Friday 3 September 2010

Chocolate Keratin Hair Treatment

I was very privileged to be invited back to Eleven Hair to have the Brazilian Chocolate Keratin Straightening treatment that I'd been considering after my last visit. Having read more about the Brazilian blow dries and heard raves from friends I was very excited to see how I'd get on.
 
It was lovely to go back to the Salon and Becky gave me such a warm welcome. I was there just after lunch on Friday and there was a great atmosphere. To get things started, as it can take a couple of hours from beginning to end, I was taken to the basins for the pre-cleansing wash. This shampoo has an amazing menthol scent and strips the hair completely of build up and conditioners which might interfere with the treatment. I don't think I've ever heard my hair squeak so much!

Next, my hair was brushed through with a tangle teaser. As you can appreciate after the cleansing shampoo my hair was a little knotty, I was really impressed with how well the tangle teaser handled it. I've often suffered with hair breakage from trying to brush it through when wet (yes, I know, such a silly thing to do) and I think I might be investing in one of these very soon.

Once my hair was fully prepped, the Chocolate Keratin solution was applied. The ingredients in the treatment include keratin, cocoa extracts, vitamins, collagen, poliquaternio and silicon. The solution is painted on to the hair in sections, leaving the hair immediately at the root bare. It is not necessary to apply to the roots as the hair is already quite smooth and application here can make the hair brittle and prone to breakage. When the hair is thoroughly coated with treatment, it is roughly dried with a hair dryer and paddle brush. Some people may find this stage a bit fume-y and a towel is provided if you feel you need to cover your face, I didn't experience this at all though I have to admit.

The final stage of the treatment involved ironing the hair with straighteners. Each section is ironed four times over and this seals the keratin into the hair cuticle. I was offered another tea and given a stack magazines to look so that I wouldn't be bored. Not that that was likely, Becky and I had good fun giggling at the some of the ridiculous pictures and articles in the celebrity tattle magazines. No details of course but I will just say, not everybody ought to do the Demi Moore naked bump shoots. If the styling is Rubenesque, this is a less than subtle way of telling you that you're more cherub than sylph! Anyway, I digress....

As I mentioned, the whole process can take around 2 - 2.5 hours obviously depending on your hair type and length. It also depends on the skill and experience of the stylist. Becky has done this treatment many times so I was finished in about an hour and half and she very kindly gave my hair a little snip to sharpen up the ends. My hair looked fabulous when she had finished, very smooth and shiny, even my rogue greys had been tamed!

The journey doesn't end at the salon with this treatment and there are a few crucial points to follow to get the best out of the process. To let the Chocolate Keratin solution take effect you must leave your hair untouched for 2-3 days. No washing, no styling and no tucking it behind your ears as this will cause kinks. This is a little tricky, especially for a serial tucker like me, but it's worth it for the end results. You should also switch to SLS free shampoo and conditioners to avoid stripping the keratin from the hair.

It was with much excitement and a little bit of trepidation that I washed my hair on Monday morning. I could feel the difference though as soon as I stepped out of the shower. My hair felt very smooth even when wet. I roughly dried with a hair dryer, no brush was necessary and this is how it looked...

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It's incredible. My hair looked like I had "Just stepped out of the salon". It fell beautifully into place, no kinks or frizz and I think you can see how smooth and shiny it is from these pictures. I've since left it to dry naturally after washing and the results are just as impressive. With absolutely zero effort on my part my hair looks styled, just a quick brush and I'm ready to go. My hair feels so silky too, even Mr MB has commented on how amazing it looks. This is the perfect hair treatment for the lazy short on time, I look groomed and styled when in actual fact I've done nothing. Even better news is that the treatment lasts around 3 months, so I'll be enjoying beautiful hair for some weeks to come! I've seen the future my friend and the future is Brazilian Chocolate Keratin blow dries!

If you're interested in the treatment you can find out more details on Eleven's website here. Eleven Hair is on 11 Blenheim Street, just off Oxford Street, London. I'd like to say a big Thank you to Becky for making my hair look amazing. I'm going to be the talk of the school run next week and will be swishing like a good 'un!



Disclosure: I received this treatment without charge for review purposes.

22 comments:

  1. Oh Im so jealous, it looks amazing - must be such a time saver! Lucky you, well done, please keep us updated on the progress, Im v.interested as my hair is soooo annoying to dry and straighten nicely!

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  2. It looks so glossy, I could do with that! You realise of course now you won't be able to do without the treatment :)
    It sounds like such a professional friendly place there, if they would just move nearer to me....

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  3. Wow, I've never heard of this treatment, so thank you for explaining so fully!! This is very intriguing although I don't think the silicon is repairing anything. As far as I've heard it just lays around the hair and "sits" there. I'm so glad you're happy with your new hair, it looks fab!!

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  4. Hi Alice! Thanks, I will keep you updated. I'm loving it so far. It's so easy to make it look good now.

    Hey Replica. You're right, I'm going to get so used to it, I'll have to keep getting it done. I'm so lazy with my hair though it'll be worth it!

    Hi Sam, yes you are right, not all of the ingredients are actually involved in repairing the hair. I guess it's badly worded in that sense. The silicon helps the hair lie flat. The Keratin on the other hand will enter the hair via the cuticle and strengthen it. I don't mind too much to be honest if the effect is purely cosmetic as it looks and feels amazing. The ease of styling is terrific too. Thanks for your comment.

    Jane x

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  5. Eek! I am so excited to wash my hair tonight.

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  6. It looks fabulous! I've been tempted by this, as my hair is so frizzy and big - will be interested to see how it goes! x

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  7. What a Yummy Mummy!?! Gorgeous. And if the hubbie noticed... well it must be fabulous. Look forward to hearing all the reports. Loving the new blog layout btw. Very snazzy x

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  8. So shiny! And so rich looking. It looks gorgeous. I that when i was religiously straightening mine I had a) known about this and b) been able to afford it!

