Keratin Treatment Support Thread

[Natural Glow]

I do this too - apply BKT to towel dried hair. I do not blow dry twice....too much manipulation.

I've applied my BKT this way since the beginning. Maybe this is one of the reasons I've never had any breakage and am retaining so well with BKT?

Where have I been. I didn't know you guys were doing this. Ya'll should have seen me trying to blowdry my already half dry, stiff, sticky hair with the softliss in it. It would have been so much easier if it was already damp when I started putting the treatment in that way it wouldn't have dried up on some parts when it was time to blow dry with the treatment on.

By the way the shampoo made my hair so soft. I'm surprised some of you guys don't like it.

 

[BK Bombshell]

Hi Ladies,

After reading all the BKT threads, I decided to try it on my VERY fine-stranded natural 4a/4b hair. NaturalToBe wave recommended her stylist (http://www.iamericamakeup.com/index) who's absolutely amazing - I can't recommend her enough. I haven't had anyone touch my hair in years b/c of all of the stylist madness I've been through but she definitely knows her stuff, is very professional and she's also a really sweet person. I'll absolutely be going back to her for my treatments in the future.

I asked her about henna and she said to do it before the BKT, so I did it 2 days before the treatment.

She used Rejuvenol so my hair was straight for 4 days then I washed my hair with Yes To Carrots conditioner. I put in some Knot Today, twisted my hair into about 12 sections, and put Miss Jessie's buttercream on the ends. This morning when I untwisted my hair . It's so soft and the curls are looser, but my hair is still curly and feels very moisturized. Last week my hair was snapping off at the ends and the last few times I cowashed, my hair was breaking like crazy. I've been watching closely for any breakage and I don't know if it was the henna or the BKT, but I see a big difference between the number of hairs in my comb last week and today.

As always, thanks so much ladies. I'd never heard of BKT before reading the board, but this definitely feels like a winner.

 

[naturalmanenyc]

I'm so glad that you had a great experience with Erica!!! Isn't she just the sweetest person!

Hi Ladies,

After reading all the BKT threads, I decided to try it on my VERY fine-stranded natural 4a/4b hair. NaturalToBe wave recommended her stylist (http://www.iamericamakeup.com/index) who's absolutely amazing - I can't recommend her enough. I haven't had anyone touch my hair in years b/c of all of the stylist madness I've been through but she definitely knows her stuff, is very professional and she's also a really sweet person. I'll absolutely be going back to her for my treatments in the future.

I asked her about henna and she said to do it before the BKT, so I did it 2 days before the treatment.

She used Rejuvenol so my hair was straight for 4 days then I washed my hair with Yes To Carrots conditioner. I put in some Knot Today, twisted my hair into about 12 sections, and put Miss Jessie's buttercream on the ends. This morning when I untwisted my hair . It's so soft and the curls are looser, but my hair is still curly and feels very moisturized. Last week my hair was snapping off at the ends and the last few times I cowashed, my hair was breaking like crazy. I've been watching closely for any breakage and I don't know if it was the henna or the BKT, but I see a big difference between the number of hairs in my comb last week and today.

As always, thanks so much ladies. I'd never heard of BKT before reading the board, but this definitely feels like a winner.

 

[AtlantaJJ]

Where have I been. I didn't know you guys were doing this. Ya'll should have seen me trying to blowdry my already half dry, stiff, sticky hair with the softliss in it. It would have been so much easier if it was already damp when I started putting the treatment in that way it wouldn't have dried up on some parts when it was time to blow dry with the treatment on.

By the way the shampoo made my hair so soft. I'm surprised some of you guys don't like it.

I dry my hair before I put the liquid on but I'm not natural, I'm textlaxed. The thing that worries me about putting it on damp hair is how can you gauge if you coated each strand sufficiently? Or if didn't over coat the strand. I figured out how to do that first blow dry without damage, I don't try to get it straight I just get it dry and then I take my time to detangle and section off before applying the BKT.

