Keratin Treatment Hair Care Tips You NEED to Know
The Ultimate Guide to Keratin Treatments: Common Mistakes and Best Hair Care Practices
Keratin treatments have become a game-changer for those looking to reduce frizz, enhance shine, and improve manageability while maintaining their natural curl pattern. However, proper aftercare is crucial to ensure long lasting results.
In this post, I’ll take you through the step-by-step process of applying a keratin treatment, the best products and tools to use, and the most common mistakes that can ruin your results. Plus, I’ll introduce you to my very own hair care products designed to help you maintain your keratin treated hair effortlessly!
What Is a Keratin Treatment?
Keratin is a natural protein found in our hair, skin, and nails. It plays a crucial role in maintaining hair strength, elasticity, and protection. A keratin treatment works by infusing keratin into the hair cuticle, temporarily filling in porous or damaged areas to create a smoother, stronger, and more frizz-resistant finish.
For curly-haired individuals, a keratin treatment enhances curl definition, reduces styling time, and makes detangling easier. It is a semi-permanent smoothing treatment that gradually washes out, making it a fantastic option for those looking for a seasonal boost in hair health. Over time, regular keratin treatments can contribute to stronger, healthier, and more resilient hair.
The Keratin Treatment Process
For my keratin treatments, I exclusively use the Cezanne Smoothing Keratin Treatment, a formaldehyde-free, plant-based formula that effectively reduces frizz and adds shine while preserving the natural curl pattern. Here’s how I apply it:
Cleansing: I start by washing my client’s hair with a clarifying shampoo to remove buildup and open the hair cuticle for optimal absorption.
Application: I evenly distribute the Keratin Treatment throughout the hair, ensuring full coverage.
Processing: The treatment sits in the hair for the recommended time to fully penetrate the cuticle.
Blow-Drying: I blow-dry the hair to begin sealing in the treatment and prep for heat activation.
Flat Ironing: Using a flat iron, I pass over small sections of hair at the right temperature to lock in the treatment and ensure smooth, long lasting results.
Now that you understand the process, let’s talk about the most common mistakes people make when caring for their keratin treated hair, and how my hair care line can help prevent them!
Common Mistakes That Ruin Your Keratin Treatment
(and How to Fix Them!)
1. Using Sulfate Shampoos
One of the biggest mistakes is washing your hair with sulfate containing shampoos or those with sodium chloride (salt). These harsh ingredients strip the keratin from your hair prematurely, causing frizz and reducing the lifespan of the treatment.
Solution: Use a sulfate free clarifying shampoo when you’re in need of a deep clean. The Volume Shampoo is specially formulated to cleanse your hair gently while preserving your keratin treatment. It’s enriched with natural botanical extracts to keep your hair smooth, strong, and frizz-free.
Reset your hair and scalp with our Volume Shampoo. This clarifying shampoo is powered with bentonite clay to gently pull out buildup, impurities, and excess oils — giving your scalp a “facial” while leaving your hair soft, clean, and hydrated. Unlike harsh clarifiers, it removes product residue without stripping your hair, making it the perfect first step for healthy, thriving strands.
Features:
Deeply cleanses scalp and hair to remove buildup and impurities
Infused with bentonite clay for a detoxifying yet moisturizing cleanse
Leaves hair light, fresh, and weightless — never dry or brittle
Creates the perfect foundation for blowouts, silk presses, or protective styles
Works beautifully on all textures, especially fine hair that gets weighed down easily
Benefits:
Your scalp feels refreshed and balanced, not tight or dry
Helps curls, blowouts, and silk presses last longer by starting on a clean base
Lightweight formula makes it safe for weekly use
Pairs perfectly with the Moisture Shampoo for the ultimate cleanse + hydration routine
Think of the Volume Shampoo as your reset button, the one step that ensures your hair is clean, healthy, and ready to shine.
What’s inside:
•QUINOA PROTEIN: penetrates the hair shaft plumping each strand to maximum fullness.
•BENTONITE CLAY: plumps, strengthens and protects hair.
How to Use:
SHAMPOO: Wet hair and lather from roots to ends. Rinse.
CONDITIONER: After cleansing with shampoo, apply evenly from roots to ends. Leave in for 3-5 minutes and rinse thoroughly.
2. Overwashing Your Hair
Keratin treatments gradually wash out over time, so excessive washing accelerates the process. Washing your hair too often can strip away moisture and lead to dryness and frizz.
Solution: Stick to washing your hair no more than 1-2 times per week to maximize the longevity of your keratin treatment. The Moisture Shampoo helps to keep your scalp fresh without stripping your treatment.
Bring your hair back to life with our Moisture Shampoo. This creamy, nourishing formula is designed to infuse your strands with long lasting hydration while keeping them light, bouncy, and full of movement. Unlike heavy moisturizing shampoos that can leave buildup behind, this one delivers the perfect balance: deep hydration without weighing your hair down.
Features:
Gently cleanses while replenishing moisture to dry hair
Creamy, rich formula leaves hair soft, hydrated, and manageable
Keeps hair weightless, making it perfect before blowouts or silk presses
Strengthens and nourishes from root to tip
Safe for all textures, including fine hair, extensions, and color-treated strands
Benefits:
Your hair feels hydrated, silky, and smooth after every wash
Perfect second step after the Volume Shampoo for a balanced cleanse
Preps your strands for styling by keeping them moisturized and pliable
Helps prevent dryness, frizz, and breakage between wash days
With Moisture Shampoo, every wash day leaves your hair hydrated, soft, and ready for whatever style you choose, whether it’s a blowout, silk press, or natural curls.
What’s inside:
SUNFLOWER SEED EXTRACT: provides UVA and UVB protection to preserve radiant color.