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  9. When I go to the hairdressers, they tend to straighten it because they can't cope with my unruly hair (think: fire hazard). Straight, it's great and I can SWOOSH....but I can't be faffed straightening it on a daily basis at home.

    Would this work on quite coarse (ie never shiny) curly hair?

    Ali x

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  10. *shields eyes* I'm being blinded by the shine...somebody save me! :) It looks gorgeous, healthy and shiny. The no tucking for three days would have driven me up the wall...how on earth did you manage it?
    x

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  11. I had this type of treatment done 5 types already and I love it. I don't like this type that you can't wash your hair for 3 days. Norwadays I am using one that has same effect but you can even dye your hair on the same day!
    I'll be publishing the post next week and hopefully witin few weeks I can also have the before & after!

    Confessions of a Beautyholic

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  12. @MLBB: I’m looking forward to hearing how you get on!

    @TBBB: It’s very good for taming unruly hair. I shall let you know how I get on with it over the coming weeks.

    @LeanneOCD: Yummy Mummy, I like the sound of that! It’s true that if the bloke notices is it’s got to be a good sign. I’m pleased you like the layout, I really like how it has turned out :)

    @Charlie: It feels really good, you can feel how flat the cuticle is laying which accounts for the soft feel and shininess. I think it would make an ideal alternative to straightening every day. Husband said that I missed a crucial point about the cost. I meant to say that having had the treatment and seen how successful it is I will definitely be saving my pennies for next time. It isn’t cheap, I agree but I think it’s worth it for the results. I know that Eleven have run offers before with MyCityDeals for the treatment and these are worth looking out for too.

    @Ali: That is a bit of a bugbear of mine, the straightening before cutting it trend, It can often make for a strange looking cut once your hair springs back to it’s usual shape. From what Becky said whilst she was doing it and reading the details it’s suitable for all hair types apart from Afro hair. I think if you like how it looks when straightened but cba this would be perfect. I guess London is a bit out of the question with being up in Scotland, do you know if anywhere does Brazilian blow dries near you?

    @Ms Wedgie: Sorry, I should have put the ‘Hair’s So Bright, You Gotta Wear Shades’ sign up ;). The not tucking was tricky, I did keep reminding myself I couldn’t do it! It was worth it though. My wayward fringe bit is actually laying nicely rather than doing it’s weird curling up and out thing. Result!

    @Beauty Addict: Hi! It sounds like you’ve had lots of experience. I didn’t mind not being able to wash for a couple of days as I don’t wash my hair everyday and it didn’t get greasy. I should have said that it is possible to dye your hair before this treatment too, so you can do it the same day also. It will be interesting to see your before and after photos. :)

    Jane x

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  13. It looks lush, so shiny and healthy. I would love a permanent blow dry, as drying my hair takes aaaages..
    You must be so chuffed :)

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  14. Hi MB. I am super interested in this! Thanks for informing me of this procedure. Some people have complained about the smell of formaldehyde when your hair is wet. Are you finding a bad chemical smell when your hair is wet?

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  15. Hi Sweetcheeks, yes I really am chuffed with it. It's really quick and easy to do my hair in the morning now. Exactly what I need with the school run!

    Hey Gretchen! I'm glad you found the post helpful. I've worked with formaldehyde before and it has a very odd smell. It's not what I would refer to as chemically as such, it's an odd sort of meaty smell! Anyway, I had a sniff of the treatment when I had my hair cut and there's no smell to the liquid. I couldn't smell it on my hair either or when I wash it. As I say, I know the smell so I'd definitely pick up on it! So no, no bad smells :)

    Jane x

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  16. Thank you, MB! I am a bit of a smell freak (love perfume, and am particularly sensitive to strong bad smells!). This is great news!

    I actually am considering chopping my hair off next month, after my wedding and if I could get this treatment done it would make styling and maintaining the look much easier.

    Thank you! Also - let us know how you're getting along with the Malava nail products! You're a great guinea pig!!

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  17. Your answers are always as great as your posts!! Love to stop by several times :)

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  18. Congratulations for your upcoming wedding Gretchen! I know what you mean about smells. I'm really sensitive myself and regularly get headaches from the wrong sort of smells. No worries here though.

    After a really promising start, the Mavala system didn't seem to the trick. It might be because I had a break from using it diligently whilst on holiday. It bonded several layers but not all, so in the end the peeling got worse as it would come off as big strip rather than a thin layer. I like the nail cream though and at the moment I'm giving that a try in combination with Nail Envy. I'm always happy to be a guinea pig!

    Hey Sam, I love to interact and answer questions. It's the best bit!

    Jane x

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  19. I had the Chocolate Keratin treatment done I actually get it done every two months and have been doing that for nearly eight months now and by far it was THE BEST THING I did for my hair, my natural hair is extremely curly which is such a pain to do first thing in the morning since I work in a business office which also helps me look great for work I would recommend this to anyone who is considering it. Before I struggled so much with my curly hair I would only have it up in a bun and ever since I have had the treatment I love wearing my hair down also makes me feel more attractive.

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  20. Hi! I know this post is very old, but I was wondering if you had any trouble with Hair Loss after the treatment? I have quite "fine" hair and am afraid of chemical treatments as it can cause hair loss! (been there already)
    And Have you repeated the treatment since 2010?

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    1. Hi Anna. I don't remember experiencing hair loss as a result of the treatment but as you say, it was quite a while ago now. I had a Kebelo treatment since I wrote this post but I haven't had any subsequent Keratin treatments.

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  21. I personally love my Cocoa Keratin by Karmin :)

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