Brazilian Keratin Treatment BKT - Info Thread

[Louisex3]

I'm intrigued about this BKT.
Been searching the forum for some info on it but I can't really find anything.
All I've figured is that it makes your hair straight lol.
I was hoping some of you ladies could educate me?

What is it?
How does it work?
How long does it take to wear off?

any info is apprecaited
thanks in advanceee

 

[Georgia]

The following thread may give you some info.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=357933&highlight=keratin+treatment+support+thread

 

[Louisex3]

Georgia thanks shall check it out now

 

[Louisex3]

buuuuummmmmmmmppp
you're telling me
none of y'all understand how a bkt works? or the ins and outs?
where's Nonie when you need her expertise?

 

[Nonie]

@Louisex3, unfortunately, just like I'm clueless about relaxers (because I don't need them), I've also not made any effort to learn about BKT so I'm sorry I can't help. I have never found BKT'd hair to look good. It looks wispy and thin to me so the theory that it's "healthy" because it adds keratin to hair got the side-eye from me.

One of our resident stylists, Dontspeakdefeat initially liked it and created a thread about it but IIRC she's not a fan now. Others who also tried it have changed their minds about it. There are some who are hardcore fans of it though, I just don't remember who they are (sorry). (I think this thread may have both sides of the coin about it.) The fact that inhaling formaldehyde is a scare just makes it not exactly something I'm even interested in trying. (BTW, I do use nail polish with formaldehyde...but somehow that doesn't scare me as does having to wear a mask to get my hair done...and I've never needed one to do my nails. )

And here's a review by my favorite hair stylist, Reniece. I love her from a distance. Never had her work on me but I admire her a lot and if I ever considered letting anyone touch my hair, it'd be she: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBGad0G1HcU

 

[Louisex3]

Nonie! Thank you, I shall check out on the links.
Seems like no one else on this forum knowns anything about BKT, thought I would of had a few more responces.
I was thinking about trying a formaldehyde-free one, as yea, the whole surgical mask is uber-scary.
Thanks again!

 

[Lovelylocs]

I got one last year. I'm relaxed and it made my hair break horribly! Be careful.

 

[Allandra]

@Nonie! Thank you, I shall check out on the links.
Seems like no one else on this forum knowns anything about BKT, thought I would of had a few more responces.
I was thinking about trying a formaldehyde-free one, as yea, the whole surgical mask is uber-scary.
Thanks again!

Well, I've never had one, and I don't plan on ever getting one. My hair stylist did a video about bkt: video There are several threads on the forum in regards to bkt (by ladies that have gotten it done and done it themselves.

 

[hothair]

I'm relaxed coloured (light brown) with blond hi-lights and BKT-ed for over 3 years with no problems.

I do my BKT myself as I believe the excessive heat used by the professionals is a major reason people see damage.

 

[Lovelylocs]

My stylist said it's not good for relaxed hair. I'm not sure what went wrong with mine.

 

[naturalmanenyc]

I tried 3 brands, Lasio, Rejuvenol and Marcia Teixeira chocolate. I liked Rejuvenol the best. I bought my kit on ebay. All have formaldehyde. I had each treatment done once by a professional. I tried Rejuvenol at home many times and had no problems.

My hair is natural and the product wore off within 3 months. Others say it last longer. I wore my hair curly most often, not straight, so I am not sure how long straight hair would last. My longest flat iron after the treatment was under 2 weeks before it reverted. I have had reversion on the same day as my flat iron in the past so I was happy with BKT.

I have KeraPremium at home right now but have not used the kit.

