Keratin Treatment Or Hair Botox? Choosing The Right One

Every week someone sits in my chair in La Cala and asks for a keratin treatment when what their hair actually needs is a botox treatment. Or the other way around. The two get lumped together constantly, so let me separate them properly.

What a keratin treatment does A keratin treatment is a smoothing treatment. It replaces lost keratin protein, then seals the cuticle down flat with heat.

The result is hair that is straighter, glossier, dramatically less frizzy and much faster to dry and style. If humidity is your enemy, this is your treatment.

It lasts around three to five months and it changes how your hair behaves day to day.

What hair botox does Hair botox has nothing to do with injections, despite the name. It is a deep conditioning and repair treatment, usually built around ingredients like collagen, amino acids and caviar oil.

Rather than sealing the cuticle flat, it fills in the damaged, porous gaps along the hair shaft. Think of it as filler for hair. It plumps, softens and restores elasticity.

The result is hair that feels thicker, healthier and much softer, with your natural texture intact. It does not straighten. It typically lasts around six to ten weeks.

So which one do you need? Choose a keratin treatment if:

• Frizz is your main complaint
• You want your styling time cut dramatically
• Your hair is thick, coarse or unruly in the humidity
• You want a smoother, straighter finish that lasts months

Choose hair botox if:

• Your hair is fragile, snapping or over processed
• You have been blonde for years and the ends feel brittle
• You want condition and shine but you like your natural texture
• You want to keep your curls or your body, just healthier

Choose both, in sequence, if: your hair is both damaged and frizzy. In that case I would usually do a course of repair first to get the hair strong, then a keratin treatment once it can take the heat properly.

What about colour? Both are colour safe when they are done in the right order. Colour first, treatment after, and always with enough time between so nothing fights.

Botox is particularly good for blonde clients, because repeated lifting leaves the hair porous, and porous hair loses toner fast. A botox treatment fills those gaps, which means your Scandinavian blonde or your balayage holds its tone noticeably longer. That alone often pays for the treatment.

What it looks like in the diary A keratin treatment is two to three hours. A botox treatment is closer to an hour to ninety minutes. Neither requires you to come back the next day, and you can wash normally after the recommended waiting period, which I will explain on the day.

Aftercare either way - Sulphate free shampoo, no exceptions - Rinse in fresh water before the sea or the pool - Keep heat styling moderate, and always use a heat protector - Book your top up before the results have fully faded, not after

Let me feel your hair first Honestly, this is not a decision to make from an article. Condition is something I need to feel between my fingers, wet and dry, to advise properly.

If you are in La Cala, Riviera del Sol or across the Mijas Costa, come in for a quick consultation. Five minutes with your hair in my hands and I will tell you which of the two you need, or whether you need neither and a good cut would fix it.

I would always rather send you home with the right answer than sell you the wrong treatment.