Brazilian Blowout Vs Keratin Treatment: Which One Should You Choose?

Brazilian blowout vs keratin treatment: What’s the difference between these hair straightening treatments? Which one is better? Check out our comparison for the answer.

A hair smoothing treatment is the only step towards smooth, straight, and shiny hair. This de-frizzing process is more popular and affordable than ever and a worthwhile investment for those with frizzy hair.

This article will compare the two most popular treatments, Brazilian blowout vs Keratin, to help you decide which one is better for your hair.

Overview of Brazilian Blowout & Keratin Treatment

What Is Brazilian Blowout Treatment?

Brazilian blowout is a professional hair smoothing treatment and a registered trademark owned by Brazilian blowout.

Brazilian blowout smoothing treatment seals the hair cuticle with essential amino acids to improve the hair condition. It creates a protective layer to smooth the hair, calm frizz, and boost shine.

Due to this treatment carrying a trademark, you should make sure that you’re getting this treatment from an authorized salon by referring to the list on the website. A host of salons might claim to offer Brazilian blowouts but use their own smoothing formula for your hair.

See also: Is It Possible to Apply Brazilian Blowout on Highlighted or Dyed Hair?

What Is Keratin Treatment? 

Keratin treatment aims to improve frizz, add a glossy shine to the hair, and make it more manageable.

Instead of amino acid, Keratin treatment use Keratin protein to replenish and repair the broken hair from inside.

Keratin treatment is safe to perform on almost all hair types. Those who don’t want to waste their time on blow-drying and daily heat styling regularly might find this one beneficial.

See also: Can You Use Dry Shampoo on Keratin-Treated Hair?

The Similarities Of Brazilian Blowout And Keratin Treatment 

• Improve Hair Conditions: The two both smooth and calm unruly hair, boost the shine, and make it more manageable. It means that you’ll spend less time styling and blow-drying afterward.
• Temporary Treatments: The results from these procedures are not permanent as you would get with Japanese straightening treatment.
• Formaldehyde Involved: Either Brazilian blowout or keratin treatment involves a questionable chemical, formaldehyde. According to the American Cancer Society, formaldehyde is a known carcinogen that can cause cancer or worsen it. It is not a single ingredient found in the solution but is released by other chemicals exposed to high heat during flat ironing.
• Aftercare: Keep in mind that you should use sulfate-free shampoo after receiving the treatment. Sulfate is a harsh agent that can prematurely strip out the treatment.

Brazilian Blowout Vs Keratin – The Differences

Mechanism

Brazilian Blowout hair treatment uses alkanoic amino acids, which can be washed out immediately after the treatment finishes. Hence, you’re not going to over-keratinize the stresses, which can ultimately lead to breakage.

With keratin treatments, your hair is exposed to Keratin and goes through a crystallizing process for 72 hours. Unfortunately, it means that your strands are prone to over-keratinized and hair breakage.

However, Keratin molecules are significantly smaller than amino alkanoic acid protein. As a result, Keratin can go deeper into the hair strands to nourish and repair them thoroughly. The hair is healthier because it is fortified from the inside out by these molecules.

How Long Does It Last?

Brazilian treatment can last from 10-12 weeks, depending on your natural hair texture and how frequently you shampoo your hair. People who don’t wash their hair regularly can keep the result for slightly longer.

(Check out: The 10 Best Shampoos For Brazilian Blowout)

Keratin hair smoothing treatment can last up to 6 months when your hair is properly cared for and as long as you don’t wash it regularly.

Customization

What we love about Brazilian Blowout Treatment is that it can preserve the original texture of the hair.

In other words, it does not give you pin-straight hair and can keep the natural curls. The focus of the treatment is to eliminate frizz and smooth the hair cuticle instead of straightening.

The stylist will flat iron over the hair to block in the solution. Yet, they can adjust the temperature and how many times they pass the iron to preserve the hair texture or give it a smoother look.

Thus, it allows room for customization to your own needs. Therefore, Brazilian blowout treatment is your best bet if you like to keep your hair curly and only want to tame the unruly frizz.

That said, if completely straight hair is your goal, you can still go for this treatment; make sure to tell the stylist what you desire.

