Keratin is a popular topic these days, and it is a protein that is naturally contained in hair and contributes to the strength of the hair shaft. Thus, keratin treatments are seen as a viable alternative to chemical straightening and relaxer treatments for smoothing the hair. In this article, we will discuss Is too much keratin bad for your hair?
However, it is possible to have too much of a good thing, which is exactly what is occurring with keratin. It is common to find hydrolyzed keratin in many of the hair products we use on a daily basis, and this has had a negative effect on our hair.
Is too much Keratin bad for your hair?
Each hair strand is composed of three concentric layers: the cuticle, which is the outermost layer; the cortex, which is the middle layer composed of keratin and other chemicals; and the medulla. For hair to be in excellent condition, it is necessary for moisture and nutrients to pass through cuticles and reach the cortex. However, if the cortex is excessively protein-coated, moisture is unable to reach there.
Therefore, if you overdo it with this protein and apply it to hair that does not need it, your hair will become straw-like. It becomes dull and lifeless, loses its shine, becomes tangled quickly, breaks off, and loses its softness. Basically, if you apply too much keratin to your hair, it loses its elasticity and becomes stiff and hard. Because of its hardness, it is more brittle. As a result, when hair is pulled, it breaks more rapidly rather than returning to its original shape.
Chemicals used in keratin treatments in salons are also dangerous:
Methylene glycol, formalin, methanal, and methanediol are some of the ingredients used in keratin treatments performed in salons, and when these ingredients are combined with water, they create formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is very bad, and it has been proven to be carcinogenic.
Does keratin work for everyone, and how frequently should we get it?
One keratin treatment per month is more than enough for someone with regular hair that is frizzy but smooth; the results may last up to six months. To maintain the health of badly damaged and porous hair that has been treated to death, keratin and moisturization treatments must be performed on a weekly basis, depending on the assessment of the stylist.
There are many methods for determining the state of your hair to make this choice. In the case of wet hair that stretches and then shrinks when snapped back into place without breaking, it contains keratin and does not need intensive treatment.
If you pull on a strand and it stretches but does not shrink in size, it is lacking in keratin. If your hair is stretching and breaking, it needs both keratin and moisture. If, on the other hand, hair does not expand but instead breaks, moisture is required instead of keratin.
Another test includes placing a strand of hair in a glass of water and seeing how long it lasts. The porosity test is used to determine this. If the strand sinks, this indicates that your hair is porous and lacking in keratin. If it floats or swims in the middle of the water without sinking, you likely don’t need a keratin treatment.
