How to Fix Hair Breakage After a Keratin Treatment
Written by Camelia Smith
Updated on
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I love doing keratin treatments, but dealing with hair breakage afterward is definitely not part of that equation.
So when my hair goes into brittle-and-break mode, which is sometimes inevitable, I turn to the Lanza keratin anti-breakage hair oil to save my fragile ends that have reached breaking point.
Lanza Keratin Anti-Breakage Oil
It’s by far the best solution for hair breakage after a keratin treatment.
The Lanza keratin oil is one of the most reliable products I keep in my keratin aftercare routine. Because I know from experience, minor hair breakage from a keratin treatment is normal, and you should be prepared to deal with it.
Let me explain why…
Table of Contents
What Causes Hair Breakage After a Keratin Treatment?
1. High Heat to Seal Keratin Treatments
Sealing a keratin treatment into your hair requires heat that can go up to 400°F.
This is not an ideal temperature to use on hair, but keratin treatments need high heat to accelerate the cross-linking of hair bonds.
If your hair is strong enough and doesn’t have a history of damage or high porosity, it can withstand the heat.
But if you’re not blessed by the hair gods, and you have a history of frequent hair coloring, bleaching, and hair damage, chances are, some of the hairs that were already weak and brittle would start flaking off and break after the treatment.
But here’s the thing:
While this may look like a side-effect of the keratin treatment, the truth is, after a few weeks of repeated styling and manipulation, the poor quality hair would have snapped off anyway.
Remember, a keratin treatment can only fortify your hair. It cannot magically unbreak your hair.
2. Too Much Keratin
Another reason for brittle hair from a keratin treatment can be due to protein overload.
This happens when too much of the keratin serum is applied to the hair, leaving excess buildup on the hair shafts, making them stiff, hard, and sometimes sticky.
The excess protein creates too much of an outer sheath that dries off and creates friction against the hairs to accelerate breakage.
If you are doing your keratin hair treatment at home, it’s important you follow the instructions properly and use the right dosage.
The best way to fix this problem is to wait until you can wash your hair to remove the excess buildup and start moisturizing the hair with a lightweight keratin oil.
3. Formaldehyde in Your Keratin Treatment
Formaldehyde is a strong chemical often found in keratin straightening treatments to rearrange hair bonds.If your keratin treatment contained any traces of such ingredients, chances are your hair breakage may be related to the oxidative stress caused by the chemical.
Consult your hairstylist to assess your hair and find out if this is the root cause of the damage.
4. You Manipulate Your Hair Too Much
Finally, hair breakage following a keratin treatment can be due to excess manipulation.
I have to admit, after a keratin treatment, it does get tempting to run your fingers constantly through your smooth and flowy hair, either flirtatiously or out of bad habits.
Remember, after any kind of processing treatment, your hair is in a fragile state and needs time to heal and get back to its normal state.
Fiddling and tension to the hair fibers can cause unnecessary stress that can cause the weaker parts to snap.
So these are the 4 common reasons why some people may experience hair breakage after a keratin treatment.
Unless you have massive chunks of hair falling off sporadically, there is nothing to worry about.
As I said, some minor hair breakage is one thing you have to endure in return for smooth, sexy, and silky hair.
It’s like doing a deal with the devil.
But here’s the silver lining…
Hair breakage is not as bad as hair shedding or hair loss.
In most cases, breakage is reversible with a few changes to the products you’re using and how you care for your hair.
The Best Anti-Breakage Oils for Keratin Treated Hair
Let me show you how to prevent your hair from snapping and how to retain more length.
When your hair is healthy, the cuticles on the outer layer line up nicely without causing friction. This is why your hair also looks smooth and reflects more light.
But when the hair cuticles slay apart in every which way after a hair processing treatment, this easily results in frizz and rough texture, which causes friction and breakage.
To prevent friction and smooth down the cuticles, you need hair products that can seal the cuticles without leaving extra residues.
You need products that can improve the texture of your hair and make the fragile ends lay flat and nice so that they don’t rub against each other.
In short, you need an anti-breakage oil that can:
- Lock in moisture
- Condition fragile hair with a light touch
- Conceal existing hair breakage
- And help you style your hair easily
You need a versatile oil that can do many things so that you don’t have to layer your brittle hair with too many products.
So without further ado, here are the best products we’ve hand-picked for you after trying them out ourselves.
