The treatment works by using keratin which is a protein already present in the hair shaft to smooth and straighten out curls and frizz. Most chemical straighteners and relaxers break down the hair and restructure it so that it appears straighter.

Keratin is high in the amino acid cystine which is what makes the hair strong and elastic.

Keratin treatment is a fairly simple thing if you have been coloring your hair by yourself. Applying the right shade of color to your hair is not rocket science, and even if you have never done it by yourself, you must have watched your stylist apply it one or more times. You might even have a bowl for the color and a flat brush to apply it with. You must also have some hair brushes at home.

Pure Keratin treatment at home starts by measuring the correct amount of the solution and putting it in a bowl. The dry hair is parted at the root, and using the brush the solution is applied from the root outward. Working in small groups and making sure every stand of hair is covered. When finished you should comb your hair straight with a wide tooth comb.

Each product has its own instructions, and they should be followed. Some call for leaving the liquid keratin treatment for 30 minutes, before you reach the critical stage of blow drying and flat ironing the hair to make sure it will remain straight shiny and soft, without frizz and ‘strays’.

There are 3 things you will need to use at this stage: A brush, a blow-dryer and a flat iron.

Brush Each stylist has the brushes they like. Some of them are on wood handles and some on metal and have holes in the base. Those transmit heat faster to the inside layer around the brush, and when the hair is coarse and hard to manage those usually do a better job. The thickness of the brush has to do with the amount of hair you have and the result you want to achieve. When blow drying your hair after Keratin treatment you want to blow it as straight as possible, so use a paddle brush or a round brush that works best for you and your hair.

Blow-dryer What is a good hair dryer? Not all hair dryers are born alike but the principle behind them is the same. Heating element and a blower. The size of the motor will dictate the power of the thrust and the heat it will generate, so look at the numbers of watts it has. Hair dryers range from 1500 Watts to about 2300 Watts.

The second thing you should look at is the level of noise it makes. No need to go deaf because of a very noisy hairdryer.

Wight – remember, you hold it in your hand for a long time, so the lighter it is, the easier it will be.

Prices range from $20 in convenient stores to over $150 for professional ones.

Flat-iron The Keratin treatment ends with using a flatiron on small sections of the dry hair, until it is smooth and silky. A good flat-iron should have the following:

Ceramic plates – They conduct heat very well and are smooth so they will glide through the hair and not snag or entangle.

Size of the flat-iron – Flat-irons come in various sizes from 1 inch to 2 ½ inches thick. Which one to use has to do with the length of your hair. For short hair, 1 inch should be enough, for long hair you might want to consider a wider flat-iron.

A good flat-iron has temperature settings and not just low-medium-high settings. This is important because you want to use the least heat to do the job. Putting the iron on high will get results quickly but may singe your hair. For best result use small sections of hair and repeat the flattening a few times on each strand, without using extra heat.

Prices run from $59 to about $180. The most expensive ones are not necessarily the best.