- Ideally, wait three weeks to do a keratin treatment after bleaching.
- It’s very important you wait three weeks between bleaching and applying keratin. Because the high temperatures of the blow dryer and straightener can ruin your hair. And it’s also important you get the keratin treatment done at the hair salon.
- If you can’t do the keratin treatment at the hairdresser’s, I recommend you wait three weeks, and before applying the keratin, do a test to see if your hair will withstand the keratin. And later I’ll tell you how to do it and what other options you have if your hair doesn’t withstand the keratin treatment.
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As you can see, whether you apply the keratin treatment at the hairdresser’s or at home, it’s very important you wait three weeks after bleaching to apply it.
Because first of all, you should think about the health of your hair.
Your hair has already gone through bleaching, which is a very aggressive process because it takes away moisture and nutrients.
That’s why, in general, bleached hair is always weaker and more brittle.
Keratin treatments are applied with heat.
And if you add bleached hair to the mix, which is weak and brittle, as well as the high temperatures of the hair dryer and straightener, you run the risk of damaging your hair irreversibly.
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That’s why it’s important if you have bleached your hair to wait three weeks and go to a professional to apply the keratin treatment. Because the stylist will evaluate your bleached hair and will be able to decide if your hair will withstand the heat of the straightener.
What if you don’t have the possibility of applying the keratin treatment at the hair salon? After bleaching your hair, wait three weeks and before applying the keratin, evaluate your hair to confirm that your hair will withstand the keratin.
So, this brings us to the million dollar question:
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Are you sure your bleached hair will withstand the keratin treatment?
Keratin heat treatment is one of the most requested processes at a hair salon because it repairs the hair, restores its natural shine, and also gets rid of frizz.
It’s also true that it leaves the hair straight for a few weeks.
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However, in many cases, I refuse to give a keratin treatment to a client who bleached her hair on her own.
Do you know why?
Because when she bleached her hair, many of the hair cuticles were broken. So the hair lost moisture, nutrients, proteins, and vitamins. In short, the hair is totally weak.
If I apply the heat of the straightener to that weak hair to seal the keratin, it would burn the hair completely.
Therefore, it’s very important you wait three weeks after bleaching your hair to apply the keratin treatment.
And also, it’s important you go to a salon to apply it, where a professional will evaluate whether or not your hair is suitable for this treatment.
For hairdressers, it’s easy to know if bleached hair will withstand a keratin treatment. We just have to touch and observe the hair.
Then if we check the hair but still have doubts, we can also do a resistance test. That means applying the keratin treatment to only a small strand of hair and watching how it reacts.
If the stylist sees that the strand doesn’t break and remains shiny, they will apply the keratin treatment.
Now, let’s say you don’t have the money to go to a professional for a keratin treatment. And suppose it’s been three weeks since you bleached your hair.
How can you tell if your hair will hold up to the keratin treatment?
You can do a brush test.
- Wash your bleached hair and blow dry it.
- When it’s completely dry, comb it with a brush.
- Once you finish brushing your hair, look at the brush.
If there are an abnormal amount of hairs on in the brush, you can’t apply the keratin treatment to your bleached hair.
Why? Because your hair is too weak and that’s why it breaks, even when you just brush it.
Imagine what would happen if you apply the heat of a straightener!
So what you can do is apply keratin masks, which will repair your bleached hair.
And that’s what I’ll talk about next.
You can apply keratin masks three days after bleaching your hair to repair it
If your bleached hair won’t withstand the keratin treatment with heat, keratin masks seem to me to be the best option.
Because they will nourish and repair your hair, leaving it shiny, soft, and frizz-free.
So what’s the difference between a keratin mask and a keratin heat treatment?
Well, the mask doesn’t leave your hair straight.
But once three days have passed since bleaching, you can start repairing your hair using keratin masks.
Why should you wait three days after bleaching your hair to apply a keratin mask?
Because during those three days your hair will rest from the aggression of the chemical process. The color will also finish settling inside the hair core.
My recommendation is to apply a keratin mask on your bleached hair twice a week, always on damp hair. Leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes depending on what the manufacturer says.
Want to know a secret?
Cover your hair with a shower cap. The heat generated by your scalp will facilitate the absorption of the mask.
And when you rinse it off, rinse with cold water to close your hair cuticles and retain moisture.
Apply the keratin mask twice a week for three weeks. After that, if you still want to apply a normal keratin treatment with heat, you can go to the hair salon and leave your hair in professional hands.
Conclusion
My professional advice is that if you bleached your hair, go to a hair salon to apply a keratin treatment. Because even if you let three weeks pass after bleaching to apply a keratin treatment, you can still ruin your hair completely.
In the meantime, after three days of bleaching your hair, you can apply keratin masks. These will restore nutrients and moisture to your hair.