 

[Jaffa]

I've had 3 in the past year and it has been great for my 4a/b thick natural hair. Like anything you need to do your research and decide if it is for you as many people have issues with the formaldehyde and heat. I researched this for about a year before taking the plunge. I got most of my information from hair sites - quite a few ladies were doing it a couple of years ago and it helped to see what did and didn't work. Many of the issues people seem to have had relate to the high heat which leads onto breakage. I have never had this problem with BKT. I wash and straighten my hair (one pass with straightener) once every 7-10 days - that's it, no more heat. I also wash and airdry occasionally - just depends how I feel. I try to practise good hair habits (steam and deep condition regularly, trims, low manipulation etc...)
I did notice that many people were applying this treatment on a very regular basis (weekly/monthly) which I dont think is neccessary (if applied correctly in the first place) or healthy for the hair.


My advice would be to do your research and pick a brand known to work well with your type of hair - not all BKT's give the same result.
Have it applied by a professional, at least the first time to see how your hair should look. The lady who applies mine has the gentlest technique with blowdrying, combing and straightening and does not use more than 3 passes in my hair and so far my hair has thrived.

 

[AtlantaJJ]

I'm thinking about doing a BKT, low temp on my natural hair for the summer... Starting my research now.

 

[sydwrites]

Louisex3 theres a huge BKT thread, like over 200pages, its been bumped so it should be on the main page now.

 

[winona]

I have some QOD Gold if anyone wants to try it out. I am selling small quantities for sampling before you spend the cash for the liter. I stopped using it because I got lazy :/ and as my hair grew it became too much work.

Sent from my iPad using LHCF

 

[Your Cheeziness]

You'll find a plethora of info on Google, moreso than here because it's not a generally accepted healthy hair practice. Different brands have different instructions and results so based on what you're comfortable with, you can compare what you're looking for.

I've used QOD Max and Keratin Treatment by Coppola with great results. How long it lasts depends on what condition your hair is in and what products you use to take care of it. Again, this depends on the brand and you'll just have to talk to a stylist and do some research to figure out which is best for your hair.

 

[Dove56]

I'm intrigued about this BKT.
Been searching the forum for some info on it but I can't really find anything.
All I've figured is that it makes your hair straight lol.
I was hoping some of you ladies could educate me?

What is it?
How does it work?
How long does it take to wear off?

any info is apprecaited
thanks in advanceee

Louisex3

BKT's have changed so much since 2009. I did my first treatment in April 2009. Back then you had to worry about fumes and formeldahyde, now, there are treatments that can straighten, smooth, tame frizz, elongate natural curls temporarily and prevent reversion in humidity without harmful chemicals. Aveda, Bumble and Bumble, Ojon and Redken all offer treatments. The types of treatments are as follows:

Formeldahyde - Some companies still make formulas with formeldahyde that range from 0.02% (QOD) - 4% (Global Keratin) I don't recommend these because God only knows what the long term effects are but they do produce dramatic results and can straighten 4b hair very well without the damage of a relaxer.

Cyestine - Doesn't rely on a "coating" to "seal" the keratin into the hair like formeldahyde. Keratin is comprised of many different proteins including Cyestine. Cystine, fills in the "holes" or damaged areas of the hair. Under the heat of a flatiron it gently and temporarily reshapes the bonds to create a smooth, humidity resistant texture. The cystine is gradually released from the strand over a period of about 3 months. I personally prefer this type of treatment over the others because I can retain my natural hair pattern (3b/c very small amount of 4a in the crown) and it does gradually wash out but my hair will not expand even in 99% humidity (holds up in Texas AND Florida) when I straighten (QOD Max Organiq, Chi Enviro Smoothing is offered in JC Penney, Arosci, Designer Essentials, Easy Keratin).

Vanillin - An aldehyde that release irritating fumes like Formalin and Formeldahyde. This treatment is usually marketed as "Formeldahyde Free" but the chemical behaves like formeldahyde but the results aren't as dramatic.
(Marc Anthony 30-Day Treatment, ION Smoothing in Sallys)

Sulfites - This is a very new approach to smoothing the hair. Bumble and Bumble, Aveda, Ojon and Silk Elements Kera Minerals use this ingredient to smooth hair. This product has a neutral p.h. and smells like an old school curly perm / jheri curl. This product "processes" the hair so you have to be mindful of how long it stays in the hair while doing the treatment. These treatments can cause allergic reactions in some individuals and this can alter hair color if you dye or bleach your hair. The jury is out on this one. I tested a patch of hair using Kera Minerals and it did fine; however, since my hair is bleached I will never use it allover.

