My beauty regiment is pretty simple. Besides my undying addiction to gel manicures, I keep it pretty low-key– a massage after big races, hair trim only when my hair looks absolutely ratty and I follow the skin regiment my dermatologist recommended.
I have naturally straight but frizzy hair. Come on Jewish genetics, couldn’t I at least get the curly hair? Humid days leave my hair hella puffy.
I’ve found the best method to get my hair looking real good is to let it air dry for an hour, and then blow dry it out. Obviously I don’t have time to do that in the morning, which is really unfortunately since I work out in the AM and therefore shower before leaving for work. More often than not, I leave my apartment with my hair wet and full of product to make my hair vaguely curly… or I just pull it back out of shear laziness. #FitnessGirlProblems
I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a keratin treatment and snagged up a deal on Gilt City at the end of summer for a Cezanne Keratin treatment. Going into the appointment at Ion Studio 2 weeks ago, I was nervous– I’ve never even dyed my hair so letting any chemical touch my virgin locks was scary.
The Process
I won’t pretend to be the keratin pro, but what makes cezanne keratin special is the lack of formaldehyde unlike similar treatments. The lack of harsh chemicals makes it better for both you and your hair. It’s not meant to straighten your hair but more so defrizz and tone down the poof.
My hairstylist, Sarah, was super knowledgeable about the process– she said she does a few keratin appointments a week and they are becoming more and more popular. I knew I was in good hands.
The whole process took about 2 hours total– wash my hair with just shampoo, coat my locks with keratin, wash out again fully, blow dry and then straighten with a special straightener.
There’s no special rules for afterwards– you can take a shower right away, put it up in a pony tail or do whatever you want. I actually held off making my appointment because I was worried I wouldn’t be allowed to sweat for a few days after the treatment, which would’ve been impossible during marathon training.
My hair did smell like the keratin afterwards, which was a bit strong when I worked up a sweat the next morning in a dance class. In less than a week the scent went away. It wasn’t offensive, but I definitely noticed it.
My Hair- After
I think I just fell in love with yet another expensive habit, great.
To style my hair, all I’ve been doing is blow drying it while half-ass finger combing it at the same time. I was kind of shocked at how easy to was to get my hair to look the way I like it– poof my hair was magically straight and frizz-free without doing much. I’ve been putting a tiny bit of serum in once it’s totally dry, but even that feels unnecessary. I’ve always had to use a ton of de-frizzing products before I start drying my hair to get it to look like this.
The unseasonably warm and balmy weather has been a great test of how well my hair holds up in the humidity. I’m happy to report it passed the humidity test and still looked good at the end of a disgustingly humid day.
It’s made my hair routine a lot easier to deal with, which is great since I don’t have a ton of time to get ready in the morning post workout.
The only annoying part is you have to use sulfate + paraben free shampoo. I found inexpensive L’oreal and OGX options at CVS. When I take a shower after working out a studio, I have to be careful and bring my own shampoo just in case.
It’s only been 2 weeks, but so far so good– I’m loving my silky, straight easy to manage hair. It’s pricey at $395 (I didn’t pay that much thanks to my Gilt coupon) so I’ll see if I end up getting another treatment when this one wears off. It’s supposed to last 4 months, depending on how often I wash my hair, and after that it will start to wear off and my hair will go back to it’s old, frizzy, ways.
The Deets
Ion Studio
41 Wooster St, New York, NY 10013
Price: $395 typically
photo credit: Ashley
I am totally going to have to try a Cezanne Keratin treatment! My stylist recommended something like that to me at my last trim. I hear you on the frizzball hair, though. I have puffy Italian hair that refuses to behave, especially now that I live in Houston.
I seriously recommend it so far, just the comfort of knowing my hair will stay put on a humid day is pretty awesome.
I also get Keratin- it makes SUCH a huge difference. It’s always a bummer when it wears out and because I’m so worried about damaging my hair, I don’t get it more than 2x per year. Some salons will give you the discounted price multiple times if you ask, worth a try!
Oooh thanks for the heads up! Will definitely have to see if that’s an option
your hair looks great. i need to try.
thank you so much! Seriously makes such a difference when you’re showering all the time thanks to working out
I absolutely loved reading about your Kertain experience 🙂 My mom used to get Keratin treatments, and I always envied how smooth they made her hair look. I used to have super straight and shiny hair, but taking chemo pills completely altered the texture of my hair. I have contemplated getting something like this to make it sleek and shiny like it used to be!
XO, SS || Seersucker Sass
So far so good for me, it’s been so nice to have low maintenance hair for once!
Hi Kayla, thanks for posting! I recently had the same treatment done and have been horrified by the smell when I wash my hair. You didn’t have any residual effects of the smell after that first week?
Thanks!
Hey Joanna! For me the smell totally wore off after a few showers both times I’ve had the treatment done. The first day was definitely the worst.