I didn't have the sticky problem when I put less Softliss product on this last application. It made a huge difference. I put it on small sections and combed it through carefully and then single twisted that section up and pinned it as I went on to work on the next section. I started from the back and worked my way forward. I had about 8 twisted up sections when I was done and then I let it sit for a while then I blow dried each section individually first. Then went over my whole head with the blow dryer to make sure it was dry. I have a really nice Sedu ionic blow dryer I think that may make a difference.

I didn't try to blow dry it straight straight but it was so much easier to blow dry one section at a time.

I remember somewhere in here a BKTer having a problem after applying to damp hair, just so you'll know there are risks to doing it that way also.

I like the Softliss shampoo too! I don't have any problems with tangles or hardness.

 

[girlyprincess23]

Man, that is tough, MissRissa. I would think maybe do a test patch? And if it works out ok, do the full head once you've hit MBL That would give you enough time to decide if it would work for you or not and hopefully not jack your hair all up. I don't wan any parts of that jacking hair business



I focus on moisture before, during and after my BKT with occasional reconstructs. I actually do 2 reconstructs per week but that's because I cowash every day. If I were a once a week washer I would reconstruct once a week followed up by a moisturizing DC. I figure BKT will fill any protein deficiency but if it "seals the hair" I want it to lock my moisturized hair in and protect the outside with the additional keratin coating. Method seems to be working out ok so far.

That was my thinking also but if my hair was too moisturized to start with (I have been avoiding even mild proteins for a loooong time now) it probably was too week to take that manipulation. I think before I do my roots over (which are still very curly) I will try to do the aphogee 2 minute reconstructer or the rusk keratin thingie once a week until then (1 month) and see if it is better the second time around. I would probably be better off getting the rusk keratin jobbie. I wonder if the rusk smoother is used like a moisturizing leave in that could be put in before rollersets?

 

[girlyprincess23]

I had planned on using the Johnson's baby shampoo when I do the BKT thing in September with Zene escova progress. But now that I think about it, I remember using baby shampoo years ago, and how hard and stripped my hair felt. I'll pass on the baby shampoo, and use a sulfate free clarifying shampoo like Aubrey Organics swimmers shampoo, or Giovanni's golden wheat clarifying shampoo. The whole purpose of the clarifying shampoo is to rid the hair of product, and lift the cuticles to prepare them for the BKT treatment. Either one of these shampoos should be able to do that. You all got me scared now, and thinking I need to do a little BKT pre-test on a small section of my hair like a few of you have already done. I know my hair and body is sensitive to a lot of things, so I will definitely be trying Zene-there is no formaldehyde or aldehydes in it, and supposedly nothing in it to harm the hair.???? I e-mailed Enrico the main contact guy in Brazil with a few questions about this product. I contacted him through the Zene escova website as listed above. He's very friendly, and doesn't mind answering questions. When I asked about the straightening agent in the product, he said the active ingredient was keratin, as formaldehyde use in products has been banned in Brazil for about 2 years now. The first ingredient on the Zene ingredient list is citric acid, (from corn?) which is not an aldehyde, but I'm suspecting it could be damaging if not handled correctly. So, when and if I do it, I'll let you ladies know how it turns out. I will stay tuned to this thread, and thanks to all the brave ladies that have tried it already, you are true pioneers on the BKT trail!!!! Hugs to the ladies that are experiencing problems, you know you've got an expert support group here to help.

Thamks.....more ideas!!! I just love that Aubrey Organics is natural. Gonna check out that swimmers shampoo. I plan on buying several of his conditioners in the near future (HSR & GPB?)

 

[girlyprincess23]

Hi Ladies,

After reading all the BKT threads, I decided to try it on my VERY fine-stranded natural 4a/4b hair. NaturalToBe wave recommended her stylist (http://www.iamericamakeup.com/index) who's absolutely amazing - I can't recommend her enough. I haven't had anyone touch my hair in years b/c of all of the stylist madness I've been through but she definitely knows her stuff, is very professional and she's also a really sweet person. I'll absolutely be going back to her for my treatments in the future.

I asked her about henna and she said to do it before the BKT, so I did it 2 days before the treatment.