COCONUT MILK: creates a strong barrier around the hair shaft to prevent breakage.
RHODOCHROSITE: balances moisture levels.
How to Use:
SHAMPOO: wet hair and lather from roots to ends. Rinse well. Repeat if necessary.
CONDITIONER: after cleansing with shampoo, apply evenly from roots to ends. Leave in for 2-3 minutes and rinse well.
3. Overloading on Protein Treatments
While keratin is a protein, adding too many protein-based products post-treatment can cause stiffness and breakage. Many people mistakenly follow up with protein masks, leading to protein overload.
Solution: Focus on moisture-balancing deep conditioners instead. The Deep Repair Treatment is perfect for maintaining the right moisture-protein balance while keeping your curls soft and bouncy.
Give your hair the ultimate reset with our Deep Repair Treatment. Formulated with the perfect balance of strength and hydration, this intensive mask revives dry, damaged strands while keeping them soft, defined, and healthy. Infused with keratin protein and rich moisturizers, it works from the inside out to repair, fortify, and restore your hair’s natural beauty.
Features:
Deeply hydrates while reinforcing strands with protein
Infuses keratin to strengthen and protect against breakage
Restores elasticity so curls clump, pop, and define
Improves softness, shine, and manageability
Ideal for hair that is heat styled, color treated, or prone to dryness
Benefits:
Hair feels instantly stronger and more moisturized
Visible results, curls spring back with bounce and definition
Keeps straight naturals and curly girls alike protected from heat and stress
Perfect for weekly deep treatments or paired with a steam treatment for maximum absorption
When your hair needs both moisture and strength, the Deep Repair Treatment delivers. It’s the key to keeping your strands resilient, hydrated, and full of life.
What’s inside:
SUNFLOWER OIL + MALACHITE: restore moisture, shine, and resilience while protecting hair from environmental stressors.
RHASSOUL: a mineral rich clay, makes this a great treatment for even finer textured hair.
How to Use:
Apply to clean towel dried hair and leave in for 5 to 15 minutes, then rinse. Tip: Focus on mid-lengths to ends to help prevent split ends.
4. Skipping Heat Protectant When Styling
Heat is used to seal the keratin into the hair, but applying heat without protection later can break down the treatment and lead to dryness or curl pattern alteration.
Solution: Always use a high-quality heat protectant before styling. Le Deux is a hydrating blow dry cream to keep your hair moisturized and shield your hair from heat damage , while the Amethyst Oil smooths and adds extra shine and protection.
Meet your new heat-styling essential. Le Deux Blow Dry Cream is the perfect balance of moisture and protection, giving your hair a silky, weightless finish every time you blow dry. Unlike traditional heat protectants, this cream based formula not only shields your strands from heat damage but also infuses deep hydration. Keeping your hair soft, smooth, and manageable.
Features:
Provides heat protection against blow dryers and hot tools
Cream consistency delivers intense moisture while protecting
Keeps hair silky, soft, and frizz free without weighing it down
Makes blow drying easier by improving slip and manageability
Ideal for naturals, relaxed hair, silk presses, or extensions
Benefits:
Your hair stays hydrated even under heat
Smooth, shiny results without dryness or breakage
The perfect foundation for silk presses, curls, or protective styles
Lightweight, so it works beautifully on both fine and thick textures
With Le Deux, you don’t have to choose between moisture and protection, you get both. Make it the final step before blow drying for salon quality results at home.
What’s inside:
• SUNFLOWER SEED EXTRACT: acts a UVA and UVB protectant while preserving radiant color.
• SWEET PEA PROTEIN: hydrates, smooths and defines hair.
• MAGNESIUM: hydrates and improves the elasticity of hair.
How to Use:
STYLE STRAIGHT: Apply to towel dried hair. Leave for 2-3 minutes and blow dry.
Seal in shine, lock in moisture, and protect your hair with Amethyst Oil. This lightweight finishing oil is designed to penetrate the hair shaft, delivering long-lasting hydration without weighing your hair down. Perfect for both blowouts and silk presses, it doubles as an extra layer of heat protection while keeping your hair soft, smooth, and frizz-free.
Features:
Provides a second layer of heat protection for styling
Lightweight formula that absorbs quickly without buildup
Seals in moisture from your creams and leave-ins
Leaves hair silky, shiny, and frizz-free
Works on natural hair, relaxed hair, and extensions
Benefits:
Protects against dryness from hot tools
Adds natural shine without greasiness
Perfect as the final step before a silk press or as a daily shine oil
Fine-hair friendly — no heavy residue or weighed-down strands
Whether you’re blowing out, silk pressing, or simply refreshing your look, Amethyst Oil is the perfect finishing touch for healthy, shiny, and protected hair.
What’s inside:
• HEMP SEED PROTEIN: fights fly-aways and frizz. Soothes scalp.
• AMETHYST: protects the hair from hot tools up to 410 degrees and
speeds up blow dry time.
How to Use:
ON WET HAIR: apply a few drops concentrating on the mid-lengths and ends. Comb through to distribute evenly. Style as usual.
ON DRY HAIR: lightly apply and work through hair for added shine and to tame fly-aways.
TREATMENT: apply throughout scalp and hair, cover with a plastic cap for 20 minutes to an hour. Shampoo and condition hair as regular.
Final Thoughts: The Key to Long-Lasting Keratin Treatments
Keratin treatments can be an incredible investment in your hair’s health and manageability when properly maintained. By using the right shampoos, deep conditioners, and heat protectants, and avoiding common mistakes like over washing or excessive protein use, you can ensure that your keratin treatment lasts for 3+ months while keeping your hair healthy