1. Lanza Keratin Oil
The Lanza keratin oil delivers optimal strength and shine with a restorative mix of unique wildcrafted botanical oils that work seamlessly to nourish dry, stressed out hair without greasiness and residues.
Powered by a fusion of next-generation nano keratin and Phyto IV complex, this Lanza oil can heal all types of hair damage resulting from chemical processing.
It prevents your hair from drying up to the point where it starts to break.
What I also love about this product is its excellent stability and the fact that it doesn’t harden on my hair. Instead, it makes my hair shiny, soft, and straight so I can keep my hair loose and tangle-free all day.
And the best part?
If your hair is color-treated, it remains clear, allowing your color to shine through with more intensity.
2. Arvazallia Keratin Oil
The Arvazallia keratin oil is another fantastic product I’ve tried when I received it for free as part of my keratin aftercare products reviews.
It is as good as the Lanza oil and works into my hair easily with its lightweight emollients.
Packed with hydrolyzed keratin and argan oil, it’s a fantastic hair reconstruction fluid that prevents your hair from snapping off.
It also has a heavenly natural fragrance that will keep your hair smelling fresh without any greasy residues.
3. Strongforce Prestocure Capsules
And here’s another exciting product I recently discovered from my last salon trip.
I saw my hairstylist recommending these capsules to another client who had more severe hair breakage issues due to bleaching.
These little gems are super concentrated with keratin that repairs the hair fibers deep from the core to the surface.
Unlike the styling oils above that work mostly on the outside to heal and protect, these capsules are far more intense and guarantee a ZERO SNAP formula.
So there you have it. A list of the best products that work to reverse hair breakage after a keratin treatment without breaking the rules.
Let me also share some useful tips you can gradually incorporate into your hair care routine to boost your hair’s resilience.
Keratin Aftercare Tips to Prevent Hair Breakage
1. Avoid Manipulating Your Hair!
The biggest culprit and one of the most egregious sins against our hair that lead to gnarly damage are over-treating and over manipulating.
Things like aggressive brushing, detangling, constantly pulling your hair into styles that are too tight, and blasting the heat are some of the main reasons why your hair breaks so easily.
Read:
Things you shouldn’t do to your hair after having a keratin treatment.
The hairs around the edge of the hairline are more fragile than the hairs on the crown. Therefore they are more vulnerable to snap if not properly cared for.
So stop putting your hair under unnecessary stress and tension.
Talking about tension, another reason why your hair dries out and becomes brittle is the way you sleep.
Did you know?
Sleeping on a cotton pillowcase actually causes friction to your hair overnight!
Yes, cotton is rough for your skin and hair and being highly-absorbent, it also sucks out moisture from the hair overnight.
That’s why most of us wake up with a head full of frizz.
2. Sleep on Silk
Silk and satin are better fabrics than cotton in the sense that they have finely knit textures that allow the hair and the skin to glide smoothly without surface tension.
Silk is also non-absorbent, which means the moisture content in your hair stays where it should be.
Using a silk pillowcase for sleeping after your keratin treatment also helps keep the hair loose, tangle-free and you won’t end up with uneven bends and lines in your hair.
3. Avoid Heat Styling
If your hair is already fragile and showing signs of split ends, avoid using a flat iron or blow dryer until your hair’s condition gets better.
Direct heat to already damaged hair can aggravate the situation and accelerate hair breakage to a point where your hair will start looking thin on top.
4. Get a Shower Filter
Here’s a very important thing that most people may not realize.
Most often, hair breakage may not be the result of your negligence, but a sad fact that your hair is getting hammered every day with hard water minerals that come through your shower.
Your water may not be the first thing you suspect, but a lot of times, people come to realize it too late.
Minerals in hard water prevent shampoos from rinsing off, therefore causing calcium buildup on the scalp.
This buildup hardens over time, which is why your hair feels brittle and weak. I suggest testing your water supply and get a shower filter if you live in a hard water area.
Final thoughts:
Dealing with hair breakage after your keratin treatment can be anxiety-inducing, but fortunately, a good aftercare routine supplemented by an anti-breakage oil can save your brittle strands from snapping and help you retain more length.
Just make sure you target the breakage early before it gets out of control.
Lanza Keratin Oil
About the Author
Camelia SmithCamelia Smith can color hair, perform keratin treatments, bleach hair, and even cut curly hair. She is our go-to person whenever we have hair treatments and styling questions.
She's also currently training as a freelance makeup artist and is passionate about helping others feel beautiful in their skin. When she's not writing or doing hair, she's usually spending time watching British period dramas.