She used Rejuvenol so my hair was straight for 4 days then I washed my hair with Yes To Carrots conditioner. I put in some Knot Today, twisted my hair into about 12 sections, and put Miss Jessie's buttercream on the ends. This morning when I untwisted my hair . It's so soft and the curls are looser, but my hair is still curly and feels very moisturized. Last week my hair was snapping off at the ends and the last few times I cowashed, my hair was breaking like crazy. I've been watching closely for any breakage and I don't know if it was the henna or the BKT, but I see a big difference between the number of hairs in my comb last week and today.

As always, thanks so much ladies. I'd never heard of BKT before reading the board, but this definitely feels like a winner.

I'm so glad that you had a great experience with Erica!!! Isn't she just the sweetest person!

UUMMM where is she based out of...brooklyn? contact info please!

 

[naturalmanenyc]

Erica works out of a salon in Manhattan, but she will come to you.

[email protected]
She has a youtube too - www.youtube.com/iamericamakeupartist

UUMMM where is she based out of...brooklyn? contact info please!

 

[naturalmanenyc]

I finally bought Silicon Mix and have it in my hair right now. I did a dc first with the whale sperm conditioner for 20 minutes (with heat).

Hey there, LuckiestDestiny. I use Silicon Mix and it's got keratin and ceramides in it. Pretty low on the list but wanted to mention it in case it could prove a problem.

Silicon Mix Ingredients: Ingredients: Water, Mineral Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerine, Citric Acid, Cetrimoniun Chloride, Dimethycone Copolyol, Cyclomethicone, Keratin, Ceramide, Diazolidinyl Urea (and) lodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance.

 

[sheba1]

I finally bought Silicon Mix and have it in my hair right now. I did a dc first with the whale sperm conditioner for 20 minutes (with heat).

Ohhhh you've gotta tell me how you feel about your hair after!!

 

[Sui Topi]

I'm ready now! My baby girl came out August 5th so I am now ready to meet those SoftLiss fumes. My only issue is I have been emailing them to find out about shipping info as I live in Toronto and have gotten no response. I am going to just call them tomorrow at lunch time. I am planning to get my virgin, natural hair professionally colored, come home, (most likely not the same day because I am so busy at home, but I would love it if I could) BKT and then get my friend's stylist friend to give my hair a light trim and shaping. I haven't shaped my hair since I grew out my BC so my straight hair looks really bad. Not to mention I have horrible, single strand knotted ends to get rid of.

This whole summer, I've just been doing conditioner washes and braid outs but now that it is starting to get cooler, I prefer a more polished look...lol no more beach hair and I am really excited. I just need to do some protein treatments because I think my hair is a little on the over moisturized side. During the end of my pregnancy I pretty much had to put my hair on the back burner and do minimal maintenance and I am noticing it is a little bit weak.

I am interested in getting that Rusk Pro Elements Keratin Smoothing Treatment now instead of the Soft-Liss mask. It sounds so much better. Should I still buy the kit? Or just get the Intelligent Brush and use some other clarifying poo. Did anyone use a different poo instead while using soft-liss, and how did it affect your results?

 

[asiajohn16]

I have been a lurker so long that I joined a while back but haven't really participated in many of the discussions, until now.

I have used Lasio's Brazilian Keratin Treatment- both the 4 day and 1 day.

I went to Lasio Studios to get the treatment done a number of times and paid $150.00 plus tip. They charge based on the length and thickness of your hair. The salon now has a half off deal every Wednesdays ($75.00).

It's true as was posted it take a high heat level to acheive the straight look and lock in the product. I was also told that it is best to color your hair before you get the treatment in order for it to "take" better. If you are opposed to coloring, natural (virgin) hair can use a cuticle opener before putting the treatment on to obtain straighter results.

I have had my color done there and when I hair was virgin, I used the cuticle opener. Both gave me great results in combination with the treatment.

In order to maintain the treatment you have to use sodium chloride free shampoo. Before Lasio came out with their own shampoo and conditioner line, I used Ojon.

