Keratin treatment question. Should I just shave my head and start my treatments.....?

[JCM]

My current length is just above the middle of my back.
It turns into a puffy disaster after being washed.
Almost impossible to comb through or brush through it.
My hair actually looks better when it is dirty and more oily.

Should I just shave my head and start the treatments on my new growth?
Treat the new inches every 3 or so months?

I am a guy so shaving it all off is not really a big deal. To me at least.

What should I do?

[Wendyp]

My current length is just above the middle of my back.
It turns into a puffy disaster after being washed.
Almost impossible to comb through or brush through it.
My hair actually looks better when it is dirty and more oily.

Should I just shave my head and start the treatments on my new growth?
Treat the new inches every 3 or so months?

I am a guy so shaving it all off is not really a big deal. To me at least.

What should I do?

Try olaplex or redken ph bonder Treatments ..those help me. Do that first before deciding whether to cut.

[stringy]

Hey JCM.

I don't know anything about keratin treatments. Do you know for sure that they will help your hair? What if you shave your head and do the treatments, and then in a few years you find yourself with the same problem? Shaving your head is a very drastic measure. If you are around MBL, then that is several years of growth. I would try everything else before even trimming a small amount, but that is just my opinion.

My suggestions are as follows:

1) Use a clarifying shampoo followed by a deep conditioner. (Everyone suggests this.)

2) Experiment with the amount of shampoo and conditioner you use. Maybe you are using too much or not enough shampoo/conditioner. My hair gets dry/tangled if I use too much shampoo. If I use too much conditioner I get buildup and dryness/tangles. If I don't use enough conditioner I get dryness/tangles. Using the right amount of shampoo and conditioner makes a very big difference to me.

3) Try different shampoos and conditioners. Find out what ingredients your hair likes. For myself, a shampoo with dimethicone makes my hair dry/tangled. So I use clarifying shampoos only. Not every shampoo is the same. Every shampoo has a different effect on my hair. I had to try many kinds before learning what works for my hair.

4) Add a new product. I use a tiny amount of serum after washing and conditioning. It makes a huge difference in my hair. Maybe try a serum or a leave-in conditioner or both. Try oiling your hair before or after washing and conditioning. Sometimes just shampoo and conditioner is not enough.

Finally, a lot of people dislike their freshly washed hair myself included. I like it to be a little greasy.

[cjk]

Puffy is not necessarily damaged. And keratin treatments are for hair that lacks protein. Is this your issue?

Google the MommyPotamus gelatin lamination. It's a DIY protein lamination that works very well and which should not harm your hair. Shaving it off is, or should be, unnecessary based on what you describe.

But if you just want an excuse to do so, sure, go right a Heads! I suggest a safety razor. Three passes...with, across, and against the grain. I got mine glass smooth using that technique, with no irritation. NO PRESSURE though, razor blades are sharp pand do not need you to press them into the scalp for better results. Scalp razor burn sucks worse than anything you've felt.

[Jo Ann]

I would clarify first, followed by a deep conditioning treatment, JCM. I would also try a hydrating shampoo/conditioner OR one for processed/dyed hair.

My hair used to get all "puffy" (can you say "stuck finger in electrical socket"?) after I washed it, until I found shampoos and conditioners (and I use TWO conditioners) that my hair really liked. Put another way, you might have dry hair and it's needing moisture to look it's best. My hair does just fine with either Shea Moisture Intense Hydrating shampoo & conditioner combo, followed by Clairol's Herbal Essence's Hello Hydration conditioner. I also use a ROO (rinse-out oil (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=129191)--baby oil applied from the ears down, between conditioners, then rinsed out) and the LCO/LOC method (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=118167) to help lock moisture into my hair.

Good luck!

ETA: Maybe you have hard water? You know, water with a high mineral content. If so, a white vinegar or apple cider vinegar rinse, followed by a conditioning treatment might help!

[Corvana]

Are you sure your hair isn't wavier than you think? The "puffy after a wash" thing was so me before I started to treat my hair as wavy (with lots and lots of moisture) instead of straight... Once I moisturized it way way more, and detangled it in a different way (with my fingers only, mostly), it became much easier to handle.

[lapushka]

I would start first by doing a hairtyping picture.

Wash your hair, just shampoo, condition, then towel dry and leave it alone, no comb and no brush. Just take a picture of the back of it, and we can see whether or not you have wavy hair.

Wavy hair and even curly hair = a different beast. And you will need to adapt your care to it.

Did you have the keratin treatment? Or not. I'm misunderstanding that part, I think. :hmm:

[JCM]

https://smhttp-ssl-33667.nexcesscdn.net/manual/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/david-beckham-induction-cut.jpg

I have not had the treatment yet.
By shaving I meant cutting very short like in the above picture but not completely bald.

I think I have some pictures of my washed hair already on here from a previous thread.
I will try and find them.

[lapushka]

Personally, I would not do the keratin treatment, but that's me. It can be quite damaging, as is every chemical treatment.

It may just be learning to deal with the hairtype that you have.

[Ondine11]

I use keratin treatments to make my 2c-3b (depending on the part of my head, & the mood my hair is in!) BSL hair. From what you describe, you mightn't need to go for a big chop or a shave. Try getting the full 3-step Plex treatment mentioned above, as it rebuilds the bonds in the hair, truly transforming it. These treatments are not your basic deep conditioners, or frizz serums. Then, get a keratin treatment WITH plex at a salon. Do not let them use the flat iron at 450 degrees on your hair: it isn't necessary. I use 375; never higher, & let each strand cool between flat iron passes, to avoid any damage. Then, wait the full three days before your first post-treatment shampoo, use sulfate free products, & voilà! Your hair will be saved & transformed.

[cathair]

I would start first by doing a hairtyping picture.

Wash your hair, just shampoo, condition, then towel dry and leave it alone, no comb and no brush. Just take a picture of the back of it, and we can see whether or not you have wavy hair.

Wavy hair and even curly hair = a different beast. And you will need to adapt your care to it.

Did you have the keratin treatment? Or not. I'm misunderstanding that part, I think. :hmm:

Seconding this. It sounds like wavy or curly hair handled like straight hair.

What length is your end goal?

[Upside Down]

I use keratine for years now and I love it. There is loads of advice on the keratine thread if you decide to do that.

Shaving your head will make it more difficult because you will have to wait for a while to be able to do the keratine. It requires ironing and you can’t iron your scalp or a 1cm long hair. Also I don’t see how shaving will help. If you do keratine now you will get the same effect and keep your lenght.

Don’t expect miracles, but it definitely helps. More smooth, more moistrue retaining, easier to style.

Good luck either way :)

[AutobotsAttack]

To be honest, from looking at your picture in the original post, and you explaining how your hair is behaving, you really don’t need to be doing anything concerning keratin at the moment. It sounds like your hair is needing generous amounts of moisture and smoothing.

It’s up to you what you wish to use or go about it. You can deep condition, or do 5-10 min treatments. If your hair is puffing up and frizzing, that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with needing to rebuild any bonds within your hair, it sounds like it just needs more frequent moisture.