Basically it depends on what you are looking for and what your expectations are for the product. Are you natural, are you relaxed, do you want straight hair, do you want curl and frizz reduction only, do you only want humidity blockage and reversion control. Are you naturally curly, do you want flexibility to go curly or straight? Are you 4a / b and you want to be a 3 something or completly straight? Is your hair colored treated, completely virgin, texlaxed, texturized, bleached?

I personally wouldn't recommend you use this if you are relaxed due to the amount of heat needed to infuse the keratin and seal the treatment.

My hair is medium textured, wavy in spots (and coarser) curly in some spots (and finer) but overall medium, very dense, and VERY, VERY strong so my hair can take the heat from the treatments and that's why I can get bone straight hair. My mom has extremely fine hair so the treatment, because of the heat, caused breakage for her. There are ALOT of variables. If you decide to pay someone to do the treatments, PLEASE find someone that's very knowledable and preferably someone that's used many different types of treatments. I've used so many on my head since 2009 and on family members and friends that I know which ones work well and which ones suck! Let me know if you have any questions!

HTH!

 

[Louisex3]

Dove56' wowweeeee
lots of info! but thank you very much, i understand it a lot better now
so would QOD (the one i would use if i do decide to BKT) be formaldehyde free? cause on their website they refuse to say that they are.

Also, bit of extra info, i'd say i'm 4b/c, virgin hair, and i guess i would BKT to help with styling etc.
I've got some heat damage on some of my ends, and they never get SSKs and i think it is less prone to breakage as these heat damaged bits are a lot longer than the rest of my hair

could i do the BKT on myself? or do you reccomend professional help?

 

[Dove56]

Dove56' wowweeeee
lots of info! but thank you very much, i understand it a lot better now
so would QOD (the one i would use if i do decide to BKT) be formaldehyde free? cause on their website they refuse to say that they are.

Also, bit of extra info, i'd say i'm 4b/c, virgin hair, and i guess i would BKT to help with styling etc.
I've got some heat damage on some of my ends, and they never get SSKs and i think it is less prone to breakage as these heat damaged bits are a lot longer than the rest of my hair

could i do the BKT on myself? or do you reccomend professional help?

You could definitely do the treatment yourself. I did my first treatment and it turned out great. I probably would've paid someone to do it but back in 2009 they wanted like 400 bucks to do a treatment. Now, you can find salons that only charge $100-150.

I order my QOD from Keratin4u.com. From what I understand they were removing from all aldehydes and formeldahydes from their products and turning them into the organiq formula. Due to popular demand (and dramatic results) of the QOD Max (regular not Organiq) they brought that product back and it's now sold as QOD Kerapremium.

If I still wanted straight hair this is the treatment I would use because it only contains 0.02% of formeldahye and that amount is safe to touch the skin. However, I'm totally over wet bone straight hair, so I use the Organiq instead. I only do a couple of passes with this products and I reduce the amount of heat I use to about 410 degrees.

If you do it yourself I say try the Organiq version first and follow the directions, don't reduce the passes since you have virgin hair and you are a 4b/c. You can purchase a small bottle for $50 on that keratin4u.com

If you don't like the Organiq then move on to the Kerapremium version. Start formedahyde free then work your way up if you have to.

 

[tuffCOOKiE]

Last year, I did the Marcia Tex BKT and I will not be doing it again. I got it done professionally and I think that the heat that was used was just too high. Further, the hair closer to my scalp wasn't fully dry so the BKT didn't "take" 100% in that area.

Currently, my new growth is now very frizzy while my ends are smooth due to heat damage from the BKT. Some of my strands have exploded in the BKT area from wear and tear. So right now it looks like I'm growing out a relaxer.

