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Side Effects Keratin Shampoos and Treatments can do to you
This article reveals the ugly truth and informs you about the real side effects of Keratin shampoos and treatments. Keratin has become a big name in the haircare industry in recent years. Lots of Keratin shampoos are available in the drugstores/supermarket; you can easily find them on the shelves everywhere.
These shampoos and conditioners that contain the keratin complex are said to be good for our hair. The advertising of Keratin products promotes them as added protein for our hair that can strengthen, protect it from breakage, improve colour, and remove hair fizz, giving us the smooth, straight, and shiny hair we all want to have.
But does Keratin really make our hair healthier, as it claims? How about Keratin Treatments at the hair salons? You will be shocked to discover the truth.
What is Keratin?
Keratin, which is made up of amino acids, is a protein found in hair, skin, and nails. Made by cells named keratinocytes, it is found in the fat cells of your hair.
Side Effects of Keratin Shampoos and Treatments can do to you
Truth Number 1: Keratin is not natural or organic
What is the keratin in hair products made from?
The best keratin for hair repair comes from human hair. However, within Europe, it is banned, and human protein (or other human ingredients) are not allowed in the making of any products.
Therefore, keratin can only be obtained from animals. It’s impossible to get keratin from plants and flowers. I have seen many hair salons advertise their keratin treatment being natural or organic. This deeply annoys me!
Even if there’s a trace of protein extracted from the animals, its composition is not identical or even close to the keratin of the human hair. Therefore, it is purely a misleading marketing ruse, as it will not benefit your hair at all.
Besides, the EU also banned the importation of any goods with animal contents or ingredients. Therefore, the keratin treatments offered in the European salons are most probably just illegal imports without safety guidelines and FDA approvals.
There are two types of keratin from animals:
a-Keratin: found in vertebrates
b-Keratin: found in reptiles and birds
Truth Number 2: Keratin is actually not great for you hair
Can keratin be unhealthy for your hair?
Keratin replacement, for sure, will be good for hair, as our hair loses keratin and needs nourishment and keratin replacement, but in the previous point 1, we have discussed that other than human keratin, the animal keratin molecules are too big to attach themselves to human hair.
So, what if the human keratin ingredients are being used in the shampoos, conditioners, or keratin treatment?
It is important to understand that hair can only absorb a certain amount of keratin proteins. After that, it simply cannot absorb any more. What happens if your hair can’t absorb the excess keratin? Well, it can start to create problems by clogging your hair follicles and cause build-ups, especially because many of these keratin shampoos and conditioners contain silicones or SLES/SLS sulphates.
Truth Number 3: Keratin shampoo does not work
The main function of shampoo is cleansing the hair and scalp. But many brands claim that their shampoos have additional functions, such as, for example, creating volume, stimulating hair growth, and repairing the hair. A lot of these functions are being questioned.
The most important argument implies that these additional functions don’t work because shampoo is usually washed out before additional functions can begin to work. Even if the shampoo is full of amazing ingredients, there is not enough time to deposit them in the hair. Plus, water is a barrier that ingredients need to get through to penetrate the hair.
The same question can be asked for keratin shampoos: do keratin molecules have enough time to reach the hair before the shampoo is washed out?
Most keratin in hair products is not suitable for shampoos because the molecules are too big and don’t fit in the hair. But even if they were to fit, sometimes the molecular composition and its properties are not optimal for penetration of the shaft.
Truth Number 4: Keratin Treatments offered in the hair salons cause more damage to your hair rather than making them healthier
The keratin treatment makes the hair look shiny after a treatment because it is like a wax coating around the hair shaft. You will notice that because of this, you won’t be able to effectively do hair colouring or other hair treatments afterwards because this layer of wax acts as a barrier created to prevent any moisture or products from absorbing afterwards.
Many people suffer from hair loss after keratin treatments.
There are some hair-straightening products on the market that have the name ‘keratin’ on their packaging. So, some people assume that keratin is the ingredient that straightens the hair. But this is not true.
The only way to truly straighten the hair is through heat or chemicals that break the hair’s inner disulphide bonds. A keratin shampoo cannot straighten your hair! Again, this is a misleading marketing ploy.
Only ingredients like formaldehyde, which is illegal in Europe, are the only things that can change your disulphide bonds.
Keratin treatments, due to the ingredients involved and the high heat required to do the technique, may cause more damage to hair. How can using a flat iron at high temperatures of 450 degrees Fahrenheit to do a keratin treatment be good for your hair? It will only damage your hair, breaking down the natural keratin structure in the hair strands.
In a salon keratin treatment, keratins are mixed with formaldehyde and applied to the hair with a flat iron. It is a semi-permanent treatment that smoothens the cuticle (the outside layer) of hair and leaves hair looking silky smooth.
Companies and salons that promote the service say that you can revitalise hair follicles with keratin and claim that it is a non-damaging treatment. However, many experts warn against the treatment because formaldehyde is a harsh and potentially hazardous chemical that has been linked to cancer.
For these reasons, keratin and hair loss can go hand in hand, and keratin treatments can contribute to excess hair shedding and thinning hair.
A Keratin Treatment could easily set you back $300 dollars!
Natural products are more affordable and good enough.
To promote healthier looking hair and nourish it from within, be sure to stay away from chemical hair treatments. It is much better to use products that contains ingredients of natural origins.
It is also important to cleanse and condition with a gentle densifying shampoo that won’t strip damaged hair of essential oils and will nourish hair strands. A good shampoo and a conditioner that are silicone free, SLS-free and SLES-free will help create the ideal environment for healthy hair growth.
Add a hair tonic elixir that makes hair look thicker and healthier.
Just remember these keratin treatment products contain ingredients other than keratin (such as formaldehyde), and the high heat of the styling tools used can burn and break the hair, causing it to shed. Some salons advertise that their keratin treatment is formaldehyde-free, but it has been shown by research that even medications that don’t contain formaldehyde can transform into formaldehyde when heated through chemical reactions.
The American Cancer Society warns that formaldehyde is a known carcinogen. This means that it may cause cancer or help cancer to grow. Products with this chemical release formaldehyde gas into the air. Formaldehyde may also trigger many other skin reactions and health side effects.
Keratin hair treatments may sound like a quick fix for curly or wavy hair, but it may cost you more damage in the long term. Tests show that keratin treatments contain unsafe levels of formaldehyde and other chemicals. So, I don’t recommend keratin treatments for the short-term gain of having shiny, straight hair for just a couple of weeks/months. It is not worth it because your hair worsens once the effect of the chemical wears off, and these treatments cause scalp issues and hair loss.
How to Improve Hair Quality?
You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on chemical-based treatments in hair salons to make your hair look good. Often, they do the opposite, spoiling your hair and making it worse than before, as mentioned in the truth of this post article above.
Natural products work better.
Here is a DIY salon-grade hair-mask product recommendation to help you make your hair shaft stronger and tougher to improve your hair quality without side effects. It is easy to use by yourself in your own home.
It is made with safe ingredients like Argan Oil, Polygonum Multiforum, Rosemary Extract.
Watch the video below to see the instant, amazing results it gives and how it is used.
Also Consider Swapping Keratin Shampoos to our special Natural Shampoo Bar that is cost saving, environmental friendly and handmade with specific natural herbs and botanical extracts to target different scalp and hair problems. All our products are best hair growth shampoos focused on scalp health and boosting hair growth. Can be use for 80-100 washes which is equivalent to 3 bottles of 250ml liquid shampoo. The 14 variants are made with different plants targeted to treat different scalp conditions and prevents hair loss problems.
