When fine lines and wrinkles get the better of someone, botox is one of the easiest, most convenient things to lean on. The technology we have nowadays for botox is incredible – one session and the unwanted lines on your face are completely gone!
But what if I told you that there was an equivalent of botox for your hair that boosts hair elasticity and moisture levels while fighting the signs of aging in your locks? For those who get queasy easily, don’t worry – you won’t be seeing any needles here.
Hair botox is a terrific way to give your hair a treat when it needs smoothing, conditioning, and protection from the elements. It’s kind of like an anti-aging face mask, but for your hair.
Today, I’ll take you through how hair botox works. In this post, I’ll share the pros and cons of hair botox treatment so that you can decide whether it’s a good fit for you or not.
Let’s jump right into it!
Table of Contents
What Is Hair Botox?
While botox for the face actually contains the ingredient botulinum toxin to volumize and tighten the skin, hair botox doesn’t.
The term hair “botox” is used loosely, only alluding to the magical, almost instantaneous effect the treatment has on the hair.
In all reality, a hair botox is simply an intense deep conditioning treatment you can get at the salon.
It works by filling in your hair fibers with a special formula to boost elasticity and softness.
This is much like making your skin fuller and more elastic when you get a botox at your dermatologist’s office.
Each salon or brand will differ in its hair botox formula.
A common ingredient you’ll find in it is keratin, as well as other types of protein that can fill in the thinner, weaker gaps in your hair, making it strong and resilient.
Coating your hair with keratin also smooths down frizz and unruliness in the hair.
Some formulas are also infused with ceramides, collagen, peptides, vitamins, and antioxidants.
These protect your hair from the elements and keep it soft, healthy, and hydrated for as long as possible.
Usually, the formulas are 100% natural and don’t have any harsh chemicals in them.
Process Of Getting Hair Botox
This is how the process goes: You go into the salon and get your hair shampooed.
Then, your stylist will apply the conditioning formula to your hair, from the roots to the ends.
The conditioning formula should sit in your wet strands for up to 90 minutes.
When time is up, the conditioning agent is then sealed into your strands using a straightener.
This technique helps the formula absorb deeper into your hair fibers.
Then, you sashay out of the salon with smooth, soft, shiny, frizz-free tresses.
Hair botox is a terrific idea if you have damaged and frizzy hair, and don’t know how else to manage your hair or nurse it back to health.
It lasts for about 3-4 months before you can come in for a retouch if you want to have it again. And why wouldn’t you if it has so many great benefits for the hair?
Differences Between Hair Botox And Keratin Treatment
Many hair lovers get quite confused about hair botox and how different it is from a standard keratin treatment – and understandably so.
These two popular hair treatments have plenty in common, from taming frizzy curls to leaving your hair smoother and shinier than before.
But there are huge differences between the two.
Keratin Treatments Contain Formaldehyde
The biggest difference is that hair botox doesn’t contain formaldehyde, while keratin treatments always do.
Since the main goal of keratin treatments is to lock in a straighter, smoother texture in your hair, it uses a powerful chemical called formaldehyde.
While it’s very beneficial for making your straightened hair texture last as long as possible, it’s been linked to cancer because it’s a carcinogen.
Luckily, hair botox contains no harsh chemicals like formaldehyde, ammonia, or peroxide.
These substances tend to damage the hair, sometimes irreversibly.
But hair botox is a mere conditioning treatment, so all you’ll get are the good stuff, and none of the bad.
Targeted Users
Another difference is who these treatments are meant for.
Those with extremely curly, frizzy, tangly hair might benefit more from a keratin treatment.
This service is great for making the hair texture a bit straighter, which is easier to manage in the long run.
On the other hand, hair botox is good for all hair types – straight or curly, thin or thick.
Everyone needs a boost of moisture in their hair sometimes, and this is the way to do it if you don’t want to expose your hair to harsh, potentially detrimental chemicals.
Affordability
Lastly, hair botox is more expensive than keratin treatments.
While you can get a keratin treatment for about 75-100 dollars at your favorite salon, the price of a hair botox goes up to a couple hundred.
So if your priority is saving money, you might opt for a keratin treatment instead.
Advantages of Getting Hair Botox
But why get hair botox in the first place?
Here are just some of this treatment’s wonderful benefits for your hair:
It Keeps Your Locks Frizz-Free
Hair botox is made with ingredients like keratin and ceramides, which are known to tame frizz and flyaways.
This means that if you have naturally unruly hair, a quick hair botox will be more than enough to keep your hair from poofing up or sticking out for at least a few months.
So if smooth hair is what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to get this treatment.
Moisturizes And Conditions Hair Deeply
Perhaps its most popular benefit is how it boosts moisture levels in your hair, leaving it soft and shiny.
Hair needs to be fed the right amount of moisture regularly to stay strong, smooth, and healthy. This is the same way your skin needs hydration to be plump and bouncy.
By nourishing your locks deeply with ceramides, vitamins, and proteins, a hair botox can also add shine and luster to otherwise dull hair.
