If you are a client who has recently had a Cocochoco treatment done, or you are someone thinking about having the treatment done, then this post is for you! You may be wondering how you will be able to keep the effects of the keratin straightening treatment for as long as possible, and we’re going to tell you how.
If you have recently had a Cocochoco treatment, your stylist should have explained how the treatment works, and what ensures that your hair stays straight. But if they haven’t then we’d like to tell you how to keep your hair straight for 12 weeks or even more! Some of our clients even report that the results of the keratin treatment have lasted 18 weeks. Amazing, right? Well, if you follow our advice below on how to care for your treatment, you might be one of those clients.
How does the keratin work?
So, let’s start by telling you how the keratin works. When the stylist washes your hair with Clarifying Shampoo, what they are doing is priming the hair for the treatment. The clarifying shampoo has a pH of 7.5-8 which opens your hair cuticles. This is an important part of the process, as we want to have the hair as open as possible when the treatment is applied. After this the hair is blowdried, so your hair may appear fluffier than when you first arrived at the salon. This is because the hair is now open to the treatment!
Next up is the application of the keratin. Your stylist will ensure that your hair is saturated with the product, and will then leave it on for 30 minutes. This allows the keratin to soak into the hair, and for the hair to absorb as much product as possible. Once the 30 minutes has passed, your stylist will then start on the next step; blowdrying. Unlike many other 12 week blowdry products, Cocochoco is never rinsed off. Instead, it is blowdried into the hair! Once the product has been fully blowdried into the hair, the next bit of magic happens…
Straightening! At this point, the keratin has been absorbed into the hair, but the hair is still open, so if any moisture gets in at this point, then it will stay in the hair and the full effects of the treatment will not be possible. So, we have to seal the keratin into the hair, and essentially laminate the hair. By taking small sections of hair, and passing the straightener over it at the right temperature, and the correct number of times, the keratin product is melted into the hair and the hair cuticles are sealed down. The keratin is coating the hair, and when it melts onto the hair with straightening, it is laminating each of the hairs. This is what gives you that sleek, smooth look and feel.
So, now you have your keratin treatment done, what next?
Next, it’s up to you, the client, to ensure that the hair is correctly maintained. Firstly the advice that we give every single client: DO NOT GET YOUR HAIR WET FOR THE FIRST 72 HOURS AFTER THE TREATMENT. This really is the most important advice. For the first 72 hours, the keratin treatment is still settling and laminating the hair, so any additional moisture (including excessive sweat, particularly at the back of the neck, as well as steam from cooking, and of course showering) can tamper with the treatment. During the first 72 hours, the keratin is still susceptible to absorbing moisture, and if it does this, then the effects of the treatment can easily be ruined as moisture causes the hair to frizz and puff up. So what should you do if you do accidentally get caught in the rain, or do a workout, or cook a big steamy dinner?
- As soon as possible (ideally immediately…) blowdry the hair so that it is completely dry. This removes as much moisture from the hair as possible and prevents the hair from absorbing it.
- Straighten the hair after blowdrying. This ensures that the keratin remains sealed and straight.
Of course you can still shower during this first 72 hours, but we would recommend gently gathering the hair into a shower cap (not tying it, and avoiding clipping it if possible) to shower. Then, once you’re out and dry, leave the hair down. If it has kinked in the time that you’ve had it up, just run a straightener through it at 160 degrees. We don’t ever recommend using the straightener at more than 160 degrees after the treatment, as this may affect the keratin coating of the hair. High temperatures are used to seal the keratin, which should only be done once (at the salon).
Next on the maintenance list is to avoid bending, tying or clipping the hair up for the first 72 hours. Again, as the keratin is still working in the hair, bends, clips or ties can dent the hair, and these dents can remain in the hair even after the first wash as the hair has ‘settled’ into this shape. So, we recommend leaving the hair down and as straight as possible (including not putting your hair behind your ears!) for the first 72 hours. If your hair is frizzy or out of shape when you wake up after sleep, we recommend straightening it so that it is back to being as straight as possible for as long as possible.
Finally, the most important part for maintaining these results long-term: using the correct aftercare products. Cocochoco have designed and created a whole range of aftercare products specifically for caring for the keratin (and botox) treatment(s). The shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, serums and creams have been developed to support the keratin treatment, and avoid all chemicals that can prematurely erode the lamination of the hair. While for most 12 week blowdries it is suggested to just use ‘sulfate free’ products, there can often be ingredients in these ‘sulfate free’ products that make up for the lack of sulfates, but are actually just as damaging to the Cocochoco treatments. Therefore, we only recommend using the Cocochoco aftercare products, as this is the best way to ensure that you get at least 12 weeks out of your treatment. Our aftercare products are also highly concentrated, so a bottle of shampoo and conditioner often lasts most clients more than 12 weeks, as very little is actually needed to get a good wash.
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