the salon. It was like a dandelions when I got there. After looking over and touching my hair, the master advised creating a base for keratin straightening (a mask applied in a thermal cap for ten to fifteen minutes prior to the procedure) in order to prevent excessive damage to the hair.

After creating a base and cleaning it, they started applying the composition. I apologize for not even asking what my hair would look like if it were straightened; I have no idea what kind of business it is.

The composition’s strength (medium, lasting three months) or strong (lasting six months) was inquired about in advance by the master. selected with strength. The composition smelled strong (hello, formaldehyde!) when applied, but it was tolerable despite my eyes and nose burning. I spent 30 to 40 minutes sitting with the composition. A hairdryer was then used to dry the treated hair. Very, very long. Next came the iron-processing step.

Initially, the expert extracted the tiniest vellus hairs from my temples and back of head using a tiny, thin iron. The main hair sheet was then processed using a regular iron. Every strand was extracted numerous times. It’s a painful process.

My roots were tugging, as if the hair and bulbs were being extracted simultaneously. My expression conveyed to the master that, generally speaking, very few people experience pain during this process. I was embarrassed, but I told the truth: the hairdresser had somewhat loosened the tension when it was particularly painful (strong pulling of the strand upward with an iron). Do other people also whine as much as I do, or am I the only one?

Following the ironing, they cleaned my hair, used a hairdryer to dry it, and began filming it under a lamp while saying, "Congratulations, now you have straight hair." And a girl was staring at me in the mirror, her scalp neatly shaved.

Rain washed me out of the salon once more. Additionally, I noticed that my hair was straight and devoid of fluff when I arrived at the closest cafe. And, regrettably, no volume. In addition, even though I just had my hair washed forty minutes ago, there was an unhealthy shine that gave the impression that my hair is dirty.

I made the decision to adjust to it. It was summer, warm, and a day off, and I was in a great mood, having accomplished what I had wanted for a long time. Inspired, I tucked the "icicles" behind my ears and took a walk to the closest metro station after sipping my coffee. My goal was to reach Tretyakovskaya in order to purchase a discounted moisturizing mask from Moroccanoil. The hamster continuously threatened to ruin my keratin hair if I didn’t get this mask (which is unfortunate, but the Curl Expression mask isn’t worse—it’sjustless expensive).

As is often the case in the summer, the rain stopped after lunch and the sun came out. And under this sun, I noticed a "Christmas tree" all over the top of my head when I looked in the mirror outside. My initial thought was, "That’s why it hurt me! They pulled it out almost to the base, breaking off healthy hair in the process.

I’ve never had such a mess before keratin straightening. A handful, a handful of tiny hairs poking out. The "Christmas tree" is interesting because it extends precisely along the top of the head; it doesn’t extend below the ears.

After I collected myself, I wondered if it was just my hair that created a halo around my head during the rainy season. I mean, I had short curls all over my head, so it could be them if they were pulled out at this time. The only reason they don’t lie and instead stand out as a visual "Christmas tree" is because they are short (growing upward like curls).

I’m still not sure what it was, all in all. It appears visually unappealing, akin to chaff (thankfully, at least without white dots). The "Christmas tree" is visible on the left side of this picture.

Life with straight hair

You get used to the lack of volume during the first week. Even though the head is cleaned and dried with a hairdryer every day, it gives the appearance of having unwashed hair, both visually and tactilely. The scent of freshly laundered, wet hair is somewhat reminiscent of sheep’s wool (DNC Lanolin smells similar).

Leave-in creams and masks are terrible for the hair. All you need to use is spray and conditioner. Additionally, it appears that hair generally does not accept care—as if it were armor—and that all the advantages simply roll off of it.

These are all transient issues. After a period of one and a half weeks, the hair stops smelling in particular and the volume gradually returns, albeit not as luxurious as before. They are radiant. In just three to four minutes, dry using a hair dryer in the direction of growth using a comb rather than a brush. Straight, manageable (I still recall the time I spent 20 to 30 minutes brushing out my porous hair while it was +28 outside and my back was drenched).

A month later, my hair started to react favorably to makeup, especially creamy leave-in products, and I could apply a mask without worrying that it would weigh it down (despite the fact that my favorite mask, Lebel IAU Serum, was outlawed for a while). But for three months, I had to put leave-in products—that is, oils—out of my mind. The strands were even "sucked" by Kerastase Elixir Ultime.

Without a doubt, the hair appears thinner. In my situation, I always tuck them behind my ears because they show through otherwise and, even with curls, I looked "weak."

They give me the cute, put together look I’ve always wanted behind the ears. The hair appears equally presentable in a ponytail; it is smooth, shiny, and perfectly parted without any fluff. It is not thick, but it is also not unkempt.

However, there are additional issues when putting up a ponytail; the hair is so smooth that silk elastic bands slide off, and the same is true with bananas and hairpins. The "springs" alone are helpful. I don’t braid my hair since its thickness prevents me from wearing it out; I only do it at home, but it unravels easily.