With the Lasio treatment I feel that I achieved straighter, silkier, longer lasting results than the other treatment I tried which was the Royal Keratin Brand treatment which left my hair hard and rough to the touch.

Hopefully this helps. I will post pictures of my treatment so you can see what I am talking about.

 

[Natural Glow]

I washed my hair yesterday for the first time after SoftLiss and I'm in love. It was so soft I just put some Blended Cutie Butter Me Up and called it a day. (I hope that doesn't have salt in it cause I sure didn't check the ingredients) Anyway I had NO shrinkage and minimal frizz. Usually if I do a wash n go the next day my hair is super tangled but today it's not tangled at all. WOW

 

[AtlantaJJ]

I wasn't knocked out by the Silcon mix but the Biologe Hydratherapie Conditioning Balm Silicon Mix will do in a pinch. I do a co-wash with MillCreek Keratin and then use the Biologe Hydratherapie Conditioning Balm

 

[ebonylocs]

. I know my hair and body is sensitive to a lot of things, so I will definitely be trying Zene-there is no formaldehyde or aldehydes in it, and supposedly nothing in it to harm the hair.???? I e-mailed Enrico the main contact guy in Brazil with a few questions about this product. I contacted him through the Zene escova website as listed above. He's very friendly, and doesn't mind answering questions. When I asked about the straightening agent in the product, he said the active ingredient was keratin, as formaldehyde use in products has been banned in Brazil for about 2 years now. The first ingredient on the Zene ingredient list is citric acid, (from corn?) which is not an aldehyde, but I'm suspecting it could be damaging if not handled correctly.

It seems that the marketers of a lot of BKT-type products will say that, but it's not really true. Because even though keratin is the ingredient we get the "benefit" from, when you ask for the active ingredient, what you want to know is what bonds the keratin to the hair. If there was nothing but keratin in the product, then it would be no different from any protein conditioner, and we would be able to use those like BKT.

Do you have the full ingredient list for the Zene? If they have no formaldehyde and no ether, I'm quite interested.

 

[camerond]

Hello LHCF,

My name is Cameron and I am a new user to the site

After lurking for weeks I decided to join and share my BKT experience.
I did my hair with the Zene Escova Progress about one month ago (I chose Zene mainly because of price, Softliss was too pricey to ship to Toronto). I got great results! Swingy hair, soft etc etc, the process was long but since Zene is the 2 day formula not as long as the Softliss users.

Some notes:
My hair was relaxed and colored (the color was about 6 weeks old) and almost the same colour as my hair, dark brown; after the flat iron part my hair turned ORANGE! I was alarmed but it looked kinda cool *ha*, so I went with it.
After the 2 day wash, the color went back for the most part, but now it is definitely lighter than before.

I have a few questions though about hair treatments and BKT, I read the thread but just want to clarify/get suggestions:

1: I have some breakage and just purchased the ApHogee two step treatment, is this ok to use with BKT hair?

2: The ApHogee advises to use before a relaxer, but what about after a relaxer? I plan on relaxing next week and did not want to wash again beforehand.

Thanks in advance, this thread is great.

Edit to add:
Is anyone using Zene or the products sold on their site?

 

[AtlantaJJ]

Hello LHCF,

My name is Cameron and I am a new user to the site

After lurking for weeks I decided to join and share my BKT experience.
I did my hair with the Zene Escova Progress about one month ago (I chose Zene mainly because of price, Softliss was too pricey to ship to Toronto). I got great results! Swingy hair, soft etc etc, the process was long but since Zene is the 2 day formula not as long as the Softliss users.

Some notes:
My hair was relaxed and colored (the color was about 6 weeks old) and almost the same colour as my hair, dark brown; after the flat iron part my hair turned ORANGE! I was alarmed but it looked kinda cool *ha*, so I went with it.
After the 2 day wash, the color went back for the most part, but now it is definitely lighter than before.

I have a few questions though about hair treatments and BKT, I read the thread but just want to clarify/get suggestions:

1: I have some breakage and just purchased the ApHogee two step treatment, is this ok to use with BKT hair?

