I'm midway through a home keratin treatment and my GHDs set on fire!

[PersephoneJames]

They were 18 years old.

I've recalled a grumpy DH home from work and sent him to buy some emergency straighteners. He'll be at least an hour... my hair feels so crispy and horrible and I have so much regret and am googling pixie crops.

Your dh came home from work because you had a hair emergency?
I’d not return from work for such a whimsy reason
What was the outcome with the hair then?

Don't worry about it being crispy, that'll straighten alright once he gets back!

How long did it take in the end? I did my first home one at the start of August, it's only just clinging on after 8 weeks even with sulphate and salt free shampoo and conditioner. It was a good effect while it lasted though.

@EspressoDoubleShot yeah! I might have ended up bald! Its not like dye where you can wash it off. He doesn't work very far away and has an electric bike so made it an early lunch.

He brought some cheap but hot straighteners and it took about an hour and so the stuff was left on quite a bit longer than the instructions. I used one which you can wash straight away which I think it quite unusual but I'm pleased I did because even straightening it wasn't getting rid of the crispiness, but having washed annd conditioned and dried it does feel lovely. there is a frazzled bit at the front which is annoying, but the rest is okay. Its just as damaged as before, but sleeker so less obvious. I'll pop up a before and after.

I started at 9.30 and finished by 1, even with the disaster! I'm not sure I'd do it again.

Before and after

Your hair looks nice!

Wow! Great result!
Mine looks like your before pic. Now I’m tempted

Has your DH got any brothers?

thank you! It dried really quickly after washing which is unusual for me, and its definitely no healthier although as the flyaways are straight it looks it. It has also made my highlights go brassier but I'll put a purple conditioner on next wash.

Hair looks lovely OP! Glad DH helped you out. I've had to run to the shops in one of DHs hats during a hair disaster before.

Wow what one did you use!

I miss my keratin treatments at the hairdresser but can justify the price anymore

I love these home treatments, yes they stink but so time saving in the long run.
They stop my hair looking frizzy & poofy. On average last 10-12 weeks. My hair is shorter & I can do it quite quickly now,. I haven coloured my hair in ages so the colour isnt changed much but when it was dyed it removed the dye & left an orangey tinge.

this amazon one @BelBabe - it seemed too good to be true because you can wash your hair straight away and not wait the three days. I'll update in a week or so to see how its lasting!

Starcat three!

Ooh looks nice. I love the effect of these but I'm always disappointed that they don't last long on me. I paid £180 at a salon once when it was bra-strap length, and it still only lasted 6 weeks!

So I do a stinky Amazon one on myself for a few quid, then it's not so painful when it wears off. But my hair is super-fragile at the moment (I lost loads with covid and the regrowth is weak), so I've had quite a lot cut off - it's shorter than yours now but really curly and frizzy.

oh that does look nice!
I'm tempted.

Do any of the formaldehyde-free ones come in a home kit, I wonder? If I'm doing it myself, I'd be even more worried about the fumes.

i'm also a bit rubbish at the whole sectioning and straightening my hair side of things, as I've got SO much, layer upon layer. And no-one else to help.

I'm pretty sure none of them have formaldehyde in them now, but the packaging will say anyway. They are a bit fumey (is that a word?) and it makes your eyes water, I did mine by an open patio door!

I'm also shit at sectioning, I just did the best I could - I'd suggest getting lots of clips and sectioning first, don't try to do it as you go along. I gave up on the gloves, I had to be able to FEEL what I was doing - and that stuff shrink wraps your skin, it was like having scales on one hand for about 5 days afterwards! But it didn't do any harm otherwise.

I use that one too and get great results on my extremely curly hair! I'd definitely recommend it if anyone is considering doing a home treatment.

@PeppermintMocha me too, so much of it and not great at sectioning. I also worried about frazzling my hair so didn’t pass the straighteners many times and did big sections of hair. I figured that it didn’t matter if it wasn’t ironing board straight but hoped it’d be sleeker.

They all say no formaldehyde but the fumes are strong. I did it next to an open window and it was okay.

sounds easier to get a no-formaldehyde one as a home kit then - I know that the ones the hairdressers use often say there is none, but actually it's just a different compound that turns into formaldehyde when it's heated. So although it's a lot less than the original ones, it's still there.

I am still quite tempted, though not sure whether I should get a salon to do it for the first time. I know I couldn't afford to have it done regularly though, and would have to learn to do it myself, which is very hard with so much hair!

I also wouldn't mind keeping the curls rather than having it straight, but I'd just like it to be smooth and shiny, instead of bushy, frizzy and huge!

Your hair looks fab and you have a lovely DH. I also use a similar keratin kit and its great, no need to pay crazy money to do it at a hairdresser.