On the other hand, keratin hair treatment helps smoothen the hair and give it a more shiny gloss. However, it does not retain the original hair texture as Brazilian Blowouts and make your hair much straighter.

Hair Texture

Although the two treatments aim to make the hair more manageable and tame the unruly frizz, Brazilian Blowouts retain the hair volume while Keratin tends to reduce it.

Therefore, Brazilian Blowout treatment is preferable for fine to medium hair texture because people with these hair textures usually don’t want to reduce their hair volume.

On the other hand, Keratin treatments are recommended for overly frizzy, coarse, and thick hair. The treatment is not the best smoothing treatment for fine, thin, or straight hair since it will further cut down on the volume.

Convenience

Brazilian blowout smoothing treatment is more convenient than keratin treatments. The whole procedure is complete within an hour to an hour and a half.

However, if your hair is thick and voluminous, the treatment can take up to two hours. After leaving the salon, you can immediately wash or style your hair as desired.

On the other hand, while both treatments aim to smoothen your hair, Brazilian Blowouts are more customizable. The hair stylist can adjust the treatment, through the temperature of flat ironing, to achieve the hair look you desire.

The result is that you get more manageable yet not completely straight hair, and you still have the original wavy or curly hair texture.

Meanwhile, keratin hair treatment often takes longer, around two to four hours, to finish. You should not wash your hair within 72 hours post-treatment to allow the solution to penetrate the hair strands.

It’s also essential to keep your hair loose, avoid tying or tucking the hair behind the ears within the next three days to avoid creasing your hair.

Procedure

While the two methods require applying the formula and sealing it through flat ironing at high temperature, there is a difference between Keratin and Brazilian Blowout in terms of procedure.

Brazilian Blowout

The hair is washed with a clarifying shampoo and towel dry to remove excessive moisture. Then the hairstylist uses the application brush to apply the solution to the hair sections.

Next, the hair is blow-dried, and then the formula is sealed by flat ironing at high heat (380F – 450F). Finally, the hairstylist will rinse the hair to get rid of the solution before applying the masque and rinse the hair again after one minute.

Keratin Treatment

The treatment also starts with washing the hair with a clarifying shampoo. Then, the hairstylist towel dries and blow-dries the hair until it’s around 80% dry. Section your hair and apply the solution.

For the solution to penetrate deeper into the hair, it’s best to cover the head with a cap for at least 15 minutes.

The stylist then flat irons the hair in tiny sections before rinsing the hair to make sure the solution is not left on the hair. The last steps are shampooing, applying keratin sealing, serum, and blow-drying.

See also: Can You Color Your Hair After Keratin Treatment?

Quick Rundown Of Brazilian Blowout

Pros 

• Perseveres the natural curls and waves
• Takes less time for each treatment
• Treated hair can be washed and styled once the treatment finishes
• Keeps the hair volume
• Styling the treated hair straight takes less time than before

Cons

• The result lasts only around three months or less

Quick Rundown Of Keratin Treatment

Pros

• Long-lasting results (up to six months)
• Gives hair a glossy, healthy look
• Make hair look straighter
• Reduce the hair volume

Cons

• Takes long to complete the treatment
• Cannot wash or styling the hair within 72 hours after the treatment
• Not ideal for fine, thin hair

See also: Can Keratin Cause Hair Loss?

Which Is Better: Keratin Or Brazilian Blowout? 

As each smoothing treatment has its own benefits and drawbacks, choosing between Brazilian blowout vs. keratin treatment comes down to your needs and hair types.

If you want your voluminous hair to become straighter and more manageable, keratin treatment should fit the bill.

On the other hand, Brazilian blowouts can be a bit more forgiving (if you want them to) and work best with fine to medium hair strands. You can keep both volume and stunning natural curls.

While keratin treatment gives more long-lasting results, it requires you to refrain from washing and styling your hair for the first three days. Brazilian blowout treatments do not impose such restrictions.

Conclusion

Brazilian and keratin treatments, in general, are safe ways to give a smooth and sleek look to your tresses.

After our comparison between Brazilian blowout vs Keratin, we hope now you can decide for yourself the most appropriate treatment based on your needs and hair textures.