2: The ApHogee advises to use before a relaxer, but what about after a relaxer? I plan on relaxing next week and did not want to wash again beforehand.

Thanks in advance, this thread is great.

Edit to add:
Is anyone using Zene or the products sold on their site?

Welcome!!

I'm not the appointed BKT expert here, but I would hold off on that ApHogee 2 step and go with a more mild keratin reconstructor. There is one that one of our BKTers use by Rusk. I use the MillCreek Keratin conditioner with no heat for about 45 mins then I follow with a moisture dc with a little bit of cones in it. My hair is a dream. Minimal breakage. I do this kind of treatment at least once during my BKT run which is averaging around 6 weeks.

I would not recommend you use a heavy protein treatment at this time, if anything some of the ladies are using moisture to help check the breakage.

The other ladies will chime in soon... I just wanted to put the breaks on you with that 2 Step! That might cause disaster, I wouldn't do it myself.

 

[AtlantaJJ]

Hello LHCF,

My name is Cameron and I am a new user to the site

After lurking for weeks I decided to join and share my BKT experience.
I did my hair with the Zene Escova Progress about one month ago (I chose Zene mainly because of price, Softliss was too pricey to ship to Toronto). I got great results! Swingy hair, soft etc etc, the process was long but since Zene is the 2 day formula not as long as the Softliss users.

Some notes:
My hair was relaxed and colored (the color was about 6 weeks old) and almost the same colour as my hair, dark brown; after the flat iron part my hair turned ORANGE! I was alarmed but it looked kinda cool *ha*, so I went with it.
After the 2 day wash, the color went back for the most part, but now it is definitely lighter than before.

I have a few questions though about hair treatments and BKT, I read the thread but just want to clarify/get suggestions:

1: I have some breakage and just purchased the ApHogee two step treatment, is this ok to use with BKT hair?

2: The ApHogee advises to use before a relaxer, but what about after a relaxer? I plan on relaxing next week and did not want to wash again beforehand.

Thanks in advance, this thread is great.

Edit to add:
Is anyone using Zene or the products sold on their site?

I forgot to mention, according to our BKT wisdom, it would have been better to do the relaxer before the BKT for two reasons.

1) It helps the BKT take better.

2) When you do a relaxer or a touch up you will strip your BKT because of the chemicals in the relaxer itself and the Sodium Sulfate (SLS) shampoo you will have to use to neutralize your hair after the relaxer. Is it possible for you to wait a few weeks

Also if your hair is breaking right now I would solve that issue first before adding a new chemical into the mix. That's just me, I'm scary!!

 

[camerond]

^^ Thanks. I did do my first BKT after my relaxer; I was also thinking to give up the BKT until I got my hair in better condition as well.

 

[AtlantaJJ]

I'm ready now! My baby girl came out August 5th so I am now ready to meet those SoftLiss fumes. My only issue is I have been emailing them to find out about shipping info as I live in Toronto and have gotten no response. I am going to just call them tomorrow at lunch time. I am planning to get my virgin, natural hair professionally colored, come home, (most likely not the same day because I am so busy at home, but I would love it if I could) BKT and then get my friend's stylist friend to give my hair a light trim and shaping. I haven't shaped my hair since I grew out my BC so my straight hair looks really bad. Not to mention I have horrible, single strand knotted ends to get rid of.

This whole summer, I've just been doing conditioner washes and braid outs but now that it is starting to get cooler, I prefer a more polished look...lol no more beach hair and I am really excited. I just need to do some protein treatments because I think my hair is a little on the over moisturized side. During the end of my pregnancy I pretty much had to put my hair on the back burner and do minimal maintenance and I am noticing it is a little bit weak.

I am interested in getting that Rusk Pro Elements Keratin Smoothing Treatment now instead of the Soft-Liss mask. It sounds so much better. Should I still buy the kit? Or just get the Intelligent Brush and use some other clarifying poo. Did anyone use a different poo instead while using soft-liss, and how did it affect your results?

:creatures Yay !! A new baby girl! And your trying to do your hair! Bless you I wish I were there to help.

