The first time I had a professional keratin treatment, the stylist advised me to buy the accompanying shampoo and conditioner. I thought she was scamming me for an additional $50 on top of the $800 treatment. Wisened, street-smart, city girl that I am, I declined, “No thanks, doll.” When I left the salon, I only had eyes for my hair, smooth, shiny, sleek, and no frizzy baby hairs in sight – it was the coif of my dreams. After my first shampoo, the results were less stunning. With subsequent shampoos, a pattern had emerged. By the 5th shampoo, my 3B texture was back. I went back to the salon. The stylist rolled her eyes and set the originally advised shampoo and conditioner on the counter. I assumed it was ok to use my usual shampoo and conditioner because they were French and pricey. Wrong. Among the first ingredients were sodium laureth sulfate, a harsh surfactant, and sodium chloride, the equivalent of table salt, both of which dissolved and stripped the keratin coating right off my hair on contact. I learned my lesson the hard way.
Now I only stick to sulfate-free and sodium chloride-free lines, like Keratin Perfect for shampoo, conditioners, treatments, and styling products. Like most clean modern beauty formulas, it’s free of the other ickies, parabens and ??SLES. In addition to preserving keratin and smoothing treatments, Keratin Perfect’s proprietary KeratinPro Technology, developed by a team of scientists and stylists, targets and fills in the frayed parts of the hair cuticle with the essential building blocks of hair health to repair damage, protect and yield sleek, shiny hair. After a full washday regimen with Keratin Perfect products, from A-to-Z, my hair is noticeably smoother and shinier.
I started with just a quarter-sized amount of Keratin Daily Smoothing Shampoo. Scented with a fruity zing, it’s a bright pick me up for an early morning blowout. It foamed into a rich, cleansing lather. The richness of the Keratin Daily Smoothing Conditioner nourished my hair and left the ends detangled with just a few passes of a wide-toothed comb. After 2 minutes, my hair felt nourished enough to rinse out. On weekends, when I have more time for self-care, I love to apply the Keratin Hydrate Deep Conditioner for serious nourishment and weekly repair. Flecked with vanilla seeds for a dreamy sweet scent, the creamy formulation blends botanicals, jojoba oil, and plant-based proteins with the brand’s proprietary keratin for deep nourishment and protection from breakage.
As Keratin Perfect is a complete keratin-replenishing hair system, the Benefit Obsessed Multi-Purpose Treatment Spray delivers more keratin in a super lightweight, hydrating base of silk-amino acids for additional detangling and nourishment that will have you obsessed with this one-of-a-kind leave-in. As the next step, I love the Keratin Frizz-Fee Blow-Dry Cream. The bright pink gel-cream emulsifies and penetrates the hair without a greasy or sticky residue, and cuts down on drying time without skimping on the silky results to be expected from a blowout. Both the Keratin Treatment Spray and Blow Out Cream are light enough to be used on dry hair, in between washdays for a quick jeuje to refresh and tame.
In addition to the smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner, Keratin Perfect also offers a keratin-safe brighting purple shampoo and conditioner, bolstered with avocado and lavender oils, to fight the good fight against brass and preserve the blonde tones that are expensive to attain as a keratin treatment. Perfectly timed for the holiday season, both the Keratin Daily Smoothing and Keratin Brightener lines are also available as stocking-suffer-ready travel-sized duos.
