If your blow-dry frizzes out by lunch and styling eats your evenings, a keratin treatment at home can fix that for months. The treatment coats each strand in protein, and your flat iron seals it in, so hair dries faster and stays smoother. Follow these instructions for GK Hair's The Best to get salon-level results at home.
Quick answer: Yes, you can do a keratin treatment at home. Just shampoo your hair with a clarifying shampoo twice. Apply the keratin to damp hair, section by section. Let it sit for 40-60 minutes. Rinse and apply conditioner. Blow-dry hair until dry. Then flat iron your hair at a temperature of around 200°C. Allow yourself 2-3 hours.
Can You Do Keratin Treatment at Home?
Yes, it works great if you have frizzy, dry, wavy or curly hair that takes ages to blow-dry straight. Bleached or over-processed hair can still handle it: use the 40-minute time and seal at 190°C, lower again on the ends.
Skip it only if your hair is already snapping or breaking, or if working a 200°C iron close to your scalp isn't something you're comfortable doing. Either way, know the pros and cons of keratin treatments before deciding.
How Long Does Keratin Treatment Take, and What Does It Cost?
Doing it yourself takes 2-3 hours and will only cost you the price of the treatment. Having someone else do it at a salon will cost extra for their time.
| Time | Cost | Who does it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| At home | 2 to 3 hours | A$75 (100 ml) to A$225 (300 ml), treatment only, at the time of writing | You |
| Salon | Longer, plus finishing | Varies by salon and hair length; get a quote from a GK Hair salon | A stylist |
But really, how much is a keratin treatment if you already have a flat iron and blow-dryer at home? Only the bottle.
What You Need for a Keratin Treatment at Home
- The actual treatment itself, like The Best Keratin Hair Treatment
- pH+ Clarifying Shampoo to use for your wash before applying your treatment
- Brush and comb to apply your treatment
- Clips to section your hair and a plastic cap
- Deep Conditioner
- Round brush and blow dryer
- Titanium flat iron with precise heat settings anywhere from 190 to 200°C
Think of a keratin treatment at home kit as the whole routine in one box: The Best, pH+ Clarifying Shampoo, a Color Protection Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner for aftercare, and Deep Conditioner, plus an application brush, cap and gloves, for A$126 at the time of writing. This is the easiest route if you're a beginner.
How to Do Keratin Treatment at Home in 8 Steps
Complete each step below in sequence. Each step prepares your hair for the next, and skipping one weakens the result.
Step 1: Wash Twice With a Clarifying Shampoo
Buildup from styling products and hard water prevents keratin from adhering to your hair, so wash twice with a clarifying shampoo like pH+ Clarifying Shampoo. Leave each wash on for approximately 3 minutes. Do not scrub your scalp. Skip the conditioner. Towel-dry and brush through hair until dampened, not soaking wet.
Step 2: Section Your Hair and Apply the Treatment
Apply The Best Keratin Treatment to hair that has been towel-dried, but not completely dry. Begin at the nape and work your way up. Using an application brush, work through sections of hair about 1 cm (½ inch) wide, keeping the bristles roughly 5 mm (¼ inch) away from your scalp. Comb through each section, ensuring every strand is coated.
Step 3: Leave It on for 40 to 60 Minutes
Place a plastic cap over your hair and allow it to process. Processing time will vary based on hair type, as will the temperature of your flat iron later:
| Hair type | Leave on | Flat-iron heat |
|---|---|---|
| Fine or wavy | 40 minutes | 200°C (400°F) |
| Thick, coarse or tightly curled | 60 minutes (most smoothing) | 200°C (400°F) |
| Over-processed or bleached | 40 minutes | 190°C (375°F), lower on ends |
Don't touch or tie up your hair while processing. Allow keratin to form bonds undisturbed.
Step 4: Rinse With Warm Water
Rinse with warm water thoroughly until the water runs clear. If your hair feels like it is over-processed or if your hair appears slightly red, shampoo just the ends with Moisturizing Shampoo or use Color Protection Moisturizing Shampoo on colour-treated hair. Do not condition at this time.