I haven't tried that Rusk Keratin but it sounds fabulous! :ha: Fab will come and tell you in a minute!

 

[ChocoKitty]

It seems that the marketers of a lot of BKT-type products will say that, but it's not really true. Because even though keratin is the ingredient we get the "benefit" from, when you ask for the active ingredient, what you want to know is what bonds the keratin to the hair. If there was nothing but keratin in the product, then it would be no different from any protein conditioner, and we would be able to use those like BKT.

Do you have the full ingredient list for the Zene? If they have no formaldehyde and no ether, I'm quite interested.

Here's the ingredient list for Zene.

Zene Escova Progress Ingredients:

Aqua
Glyoxlic Acid
Cylomethicone
Cocodimonium Hydroxpropyl
Hydrolyzed Keratin
Hydrolyzed Keratin
Ceteraryl Alcohol
Cetyl Alcohol
Diisopropyl Adipate
Coffee Arabica Extract
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
Ethylhexyl Triazone
Isodecyl Neopentaoate
Cydodextrin
Polyquaternium 55
Glycerin
Hydroxyethyl Ceteamidopropyldimonium Chloride
Behenyl Alcohol
Isocetyl Alcohol
Quaternium 70
Propylene Glycol
Dimethyl
Methyl Siloxane
C11-C15 Ethoxlatedsecondary Alcohol
Disodium Louriminodipropionate
Tocopheryl Phosphates
Dimethylpadamidopropyl
Loudimonium Tosylate
Oxybenzone
Lauroyl Lysine
Glycine N-Acetil Cystein
Arginine HC1
Polyquaternium 44
Sodium PCA
Cetrimonium Chloride
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Quaternium 91
Cetrimonium Methosulfate
Isopropyl Myrislate
Oleth-10
Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol
Cetyl Acetate
Phenoxethanol
Methylparaben
Oropylparaben
Ethylparaben
Butylparaben
Parfum

 

[AtlantaJJ]

Here's the ingredient list for Zene.

Zene Escova Progress Ingredients:

Aqua
Glyoxlic Acid
Cylomethicone
Cocodimonium Hydroxpropyl
Hydrolyzed Keratin
Hydrolyzed Keratin
Ceteraryl Alcohol
Cetyl Alcohol
Diisopropyl Adipate
Coffee Arabica Extract
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
Ethylhexyl Triazone
Isodecyl Neopentaoate
Cydodextrin
Polyquaternium 55
Glycerin
Hydroxyethyl Ceteamidopropyldimonium Chloride
Behenyl Alcohol
Isocetyl Alcohol
Quaternium 70
Propylene Glycol
Dimethyl
Methyl Siloxane
C11-C15 Ethoxlatedsecondary Alcohol
Disodium Louriminodipropionate
Tocopheryl Phosphates
Dimethylpadamidopropyl
Loudimonium Tosylate
Oxybenzone
Lauroyl Lysine
Glycine N-Acetil Cystein
Arginine HC1
Polyquaternium 44
Sodium PCA
Cetrimonium Chloride
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Quaternium 91
Cetrimonium Methosulfate
Isopropyl Myrislate
Oleth-10
Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol
Cetyl Acetate
Phenoxethanol
Methylparaben
Oropylparaben
Ethylparaben
Butylparaben
Parfum

Holy cow, can we have one of our resident chemists translate that to regular English please? :scratchch

 

[ChocoKitty]

Holy cow, can we have one of our resident chemists translate that to regular English please? :scratchch

This might be helpful... http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/index.php

"Formaldehyde is frequently identified in these products through the names of its derivatives, such as quaternium-15, formalin, formalina, octyl aldehyde, methanediol, formic aldehyde, aldehyde formique, capryl aldehyde, methylene glycol, ethyl, methanol, methyl aldehyde, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl, morbicid acid, and oxymethylene, amongst others. "

Taken from
http://www.verticalsinhair.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Messages;action=display;num=1219800554

 

[Sui Topi]

Hello LHCF,

My name is Cameron and I am a new user to the site

After lurking for weeks I decided to join and share my BKT experience.
I did my hair with the Zene Escova Progress about one month ago (I chose Zene mainly because of price, Softliss was too pricey to ship to Toronto). I got great results! Swingy hair, soft etc etc, the process was long but since Zene is the 2 day formula not as long as the Softliss users.

