Chemical straightening treatments can enable you to enjoy straight for months without needing a flat iron every day. Two of the most popular hair straightening treatments are Japanese hair straightening and keratin treatment. If you’re wondering which treatment is right for you and if you should visit a Japanese hair straightening salon for your curly hair, keep reading.
Difference Between Keratin Treatment And Japanese Hair Straightening
Japanese hair straightening is also called thermal reconditioning, rebonding, and Yuko whereas keratin treatment is also known as keratin complex treatment, Brazilian complex treatment, and Brazilian blowout. Let’s dive into the difference between these two.
The Process
Japanese Hair Straightening
A cysteine solution is applied to the hair for 20 minutes. It breaks the bonds of the hair and makes them pin straight. After washing out the cystine solution, your stylist applies a conditioning treatment to your hair. This treatment is to ensure that the hair stays straight.
Hair stylists know how long they have to keep a solution on hair because a solution longer than required can damage the hair.
Later, the hairdresser will use a flat iron to straighten your hair in small sections. The temperature of the flat iron is 356 F but it can be a bit more or less depending on your hair texture and type.
After this, the stylist will go ahead and apply a neutralizer that makes the efforts done in the prior steps permanent. A neutralizer is left for 10 minutes to take effect. Lastly, your hair will be blow-dried.
Keratin Treatment
The process of keratin treatment begins with the hairstylist cleaning the hair with a clarifying shampoo. This will remove buildup and residue from hair. Then, the stylist applies the keratin solution to your wet hair and leaves it for 30 minutes. The actual time the keratin solution is left on hair depends on your hair type and texture.
There are two major kinds of keratin formulas. Acidic treatments lift the hair color and they are applied to wet hair. These are for people with non-processed hair who want perfectly straight hair. These treatments are washed out.
On the other hand, there are water-based treatments that don’t lift the hair color and are considered milder. They are for people who have processed hair and only want to make their hair smoother. Water-based treatments are left in. Lastly, the stylist uses a blow dryer and then flat iron to seal in the treatment.
How Much Time Does It Take?
Japanese Hair Straightening
The entire process of thermal reconditioning takes about 6 hours because of the various steps involved in it.
Keratin Treatment
You can expect to get a full keratin treatment within 2-4 hours depending on the type of your hair and the formulation used.
Results Of The Treatment
Japanese Hair Straightening
Your hair after a hair rebonding treatment will be pin straight with no curls or waves. The process is permanent but the new hair growth will have your hair’s natural texture. The straightened hair and the new hair with natural texture may appear contrasting and you may have to retouch your hair after a few months if you don’t want to fight the old hair texture and want to keep pin-straight hair.
Keratin Treatment
Keratin treatment smoothens hair and reduces frizz for curly hair. However, if you have wavy hair, it may become straight after the treatment. Your hair may appear glossy and shiny. Similar to any treatment, the new hair will have your natural hair texture.
How Long Does It Last?
Japanese Hair Straightening
Thermal reconditioning is a permanent hair straightening treatment that can last for six months. Usually, it goes away only with the growth of new hair.
Keratin Treatment
It keeps your hair smooth and curl-free for 2-4 months. Keratin treatment is considered a semi-permanent hair straightening solution that slowly fades with time. Moreover, new hair growth also lessens the impact of the treatment over time.
Who Is Eligible For It?
Japanese Hair Straightening
As explained, hair rebonding completely straightens your hair. This is a huge benefit for women who want straight hair. But keep in mind that your new hair will retain your natural texture. You will see a contrast between the straightened hair and your newly grown hair. It may be hard to keep the look mess-free if you have curly and coarse hair because the new hair will look entirely different from the straightened hair.
So, a keratin treatment is better for women with wavy and moderately curly. However, it’s not recommended for extremely curly hair. Also, it’s not suggested for pregnant women.
Apart from hair texture, the health of your hair is important to note as well. Weak and brittle hair may not take the treatment easily and get damaged. Moreover, if you got another chemical treatment just recently, you should not get Japanese hair straightening and wait until the effects of the last treatment fade away or new hair grows out.
Moreover, no chemical treatment is recommended for thin and damaged hair.
Keratin Treatment
For keratin treatment, the eligibility is less strict than for Japanese hair straightening. This semi-permanent hair straightening treatment is suitable for any hair texture even extremely curly hair. This is due to the fading of the treatment. As the treatment fades with time and your new hair grows out, there won’t be a drastic contrast between the treated and the new, untreated hair.
So, whether you have wavy, moderately curly, extremely curly, or coarse hair, you can get straight hair with this treatment.
Furthermore, keratin hair straightening treatment can be applied to hair that has been chemically treated recently. So, even if you colored, bleached, permed, relaxed, or straightened your hair, you can go ahead with keratin straightening. The treatment is, however, not suggested for thin and damaged hair. Plus, pregnant women should not get this treatment.
Can It Damage Hair?
Japanese Hair Straightening
The risk of hair damage after a thermal reconditioning treatment is higher than keratin because this treatment breaks hair bonds and renew them for straight hair. If the hair is damaged or brittle, there is a risk of damage. Moreover, getting this treatment for chemically treated hair can lead to damage as well.
Keratin Treatment
Keratin treatment is considered milder compared to thermal reconditioning though it’s not devoid of side effects. A chemical, formaldehyde or any other similar one, is used to straighten the hair in a keratin treatment. It has side effects like irritation in the eyes, skin, and nose and other health problems.
You can avoid these side effects by going to a salon that uses formaldehyde-free products. Take note that some other products use a formaldehyde-like chemical so beware of those as well.
Conclusion
Japanese hair straightening changes the texture of your hair permanently. The treatment takes more time and lasts for six months. It can’t be applied to hair that has been chemically treated. People with extremely curly hair should also avoid it.
Keratin treatment smoothens hair with the use of a keratin solution. It takes 2-4 hours and last for 2-4 months. You can get a keratin treatment even if you have chemical-treated hair.
If it’s hard to decide between them, visit a permanent hair straightening salon Potomac and discuss it with a hair expert.