Step 5: Apply a Deep Conditioner
You will experience some moisture loss after treatment and rinse, which is normal. Apply the Deep Conditioner to your hair and work it in for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.
Step 6: Blow-Dry Until 100% Dry
Dry hair with a round brush on high heat, applying enough tension to straighten each section. Hair should be 100% dry before using a flat iron. Any remaining moisture will prevent the treatment from locking in.
Step 7: Seal It With a Flat Iron
Only work in small sections at 200°C (400°F), or 190°C (375°F) if your hair is over-processed, and ease up on the temperature at the weak ends.
Glide the iron across each section, only two to four slow passes. Extra passes only add heat damage. Properly sealed hair will lie flat and have a glassy texture. The number one mistake we see with sealing hair is people sealing while it's still damp.
Step 8: Wash Whenever You Are Ready
Wondering how long after keratin treatment to wash hair you need to wait? There's no wait time with The Best Keratin Hair Treatment; feel free to wash your hair the same day you get it done.
After that, wash with sulphate-free Juvexin shampoo and conditioner, and check out our guide on keratin aftercare for the full routine. Results can last up to five months when using The Best (how long a keratin treatment lasts covers the details).
Does Keratin Treatment Straighten Hair?
No, not necessarily. It relaxes and smooths the texture of the hair; it doesn't make the hair poker straight. Tension during blow-drying and processing time determines how straight it will look. The full 60 minutes allows for maximum smoothing on thick or curly textures.
How to Choose the Best Keratin Treatment at Home
Three things separate a quality at-home keratin treatment from a poor one: it's formaldehyde-free, it gives processing times by hair type, and it names an exact sealing temperature. A GK Hair keratin treatment like The Best hits all three marks. It's built on Juvexin V2, a plant-based protein from quinoa and pea that strengthens hair from within. It also allows same-day washing and is used in salons in over 75 countries.
Avoid products that aren't clear on those three things. Excess formaldehyde can irritate skin, eyes, nose and throat, which is why Australian cosmetic regulations cap free formaldehyde in hair products at 0.05% (0.2% with a warning label).
Stylist's Corner: Iron your ends at a lower temperature than your mid-lengths. Ends are the oldest, most porous part of your hair, and heat damages them first, so lower your iron 10 to 20°C for the last few centimetres of each section.
Ready to Skip the Salon Chair?
Clean hair, 40-60 minutes of processing time, and a hot flat iron to seal it in place are all it takes to do a keratin treatment at home. Shop The Best keratin treatment, see all hair treatments or order the kit from GK Hair.
FAQs
Can you make a natural keratin treatment at home?
Not quite. Egg, coconut oil, or gelatin masks can make your hair feel softer for a day or two afterwards, but none of them can actually bond protein into your hair shaft or seal it in with heat. If you want long-lasting frizz control that lasts for months, you need a heat-sealed smoothing treatment like The Best.
Can you do a keratin treatment on colour-treated hair?
Yes. Use the Color Protection Moisturizing Shampoo in place of regular shampoo at the rinse step. You may notice a slight colour lift, which is normal. If a colour appointment is coming up too, get it done before the keratin treatment or on the same visit; if you'd rather colour afterward, wait about two weeks first, since colouring too soon can affect how well both the colour and the treatment hold.
Do you need a flat iron for a keratin treatment at home?
Yes. Heat activates what seals the keratin into each strand. Skip it, and the treatment will rinse right out after a wash or two. Two to four slow passes at 190°C to 200°C. Also, make sure your iron actually gets to that heat before using it.
Does an at-home keratin treatment work on thick or curly hair?
Yes, usually with dramatic results, as thick, curly hair tends to be the hair with the most frizz initially. Don't forget to let it sit for the full 60 minutes and work in small sections. Your hair will have loose curls, not straight hair.
