I love summer. I love getting my summer glow back, long days at the beach, and countless glasses of rosé. The one thing I don’t look forward to? Dealing with my unruly hair in the hot, humid weather.
I’ve complained of my “frizz” to friends who thought I was just being dramatic, but it bothered me that my hair never looked sleek or polished in the summertime. Typically I’ve opted for air-drying and low braids to keep the frizz at-bay, but I was still always jealous of those girls out on a hot summer night with straight, seemingly low-maintenance hair.
I decided to do some research on keratin treatments to see if someone like myself (my hair isn’t crazy curly or frizzy, it just doesn’t cooperate) could benefit. Many of my in-the-know friends recommend Keratin Lounge, praising the salon for offering keratin “cocktails” perfectly formulated for your hair type. I immediately booked my appointment.
In addition to offering keratin treatments, the Keratin Lounge is a full-service salon that feels very modern, clean and professional. It was evident that it’s very sought-out, as almost every chair was occupied with a woman receiving a keratin treatment.
Naomi, my stylist, took me to her chair, and listened as I explained my concerns and what I was looking to get out of the treatment. She explained that in addition to offering the treatment cocktails, Keratin Lounge offers four treatments for shiny, smooth, healthy hair:
• Keratin Tropic: leaves hair sleek but not super straight, for those that want to maintain volume and versatility. The treatment is coconut oil infused and formaldehyde free. This lasts for about 3-months and unlike other treatments, you don’t need to wait a day to wash your hair
• One Day Formula: the traditional keratin treatment that lasts 3-4 months, it is infused with amber oil for balanced moisture and shine. This is the treatment I selected to ensure my results lasted all summer. With this one you cannot wash your hair (or put it up/style it!) for 24 hours.
• Mocha Silk: infused with cacao oil, this deep conditioning formula provides extra moisture for dry strands and tames coarse, curly hair.
• Color Pro: this treatment seals and protects color molecules from harmful UV rays and thermal heat with an infusion of boarge oil and vitaplex.
One important thing to mention about all LASIO keratin treatments offered at Keratin Lounge is that they contain 0.02% formaldehyde, which is very, very low according to FDA and OSHA regulations. Most other brands go far above this amount, which leads to unsafe air quality.
After choosing the One Day Formula, Naomi went over the rules for the next 24 hours and aftercare guidelines. In a nutshell, I needed to wait 24 hours to wash my hair, and couldn’t use any hair ties, put my hair behind my ears, or do anything that might dent the hair, because the creases would last as long as the treatment. This part was harder than I anticipated, but not terrible.
She also told me that once I washed the treatment out I could style/wash my hair as usual, but needed to avoid any products with sodium chloride (aka salt), as it would break down the keratin. Other things I had to be careful of was going to the beach, pool, or working out (the sweat also breaks down the treatment). Applying a hair mask (conveniently sold in the salon) and/or using dry shampoo to keep the roots dry would ensure the treatment lasted longer.
After a wash and a rough blow dry, Naomi divided my hair into sections and began generously applying the treatment spray to my dry hair. After my head was saturated with keratin, Naomi dried it and straightened each section to seal in the treatment. The whole process took about 2-hours and when Naomi was done, my hair was the straightest it had been in a long time. It was shiny, sleek and, except for some flyaways, was the least frizzy I’d ever seen in my life!
For the aftercare, I was instructed to wash with a sodium-chloride free shampoo/conditioner the next evening, give my hair a rough blow dry, which would help set me up for success for the next 3-4 months. Naomi advised that I blow dry my hair regularly since heat helps activate the keratin. While I’m typically not one for blow-drying, she assured me that the drying time would be significantly less and that the results would be worth it….no more curling iron, flat irons, or blow-drying in sections. It sounded good to me!
It’s been over 2-weeks since the treatment and aside from 5-minutes or so with my blow dryer, my hair hasn’t been this low maintenance ever! My hair is straight, smooth, has zero frizz, fewer flyaways, and is just generally SO easy! I feel more professional at work and can go longer without washing my hair because it stays so neat and straight. I’m honestly so happy with the results I only wish I had it done sooner.
The Keratin Lounge
39 West 38th Street (2nd Floor)
212.477.2088
http://www.KeratinLounge.com
