A keratin treatment has always been the most long-lasting way to calm frizzy hair and uncontrollable curls. Unfortunately, not a lot of people have $400 burning in their pocket to get a professional keratin treatment in a salon. Thankfully, there are now great DIY treatments that are really affordable.
These DIY Keratin Treatments allow you to calm your curls in the privacy of your own home, saving you time and money.
But do these keratin treatments really work as well as their salon counterparts? Keep reading to see how these treatments stack up in our search for the best keratin treatment you can do at home.
But first, what is a Keratin treatment?
What is a Keratin Treatment?
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already heard of keratin treatments, and know they are associated with calming unruly hair. But how exactly do they work?
Keratin Treatments (also called Brazilian Keratin Treatments) are a method of temporarily straightening hair by sealing liquid keratin (a protein that helps smooth frizz) along with a preserving solution into the hair, and then locking it in with the heat from a flat iron or a hair brush straightener.
Before and After the Keratin Treatment
Before I even tell you about the products, these are photos taken before and after my favorite keratin treatment. Read on to find out which one it is!
What’s the Price of a Keratin Treatment?
How much does a keratin treatment cost? A salon would charge upwards of $400 for one treatment alone!
The average cost of a DIY keratin treatment is around $25-30 per treatment. That means that $200/year can basically keep your hair thick and healthy year-round.
Additionally, these keratin products usually come as part of a keratin treatment set, meaning they come bundled with a pre-treatment shampoo and post-treatment conditioner.
How to Do a Keratin Treatment at Home?
Firstly, it’s essential that your hair is clean before applying the treatment, and moisturized sufficiently afterwards. Doing this got me the longest lasting results.
The first time I did a treatment by myself, I was a little intimidated. For that reason, I wrote another post with the steps required. Check it out here “How to Do a Keratin Treatment at Home“.
The following are my personal reviews of some of the most popular keratin treatments — read on to find out which one gave me the best results!
Best At Home Keratin Treatments List
#1 – Brazilian Keratin Blowout Hair Treatment By Keratin Research
This Brazilian keratin treatment set definitely offered a lot of bang for the buck coming in under 80 dollars, In addition to the keratin treatment itself, this set includes a clarifying shampoo, a sulphate free shampoo, and a sulphate free conditioner, all of which are infused with Moroccan argan oil for extra shine.
I have very long hair, and was pleased to find that this product was sufficient for about 4 treatments. Each treatment lasted a good two months before my frizzy curls started to creep back in. My only dislike was that the smell of the treatment is very powerful so make sure you have the bathroom window open or a fan going while applying your treatment. I didn’t do it and the whole apartment stank for a couple hours. D’oh!
#2 – Keratin Brazilian Treatment Complete Bio By Keratin Cure
This Keratin Treatment without formaldehyde is the gold standard of keratin treatments, with its fancy and convenient golden pump-action bottles. Having a pump bottle is certainly useful during the application process sparing you from having to wash your hands a million times, or risk losing your grip on the bottle.
This set includes the Bio treatment plus a clarifying shampoo, as well as a daily shampoo and daily conditioner. It is quite a bit more expensive than some other products, however the larger bottle sizes meant I could do roughly 8 treatments, and each lasted about 10 weeks.
Since this product is a formaldehyde-free keratin treatment (formaldehyde is the nasty-smelling preserving solution found in most keratin treatments), I did not experience a strong powerful smell when using the treatment. As a bonus, the daily shampoo and conditioner smell amazing! I have read this super gentle formula is also safe to use on children over the age of 6 and I would agree it seems to be the most gentle of the treatments I’ve tried.
#3 – Keratin Treatment Set by KERARGANIC
This organic keratin treatment set certainly exceeded my expectations. I usually expect organic products to smell funny and not work as well but this was not the case with the set by Kerarganic.
This set included a pre-treatment shampoo, the organic treatment, and best of all: a post treatment mask. All of the products smelled amazing but I really enjoyed the thick texture of the hair mask.
I noticed my hair was noticeably smoother after the organic treatment. While my hair felt healthier straight away following the Kerarganic treatment, my curls came back at closer to seven weeks with this treatment set. This leads me to believe it is more gentle but also not as strong. This could just be due to having tried this during a particularly humid week, so your mileage my vary.
I will also point out that, even though this set only comes with 3 products, the awesomeness of the post-treatment mask made up for it, and I didn’t miss having an extra shampoo. Besides, I already have a ton of shampoos that I like and that could work with any of the treatments.
So, Which One is the Best Keratin Treatment?
Out of all of these, I think I would recommend product #2: Keratin Brazilian Treatment Complete Bio By Keratin Cure – it’s the overall best keratin treatment.