Some notes:
My hair was relaxed and colored (the color was about 6 weeks old) and almost the same colour as my hair, dark brown; after the flat iron part my hair turned ORANGE! I was alarmed but it looked kinda cool *ha*, so I went with it.
After the 2 day wash, the color went back for the most part, but now it is definitely lighter than before.

I have a few questions though about hair treatments and BKT, I read the thread but just want to clarify/get suggestions:

1: I have some breakage and just purchased the ApHogee two step treatment, is this ok to use with BKT hair?

2: The ApHogee advises to use before a relaxer, but what about after a relaxer? I plan on relaxing next week and did not want to wash again beforehand.

Thanks in advance, this thread is great.

Edit to add:
Is anyone using Zene or the products sold on their site?

Sigh, now I am off to research Zene. I'm in Toronto too lol and I didn't get a chance to call Soft-Liss today, but if there is a better option than $40 shipping, and it does work, I would be interested.

I am natural but would like to color before doing the BKT. I am planning to do like a dark auburn red color. Do you think it will flare up too lol? Or is that because of the relaxer and everything. Also When you say it went back is it the same but just kinda more vibrant lol?


And just to double check, it really made a difference in your hair?

 

[camerond]

Yes, I see a real difference in the hair, in terms of the softness and texture and it felt better, but the breakage has not really lessened much. I would try a patch test w/ the hair color though, orange hair ain't for everyone

 

[Sui Topi]

I know you have a relaxer, but did you notice it straightening your hair even more? I don't understand that they don't have formaldehyde or ether in it but it still does the same thing as the others. Or is there ether and I just don't know its scientific name ... I don't like their website lol it is so unprofessional. It leaves so much grey area in it's explanations.






But if you used it, I think I would try it too.
















Maybe I could let you do a patch test for me on like a 1 inch piece of hair with a little of yours after I color my hair and if it works out then I would order a bottle. :scratchch


If you want to of course.


Yes, I'm asking....Pretty pleeeeeease!

 

[camerond]

I know you have a relaxer, but did you notice it straightening your hair even more? I don't understand that they don't have formaldehyde or ether in it but it still does the same thing as the others. Or is there ether and I just don't know its scientific name ... I don't like their website lol it is so unprofessional. It leaves so much grey area in it's explanations.






But if you used it, I think I would try it too.
















Maybe I could let you do a patch test for me on like a 1 inch piece of hair with a little of yours after I color my hair and if it works out then I would order a bottle. :scratchch


If you want to of course.


Yes, I'm asking....Pretty pleeeeeease!

Me??! I am no hairdresser, just a do-it-yourselfer. If you want I could though and yes it made my hair straighter, very noticeable even with the relaxer.

 

[Stella B.]

It seems that the marketers of a lot of BKT-type products will say that, but it's not really true. Because even though keratin is the ingredient we get the "benefit" from, when you ask for the active ingredient, what you want to know is what bonds the keratin to the hair. If there was nothing but keratin in the product, then it would be no different from any protein conditioner, and we would be able to use those like BKT.

Do you have the full ingredient list for the Zene? If they have no formaldehyde and no ether, I'm quite interested.

No formaldehyde, or ether. I'm not a scientist, but I'm guessing the ingredient that replaces the formaldehyde in Zene would be the glyoxlic acid aka citric acid. Just the word acid scares me, and it's the second ingredient on the list, so that means this forms the base of the treatment.
On this link here it says there is nothing harmful in this treatment
http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/103908965/Zene_Escova_Progress_by_Niasi.html but it looks like the manufacturer of the product is stating this through the seller. I'm sure it could be potentially harmful, just like any other BKT, if used incorrectly, mixed with the wrong products, or directions were not followed. Thanks chocokitty for that Zene ingredient list-you beat me to it! It is extensive, but you could always do your own google research like I did on each ingredient that you're not sure about.
Anyway, I did mention that I had e-mailed Enrico (Zene contact person) with a few questions in June because my interest and curiosity had been peaked too), and here are his responses in blue:


Thanks for your interest and your questions. I'll attempt to answer them in the order they came...

