Baking soda after keratin treatment?

August 14, 2015 10:38 AM

I had a keratin treatment on Wednesday to straighten my hair. I am wondering if I can use baking soda as shampoo and vinegar as conditioner, or will it ruin the effect?

Hello everyone. On Wednesday I got a keratin treatment and the lady said it will last a few months, she reckons half a year. It has been two days and my hair is extremely greasy, she advised me to wash it on Sunday. What do you recommend i do until then? Have any of you washed your hair two days after and have it affect the treatment negatively by making it last less time?
Also will baking soda ruin my hair after this treatment? I have been using it for a month and really like how clean it makes my hair but am worried it will strip away the keratin.
Thank you!

posted by akita to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (8 answers total)

I would be very careful about putting baking soda anywhere near your face, or on your scalp, for that matter. Baking soda is quite bad for your skin; it's very alkaline stuff, and if you're not careful, you can actually damage your skin pretty badly. If you're really wanting to just get out the grease but you don't want to shampoo, I'd try plain old cornstarch baby powder, used the same way you'd use a dry shampoo.
posted by holborne at 10:44 AM on August 14, 2015 [3 favorites]

I would ask her what type of shampooing method would be safest.
posted by Hermione Granger at 10:57 AM on August 14, 2015

Best answer: You are my twin! I too had a keratin treatment done on Wednesday. My hairdresser showed me the instructions sheet from the manufacturer (Peter Coppola brand) and it said no moisture of any kind for 72 hours (3 full days). She also said that even if I get just a little water or rain on my hair by accident, it is imperative that I use a straightening iron on it right away, or it will negate the whole treatment.

I did ask her about baking soda and apple cider vinegar. She said that she does not recommend baking soda but that diluted ACV should be fine as long as I wait the 72 hours. Personally, I will follow her advice and stay away from baking soda because the way it cleans is at least partially abrasive and I don't want to ruin my expensive polished locks with any kind of abrasion.

My hair is kinda iffy right now too (not actually greasy but looks that way on account of being so glossy and flat) but I am going to wait until the full 72 hours is over. I will then use a sulfate-free shampoo, as recommended. (Sulfate-containing shampoos are a major no-no as they strip the keratin from the hair, thus negating the treatment).
posted by rada at 11:02 AM on August 14, 2015 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you for your replies. I did ask her and I bought a conditioner that she recommended. But as she rinsed my hair after the treatment, I saw online that that means that I can wash my hair normally instead Of having to wait four days. Just wanted to hear other people's opinions. I won't be using baking soda then!
posted by akita at 11:02 AM on August 14, 2015

Apparently, I was wrong about not being able to use baking soda on account of physical abrasiveness. It is actually the pH of baking soda that does the most harm. Baking soda is very alkaline even when highly diluted (around 9 pH for 1 tablespoon per several cups of water) which causes the disulfide bonds between keratin protein molecules to break down.

She rinsed my hair after the treatment.

I am very confused by this. A keratin treatment consists of applying a keratin solution to your hair and then "sealing" it with a hot iron. If the solution was rinsed from your hair then you just washed out the whole treatment! Are you sure that's what happened?
posted by rada at 11:18 AM on August 14, 2015 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: So baking soda is out of the way. I'm going to buy some shampoo for keratin treatment today. She did the Brazilian blowout keratin treatment and rinsed my hair after straightening it, we didn't wait 20 minutes either. She applied the product and straightened my hair and then rinsed. She said some of her clients wash hair the next day but recommended four days. Online it says I can wash my hair whenever I want to. My hair is super greasy and not sure what to do.
posted by akita at 11:39 AM on August 14, 2015

Have a Netflix binge tonight/tomorrow and wash it on Sunday?
posted by heathrowga at 11:47 AM on August 14, 2015

Response by poster: Problem solved... I texted her and she wasn't answering which is why I resolved to ask mefi. She just answered and said it is alright to wash hair now with shampoo without sulphates and to apply keratin conditioner after. Thank you for your replies
posted by akita at 12:05 PM on August 14, 2015