Keratin Cure’s product was gentle, yet had long lasting effects, and really seemed to stand up against humidity, leaving my hair smooth and silky for days between flat ironing (which you should try to do as little as possible).
The pump bottles made this treatment a lot more convenient, to the point that it didn’t feel like such an ordeal every time I was ready to do a new treatment. I could just apply it, keep going with my routine and then rinse it off in just a little longer than it would take me to shower and get ready normally.
I also like the larger sized bottles which lasted me A LOT longer — which made me feel less bad about spending so much money for it! Finally, this DIY keratin treatment included everyday shampoo and conditioner which did in fact smell better than my usual shampoo so, while not strictly essential, I did use (and run out of) all of the products included in the kit.
And there you have it – so enjoy kissing that frizz goodbye, as this is, in our opinion, the keratin treatment at home that will get you salon-level results!
NEW KERATIN TREATMENT REVIEWS OF 2023
Since I wrote this, lots of you contacted me asking about new brands of keratin treatments. So, I recently got the chance to check out three of the new keratin hair treatments for sale on Amazon.
Let’s take a look, shall we?
#4 – Keratin Complex Natural Keratin Smoothing Treatment
Keratin Complex is a trusted salon brand which offers products you can purchase to use at home. I wanted to check it out because I read some people experienced their straightening treatment lasting for 5 whole months! That seemed unlikely (or maybe it was someone with naturally pretty smooth hair), so I wanted to put this Keratin Complex to the test.
The price of this treatment isn’t much higher than the others, however this does not include special clarifying shampoos, or after-treatment conditioners. While I was at it, I bought this clarifying shampoo, and after-treatment hair mask to pair with this, but you can use any brand you prefer.
This product does not have such a strong smell as some of the others. You have to wait 72 hours before washing your hair after the treatment, so make sure you plan accordingly if you are going to try this Keratin Complex treatment!
After I shampooed my hair, I was happy to find it felt very light. It was so smooth I couldn’t stop running my fingers through it (probably not good for the longevity of the treatment, but I bet you will do the same).
Surprisingly, the straightening effects kept lasting past the 12 week mark, and it wasn’t until about 14 weeks that I felt I should do another. This bottle is very large as well, so I haven’t even put a dent in it. I’d say it will easily last you for 15-20 treatments.
#5 – Amazonliss Brazilian Keratin Kit
This Keratin Treatment Kit by Amazonliss is a 3-step system with everything needed to do a full-blown keratin treatment at home. The bottles are labeled with numbers so you can follow the order of application easily.
This kit comes with the following:
- Step 1: The Anti-Residue Shampoo 8.45 fl. oz
- Step 2: The Brazilian Smoothing 8.45 fl. oz
- Step 3: The Brazilian 8.45 fl. oz Intensive Repair Mask.
The products all smelled natural and not chemical like some of the others I tried. The instructions included were very straightforward and easy to follow too.
After I finished the treatment I made sure to also use my sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner as suggested in their care guide (that’s what I always use anyway).
This treatment made my hair very sleek and straight, but it helped retain a lot of texture, so my hair never felt “thin”. This meant I could still get some volume without the frizz that I hate. Overall this kit worked very well and lasted about 10 weeks before it was time for the next one.
#6 – PETER COPPOLA Coppola Keratin Smoothing Treatment Formaldehyde & Aldehyde-Free
The Keratin treatment kit by Peter Coppola has all three steps included. The directions were very easy to follow, and I also liked that the bottles are easily labeled with steps 1-3. This kit includes a pre treatment shampoo, the keratin treatment, and a finishing treatment, as well as a blow out serum and smoothing mask! The only issue I had with the application process is that the bottles were difficult to pour from. This treatment allows you to wash your hair within 24 hours and it is free of formaldehyde!
After the treatment, my hair looked very shiny and sleek. I was impressed by how much shinier it was using this formula than any other. But I was also disappointed to see my results last just shy of 8 weeks before it was time for another. I wished this formula had the staying power of some of the other brands since it made my hair so much shinier! This size kit should have enough for about 20 treatments.
Which One is the Best of These New Treatments?
I would recommend product #5: Amazonliss Brazilian Keratin Kit as the overall best of these keratin treatments.
This product didn’t smell bad, had long lasting effects and gave my hair a really nice texture: my hair felt smooth, but it still had body and volume.
I also liked that this kit came with the shampoo and follow-up treatments, which were actually really gentle — a boon if you’re already using a gentle shampoo for your everyday needs.
The price combined with the length of time between treatments (10 weeks) pretty much hits the perfect spot of cost vs benefit for my hair, and so, the Amazonliss is the winner!