What is the active ingredient in Zene? What are the ingredients?
1. The active ingredient in Zene Escova Progress is Keratin. I've attached the full ingredients list to this email. (he did, but it's already been posted here by chocokitty)

Is the use of formaldehyde prohibited in hair products of this type in your country?
2. Yes, Formaldehyde has become a heavily controlled substance here in Brazil. While some products are still available they have to have a cigarette-style warning on the container and in truth, nobody buys them.

Can shampoos containing sodium chloride be used with this treatment, or should all shampoos with the word sodium________ be avoided?
3. Absolutely avoid as many products as possible which contain any ingredients with the word Sodium in them. Sodium is another word for salt, which leaches Keratin from the hair normally and does the same when you use Keratin conditioning treatments.

Can I still use henna with this treatment?
4. When it comes to any coloring product, we suggest waiting 5-7 days, before using. But its absolutely not a problem to use henna. By the way, we suggest you don't use a colouring treatment one week before using Zene too.

Must I use a 470 degree iron to straighten my hair? I'm afraid of heat damage.
5. A 360 degree iron will work fine. Just make sure you get your hair straight when you use them after applying the treatment.

That's about it, but if you have any more queries, please free free to get back to me.

My suggestion is to hit him up with your own questions, ladies if you're interested. His address is on the Zene Escova Progress website at http://www.escovaprogress.com under contacts.

 

[MissRissa]

hmmmm the zene escova one has you applying to damp hair also. dag nabit, now im gonna have to look into this one.

 

[Stella B.]

Hello LHCF,

My name is Cameron and I am a new user to the site

After lurking for weeks I decided to join and share my BKT experience.
I did my hair with the Zene Escova Progress about one month ago (I chose Zene mainly because of price, Softliss was too pricey to ship to Toronto). I got great results! Swingy hair, soft etc etc, the process was long but since Zene is the 2 day formula not as long as the Softliss users.

Some notes:
My hair was relaxed and colored (the color was about 6 weeks old) and almost the same colour as my hair, dark brown; after the flat iron part my hair turned ORANGE! I was alarmed but it looked kinda cool *ha*, so I went with it.
After the 2 day wash, the color went back for the most part, but now it is definitely lighter than before.

I have a few questions though about hair treatments and BKT, I read the thread but just want to clarify/get suggestions:

1: I have some breakage and just purchased the ApHogee two step treatment, is this ok to use with BKT hair?

2: The ApHogee advises to use before a relaxer, but what about after a relaxer? I plan on relaxing next week and did not want to wash again beforehand.

Thanks in advance, this thread is great.

Edit to add:
Is anyone using Zene or the products sold on their site?

Hi! Looks like we'll have to be Zene buddies once I do the treatment! I did order it already, and need to collect a few more supplies for the job. I'll probably do it towards the end of the month. I am so glad you are liking your results. The part about your hair turning orange----mine will probably do the same thing, because my grays turn orangey, when I henna! I'm sorry you're experiencing some breakage (hope its not too severe) but I don't know if Apoghee 2 step protein treatment would help at this point. I'm thinking that the BKT is really similar to a hard core protein treatment, (in that it is mostly protein, and fused into the hair with heat????)applying another protein treatment on top of that one might not be what your hair needs right now. Since I don't even have the BKT yet, I suggest you listen to the pros on here that have experienced the after effects of the treatment on the hair. I did order the Bio Extractus products to use after the BKT; haven't used them yet, but some contain sulfates, and one of the shampoos contains sodium chloride!!! I'm gonna need to find out about that one..
I have a question for ya- Did you need to use gloves, and a fan? I know there had to be some fumes of some kind, right? And did you blow dry, or towel dry? Thanks, and I'll be coming back in here later with more questions for you!!!!!!