All and all, I will be doing the BKT again because I like the managebility of my hair after the BKT. What I'd like to do now, however, is my OWN hair (like I usually do) and I don't wan't my hair straight I just want my hair more manageable and, what I've noticed, is that I have more curls with a BKT (because its smoother). While I realise, there are more natural ways of doing this, it would work for me because of where I live and the availability of some of the products.

Dove56 So are you natural? I have highlights as well and I like the results that the QOD gives you.. What teemp is your flatiron on? Can I get away with doing 390 with the fragile nature of my ends? (By ends, I mean about 70% of my hair length)

Louisex3 What have you decided re BKT?

 

[Dove56]

Last year, I did the Marcia Tex BKT and I will not be doing it again. I got it done professionally and I think that the heat that was used was just too high. Further, the hair closer to my scalp wasn't fully dry so the BKT didn't "take" 100% in that area.

Currently, my new growth is now very frizzy while my ends are smooth due to heat damage from the BKT. Some of my strands have exploded in the BKT area from wear and tear. So right now it looks like I'm growing out a relaxer.

All and all, I will be doing the BKT again because I like the managebility of my hair after the BKT. What I'd like to do now, however, is my OWN hair (like I usually do) and I don't wan't my hair straight I just want my hair more manageable and, what I've noticed, is that I have more curls with a BKT (because its smoother). While I realise, there are more natural ways of doing this, it would work for me because of where I live and the availability of some of the products.

Dove56 So are you natural? I have highlights as well and I like the results that the QOD gives you.. What teemp is your flatiron on? Can I get away with doing 390 with the fragile nature of my ends? (By ends, I mean about 70% of my hair length)

Louisex3 What have you decided re BKT?

tuffCOOKiE Yes, I am natural. When I did QOD Max (regular) I flatironed about 7 times at 450 degrees. Now, so I can retain my curl pattern (using Organiq), I flatiron at 410 degrees and do 2-3 passes. If your hair is highlighted or bleached definitely reduce the temperature. Since that hair is more porous it's doesn't need as much heat to absorb the product.

 

[Louisex3]

tuffCOOKiE still undecided really... if i do decide to do it i'm gunna opt for the QOD organiq, the formaldehyde stuff scares me, and i'm super paranoid about my health lol.
also, i need to get some new straighteners as the ones i have atm don't tell you the temperature, there's just a hot or hotter setting lol

Dove56 so the QOD organiq is definately formaldehyde free?

 

[Dove56]

tuffCOOKiE still undecided really... if i do decide to do it i'm gunna opt for the QOD organiq, the formaldehyde stuff scares me, and i'm super paranoid about my health lol.
also, i need to get some new straighteners as the ones i have atm don't tell you the temperature, there's just a hot or hotter setting lol

Dove56 so the QOD organiq is definately formaldehyde free?

Yes, formeldahyde and aldehyde free. It's technically a "Cystine" treatment instead of Keratin (keratin is comprised of cystine and other proteins). You don't smell fumes, no headaches, eyes burning, itchy eyes. Nothing.

 

[Arcadian]

I used the QOD Organiq, but only once. I tend to react badly to formaldehyde, and with QOD Organiq, no issues at all (it smelled good tbh) I wore my hair curly most of the time while I had it in. Though I'm mostly 4 a/b my hair straightens very easily, so I only did 2 passes at 395 F. After treatment I had 3b/c curls. That was only nice because I didn't have the knotting issue to deal with.

Its certainly one I would consider using again (but hell I'm too lazy to relax right now, doing that every three months is a chore) Beginning to end application was about 5 hours, which isn't too terrible. thats about the time it takes me to do a start to finish relaxer.

I used Organix keratin treatment shampoo and conditioner on wash days.


-A

 

[tuffCOOKiE]

Arcadian Dove56 Thank you so much for your reply and help! I think I'm going to try and get a sample (small) size on ebay to try it out. The results you guys had is really what I want - looser/smoother curl pattern.