Part of the treatments and smoothing guides. Start with Keratin and smoothing treatments in Auckland: what they do, what they cost and how long they last, or see treatments and smoothing in the salon.
Why it fades rather than grows out
A smoothing treatment coats the outside of the hair rather than changing its structure, so there's no new growth that looks different from the treated hair. The coating simply wears thinner with every wash. At month 3 the hair has returned to how it was, and the change has been so gradual that most clients notice it only when the blow-dry starts taking longer again.
The timeline
Weeks 1 to 4. The treatment is at full strength. Hair dries smooth with very little effort, frizz stays away in humidity, and the blow-dry takes half the time it used to.
Weeks 5 to 8. Settled. Wave returns a little on the finest sections and the shine is still high. This is the stage most clients describe as "how my hair should always be".
Weeks 9 to 12. Softening. Frizz creeps back on humid days, and the blow-dry starts to need a round brush again. This is the window to rebook.
The first few days
Your stylist tells you on the day whether your treatment needs a settling period before the first wash and before tying the hair up, because it varies by product and hair. Follow that instruction exactly; it's the one that sets how long the treatment holds.
The 4 aftercare rules
- Sulphate-free shampoo, always. Sulphates strip the coating faster than anything else, and a single wash with a supermarket shampoo can take weeks off the result.
- Wash less. 2 washes a week is ideal. Dry shampoo at the roots between washes.
- Moderate heat. Smooth hair needs less heat to style; a lower setting on the dryer and iron protects the coating and the hair under it.
- Fresh water before and after salt or chlorine. Wet the hair before you swim so it takes up less, rinse straight after, and keep sunscreen off the hair.
Products
The retail wall at Jenna Ellen Hair carries the sulphate-free Kérastase, Redken, Davines and O&M ranges the stylists use, and your stylist will point you to the shampoo, conditioner and heat protectant that suit your treatment. A weekly mask keeps the hair nourished under the coating.
Smoothing and colour together
Colour first, then smoothing, usually in the same visit or the following week, with the order planned at the consultation so both results hold. A toner between treatments is fine and the smoothing keeps the toner in longer, because a sealed cuticle holds colour better than an open one.
Blow waves after smoothing
A smoothing treatment is why some clients stop needing a blow wave at all, and why others find a salon blow wave lasts 3 days instead of 1. The 2 work together before a big night out, because smooth hair takes a set better and holds it longer.
If you'd like it to last longer
Nanoplasty, the salon's straightening option, holds for longer than a keratin smoothing and gives a straighter finish, with the same gradual wash-out and the same aftercare rules. It's the treatment to ask about if 3 months feels short, and the keratin and smoothing guide explains the difference.
Repeating it
Every 3 to 4 months, when the frizz and the blow-dry time have come back. There's no line to wait for, and a properly applied treatment leaves no build-up, so the next one goes on fresh hair. Book it as a smoothing appointment; the consultation is only needed once, unless your hair or your colour has changed. The keratin and smoothing guide covers what the treatment does and how it's priced.