Even after sleeping, hair remains straight and free of creases. gets greasy more quickly, so you should wash it first thing in the morning. It looks stale to skip a day or wash right before bed (previously, I could occasionally allow myself to go two days). However, the scalp responded rather calmly overall, and other than an overabundance of sebum production, nothing unpleasant happened. The same level of intensity as before is lost. doesn’t divide.

In summary, the result is glassy hair that is shiny, healthy, and not overly thick, requiring little maintenance.

Although keratin straightening can be a game-changer for porous, curly hair, losing natural curls is a risk associated with the smoother, shinier strands and easier manageability. While some people love the sleek appearance and less frizz, others might be concerned about their hair’s texture being permanently altered. In the end, the choice is between retaining your natural curls or enjoying frizz-free hair.

Return of the porous structure

Three months or so later, the front strands started to "return to life." They fluffed up a little but did not curl. They can be made smooth once more with just a few seconds on a brush under a hair dryer’s stream. Gradually, the structure of the hair returned. It appears that the composition was of excellent quality because, for the six months that were promised, my hair resembled that of a young woman with straight hair.

But after the seventh month, my hair started to need more styling. However, the "Christmas tree" vanished entirely and was replaced by the well-known "fluff."

With the exception of the 8–10 cm ends of my hair, which were frizzy and curly, after 8 months I was already using a brush religiously.

Considering that I did not take any care of the keratin in my hair—that is, I applied oils, used sulfate shampoos, dyed my hair with herbs for fun, and generally did not hold on to the effect, putting the health of my scalp and hair first—I think this is a good result.

Changes

It has been ten months since the surgery. My hair frizzes, curls, and takes 15-20 minutes to style with a hairdryer. I still need to use styling products, such as foam for my bangs. Almost everything about my hair is the same as it was before getting keratin. The most recent haircut was at the end of February; the curtain bangs were trimmed, and 5 cm of ends were removed (I didn’t get a full bang; it looks like "shorter strands near the face" instead).

Here is the ends that should be mentioned separately. As I wrote above, they remained straight. They are like this now – hanging straight, not thick 8-10 cm. hair. Somewhere after 30 years, they became the "weak link" in my hair, in my youth the thickness was more uniform. And now "oil painting" – thick on top and thinning at the bottom. There is also hair loss (but within normal limits) and a little brittleness. And I haven"t grown my hair long for a long time, I always cut it, most often – just above the shoulder blades, only a couple of years ago I decided to grow it. Maybe a habit of one length? Or all factors together.))))

Furthermore, keratin severely damaged the weaker ends of the hair, changing their structure irreversibly. I still hope that as they grow, the thickness will decrease, so I can’t cut them all off at once; instead, I’ll cut these off gradually. I will remain in intensive care even though I have no idea if I will be successful. And for us hair maniacs, what does hair care entail? Joy, routine though it may be.

“And the fight continues again”

I’m going to get my hair straightened with keratin again at the end of May. I’ve already paid in advance and signed up. There isn’t an escape. )))

Actually, I didn’t intend to do it again. I decided a few months ago not to use such a drastic procedure because I didn’t think my hair, which was already beginning to curl, looked messy. And I became more and more motivated to leave everything alone by the fantastic lively volume at the roots.

However, as spring rains arrived and winter came to an end, my hair started to change more and more, and now I spend twenty minutes straightening it while standing with a brush and a hair dryer. It lives its own life and spits on all my efforts even after I oil and straighten it.

The purchase of a cutting-edge L’Oreal styling product for perfectly straight hair was the last straw. The men at work gave us gift cards to a well-known store in observance of March 8. I almost spent my whole certificate on this product. However, I had been using a project pan successfully for a few months prior to that. Alright, enough about depressing topics.

L"Oreal Professionnel SteamPod

What’s the final result? It goes a little faster when styling with a brush under a hot (this is necessary to reveal the properties of the product) hairdryer. The hair is shiny and straight after finishing. However, the hair’s overall texture continued to fluff up in humid weather, and the ends hung limply. Was the nearly two thousand ruble cost worth it? It wasn’t worthwhile.

You could also use this product with a straightening iron, which L’Oreal recommends more. However, given that I wash and style my hair every day, tell me honestly, girls, how long will thin curly hair last with a straightening iron? The solution is clear-cut.

The product isn’t for me, even though it might be good. Right now, I’m not sure what to do with it. A full bottle.

For people with porous, curly hair, keratin straightening can be a game-changer. It tames frizz and makes hair more manageable while giving the appearance of smoother, shinier hair. Many find that it gives them the freedom to style their hair however they please and feels like a fresh start.

But it’s crucial to consider the advantages and disadvantages. Convenience and a sleek appearance are two benefits of the procedure, but it may also mean saying goodbye to natural curls—at least temporarily. Depending on the type of hair, different outcomes will occur, and to maintain the effect over time, regular maintenance will be required.

In the end, your hair goals will determine whether keratin straightening revitalizes your hair or causes curls to disappear. Keratin might be the best option if you’re looking for hair that’s less frizzy and more sleek. However, it’s important to consider your options carefully before choosing, especially for people who value their curls.

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