This is a great alternative to getting a hair gloss, which can still contain chemicals that are too harsh on the hair.
It Repairs And Strengthens Damaged Locks
If you’ve damaged your hair with too much heat or dye jobs over the years, a hair botox is an excellent way to repair it.
So if you heat-style every single day or color your hair multiple times a year, you might want to treat your hair to a well-deserved hair botox.
When your hair is damaged, it’s usually left weak, fragile, and porous by the amount of heat and chemicals it’s been exposed to.
The proteins and other hair-strengthening ingredients commonly found in hair botox fill in these gaps and holes, making your hair fuller, thicker, and stronger.
Another way hair botox strengthens hair is through its moisturizing abilities.
When hair is moisturized properly, it becomes more elastic.
Elasticity is your hair’s ability to stretch and then bounce back to its original form without snapping off.
That means it will be strong enough to withstand split ends and breakage.
Retains Your Hair’s Natural Structure And Texture
Plenty of treatments – like relaxers and Brazilian blowouts – are super effective at taming frizzy, unmanageable curls.
However, treatments like those work by altering the structure and composition of your hair, thereby destroying any natural curl or wave your hair has.
So if you miss natural curls, it’s going to be hard transitioning back.
A hair botox doesn’t do that.
It only moisturizes and coats your hair with its nourishing ingredients, but it never changes your hair’s structure.
So if you have curly hair, you get to experience all the wonderful benefits of hair botox without worrying about your curls getting destroyed for good.
It Promotes A Healthy, Moisturized Scalp
Since hair botox is made only with nourishing ingredients, you don’t have to make the extra effort of ensuring that it doesn’t touch your scalp (as you normally would with bleach and dye).
Instead, the ingredients of the hair botox feed your hair follicles a little extra moisture, boosting their overall health.
This leads to stronger and healthier hair growth.
After all, a happy, hydrated scalp is the optimal environment for growing resilient hair.
It could even protect your scalp from issues like dandruff, psoriasis, and any other sensitive skin condition your scalp can develop from being too dry.
Hair Botox Treatment Disadvantages
But before you get overly excited about booking a hair botox appointment at your salon, allow me to bring you crashing back down to earth.
While getting a hair botox has plenty of benefits, there are a few disadvantages too.
Granted, the good things outweigh the bad, but it’s still important that you know what you’re getting out of this treatment – even the ugly side of it.
It’s Quite Expensive
Probably the biggest apprehensions someone might have about getting a hair botox is the hefty price tag attached to it.
A hair botox formula is complex and is sometimes infused with unique ingredients like caviar oil or exotic extracts.
So, the price for one treatment can get pretty steep.
At the minimum, you might get hair botox for about $200.
But it goes upward – by a lot.
It can reach a few hundred dollars per session, depending on whether you’re getting it at a high-end salon or a neighborhood parlor.
And while you can opt to give yourself a hair botox at home, you might not do it as efficiently as a professional stylist can.
As with all hair treatments, you’re much safer getting it done at the salon, even if it costs a little more.
Your Hair Can Break If You Do It Frequently
It’s recommended to go at least three months from your last hair botox before you get a retouch.
Although the ingredients used in the hair botox formula are nourishing and never harsh or stripping on your hair, the entire process still puts tension on your strands.
If you don’t space out your hair botox appointments, this can lead to unnecessary breakage.
It Could Change Your Hair Color
If you are currently sporting dyed hair, be warned: your hair color might change after getting a hair botox.
While it’s unlikely that you get any damage from a hair botox, the ingredients in the formula might still have a weird reaction when exposed to the pigments in your hair.
The hair botox agent is supposed to penetrate your hair strands to condition it from the inside out.
And when you have color pigments lying inside your cuticles, they fight for space.
Because of that, you could experience a slight change in your tone or hue after the treatment is over.
You Can’t Get Chemical Processes Done Afterward
After you get a hair botox, your main goal is to make sure you extend the lifespan of your treatment.
That means you shouldn’t wash your hair or heat-style as frequently so that the conditioning formula stays in your hair for as long as possible.
So one of the big sacrifices you must make is to avoid chemical processes at all costs.
Don’t retouch your roots, even if they’re already showing.
Don’t bleach your hair, even if you’re desperate to go lighter.
Exposing your botox-ed hair to harsh chemicals can strip the conditioner off your hair.
This will diminish the effect of your deep conditioning botox.
Conclusion
If you’re desperate for deep conditioning that will make your locks look full and luscious, hair botox just might be perfect for you.
It’s an excellent service to get if you want to tick all the boxes of your hair goals.
These goals range from taming frizz and making your hair more manageable, to strengthening and repairing damaged strands.
It has plenty of advantages for the hair, and any hair type will benefit greatly from a hair botox.
But at the same time, a hair botox treatment disadvantage such as the high price range cannot be ignored.
You’ll also have limitations on heat styling and other chemical processes you might want to do on your hair.
Before deciding on getting hair botox, make sure you weigh the advantages and disadvantages properly.
A hair botox will last months, so you need to be sure that you want to get it before committing to the whole process.
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