Keratin hair treatment: is it worth the cost?

If taming your frizzy hair is one of the major challenges you face every morning, you might be one of the many considering a keratin hair treatment and wondering if it's worth the investment.

The cost of keratin treatments varies depending on the length of your hair and the hair salon.

• Typically, this treatment will set you back between $250 and $450.
• For this amount, you can tick frizzy hair off your list of early morning woes for the next two to three months.

After the trip to the salon, you'll have to wait three to four days before washing your hair. Make sure not to hook those locks behind the ears, or they will develop a mutinous wave with a mind of their own.

Unlike other hair straightening procedures, keratin treatments can be done on colour-treated hair.

• The process — which usually takes two to three hours — involves applying hair protein and keratin then sealing it with heat using a hair iron.
• This improves hair manageability without stripping your locks of their natural protein.
• Keratin strengthens the hair and reduces instances of breakage.
• Blow drying your hair will take half the time it used to, and you should have smooth, frizz-free hair — even on hot, humid days.

When you get a keratin treatment, you can forget about the morning fuss of getting your hair to behave.

• You can experiment with hairstyles that wouldn't be possible with frizzy hair, such as fringe.
• You can use a flat iron or blow dryer to get your hair silky straight, or if you're really pressed for time, you can skip blow drying altogether.

For the price of $250 to $450, a couple of hours at the salon and three or four days of waiting before you can wash your hair, you'll get smooth and shiny tresses without much effort for two to three months.

• If you spend at least 20 minutes on your hair every morning in order to make it look decent, a keratin treatment may be worth the investment.