Aftercare for a chemical treatment

It's easy to assume the treatment is finished the moment you leave the chair. In practice, keratin and colour in particular are still chemically settling for the first two to three days, and the habits you fall back into during that window can either lock the result in or undo a good part of it.

The first 48–72 hours matter most

After a keratin treatment, avoid washing your hair, tying it up, or tucking it behind your ears for at least the first two to three days. The keratin bond is still curing during this time, and any crease, kink or tie mark can set into the hair the same way the straightening itself did — which means it won't fully brush out afterwards. Sleeping on a silk or satin pillowcase, or loosely, with hair down, reduces the risk of an accidental crease overnight.

Colour behaves differently but shares the same logic: the cuticle stays slightly more open for a day or two after a colour service, so it's more vulnerable to fading from hot water, sweat, and chlorine or salt water during that window specifically.

Washing afterwards

Once you're past the initial setting window, switch to a sulphate-free shampoo — sulphates strip colour faster and can wear down a keratin or hair botox coating well before its natural fade point. Wash in lukewarm rather than hot water; heat opens the cuticle and accelerates fading and coating loss on any chemically treated hair.

For keratin and hair botox specifically, washing less often actually helps the result last — both work partly by reducing how much water and humidity your hair absorbs day to day, so over-washing works against the treatment rather than just being neutral.

Heat styling and the sun

A treatment that was heat-sealed in the salon can still be damaged by heat afterwards — a flat iron or blow-dryer used too hot, too often, thins out a keratin coating faster than normal wear would. If you're going to heat style, a heat protectant spray isn't optional, it's part of what makes the treatment last its full window.

Direct sun exposure fades both colour and the sheen a fresh treatment gives you — a leave-in product with UV protection, or simply keeping longer sun sessions covered, is worth it if you've just paid for either.

When to come back

Keratin and hair botox both fade gradually rather than growing out visibly, so there's no hard deadline — you'll notice frizz creeping back in and know it's time. Colour is more visible at the root as new growth comes through, which is usually the more obvious signal. Either way, a quick message describing what you're seeing gets you a straight answer on whether it's time for a touch-up or a full redo.