What is Keratin Treatment? Best Shampoos for Your Keratin Treated Hair (2021)!

If you are coveting smooth, frizz free and silky hair and you let your hair stylist know about your desire, more often than not he/she will recommend a keratin treatment. Now, to understand what is this keratin treatment, you need to first understand what keratin is. Keratin is one of the many proteins that make up your nails, hair and skin. Keratin is responsible for smoothing out the hair cuticles overlapping each other to form a single hair strand. These hair cuticles absorb keratin resulting in the gloss that you see in your mane. It also makes curly hair frizz free and easier to manage. In a nutshell, if keratin was absent from our hair, it would be a mass of rough, dry ,unmanageable bush with the texture of coarse wool. It would be very far from the phrase 'crowning glory' used to describe our hair. Depending on what you make your hair go through (heat styling, chemical colouring, environmental stressors), this keratin in your hair can get depleted resulting in dry, rough hair with split ends. This is where keratin treatment enters the scenario.


Keratin treatment involves coating your hair with keratin for your strands to absorb it and compensate for the lost protein. Since keratin imparts smoothness and silkiness to your hair, a keratin treatment would do the same to your dry, rough and damaged hair. You can argue that keratin is produced naturally, so why go for an artificial infusion of keratin, but natural regeneration of depleted keratin will take a long time and it would be ages before your hair returns to its original silky, smooth and shiny self. This natural process will be made lengthier by the daily environmental stressors and occasional heat styling that deplete keratin.

The process of keratin treatment is a simple one but needs a hair stylist to do it for you. You can do keratin treatment at home but do not expect to get the same results as you would get in a salon. Hair treatments require the skill and knowledge of professionals and it is no different in this case. The process is as follows:

The benefits of keratin treatment are endless. After keratin treatment, your mane is smoother and shinier, is easily manageable, it looks straight, glossy and fuller, curly hair becomes less frizzy, hair can be styled easily, the serum prevents the further breakage and damage of hair, and hair is protected from harmful environmental damage and the sun. But not everything that glitters is gold. Following are the side effects of keratin treatment:

• Your hair will be too straight and will sometimes look like it is lacking volume. It may also appear limp.
• The keratin solution will make the hair oily and greasy very soon.
• The treatment is pricey and the effect does not last for long.
• You can only use hair care products that are specifically made for keratin treated hair. This will add to your personal care bill.
• You will not have the flexibility or freedom in many situations like you cannot take a swim in the pool as the purifying chemicals in the water can strip away the keratin solution.
• Keratin treatment solutions usually contain formaldehyde which may cause skin irritation or eye irritation in some.

Keratin treatment is not permanent and you have already learnt that there are certain conditions that you need to abide by to get the most from it. One of these conditions are that you use hair care products that have been specifically made for keratin treated hair. Among shampoos, what works best on keratin treated hair are those whose formula is completely organic (no parabens and sulphates) and contains argan oil. They also have to be gentle on the hair. This BP Guide list consists of 12 such shampoos that will be appropriate on keratin treated hair. Follow the list to choose the best one for you:

This shampoo from Tresemme is enriched with keratin and argan oil. It will give a smooth texture to your keratin treated hair and keep it frizz-free for up to 3 days after application. The regimen to follow with this shampoo is very simple - lather in wet hair and rinse. 340 ml of this shampoo can be bought for Rs.245 from Nykaa.

The formula of this shampoo is infused with jojoba oil, argan oil and almond extracts. It provides complete care to your tresses by gently removing oil and impurities and strengthening the hair from within. It also reconstructs damaged hair, thus solving the problem of decreasing hair volume. This shampoo is capable of giving your hair the complete salon treatment from cleansing to repairing to nourishing. The final result of using this shampoo is smooth, non – frizzy, shiny and supple hair. You can buy 200 ml of this shampoo for Rs.1,350 on Nykaa.

The formula of this shampoo is enriched with keratin proteins, coconut oil, avocado oil and cocoa butter. An added feature is that the formula is sulphate free. These ingredients together not only make your hair healthy and supple, but also give it a new life. The shampoo flattens the cuticle and makes your hair silky and frizz free, strengthens and softens hair, and makes it silky with a brilliant shine. It makes keratin treated hair smooth and silky. Wavy and curly hair is made smooth and straight by this shampoo. 385 ml of this product is priced at Rs.725 from Nykaa.

This shampoo from Pure Nature is like a spa treatment for your hair. It is enriched with argan oil and other ingredients that fight hair loss and split ends, effectively hydrating and moisturising the hair. It also removes frizz, detangles hair strands, and strengthens and thickens it. The formula is 100% organic and is one of the best shampoos to be used on keratin treated hair. If you have dry, damaged and frizzy hair then this shampoo is the therapy you need. Buy 500 ml of this shampoo for Rs.4,999 from Amazon.

This shampoo provides a deep penetrating treatment that delivers smooth and conditioned hair. It replenishes moisture levels in the hair and instantly gives dull and weak hair some much needed nourishment. The elasticity of each hair strand is restored and you get strong hair that is also vibrant. The natural keratin in the formula of this shampoo not only moisturises the hair but also makes it lustrous. One tube contains 207 ml of this shampoo and is priced at Rs.1,475 on Amazon.

This nutri-reconstructor shampoo with its anti-dryness action cleanses already straightened hair with gentleness. It replenishes the depleted moisture levels of damaged and dry hair and locks in moisture so that your hair looks supple, soft and shiny. It also controls the volume of the hair. This shampoo is ideal for hair that is excessively dry with a coarse texture. The hydrating formula of the shampoo provides such kind of hair with the much needed moisture. A 1500 ml bottle of this product is priced at Rs.1,660 on Amazon.

Sunsilk Lusciously Thick and Long shampoo is an easily available product that imparts volume and shine to your hair. It is one of those rare drugstore shampoos that work like a specialised one giving your hair a salon finished look. The formula of this shampoo is enriched with keratin yoghurt complex that provides your hair with essential nutrients to give it bounce and shine. The rich in moisture formula restores the health of each strand. This shampoo is especially effective on keratin treated hair. Buy 340 ml of this shampoo for Rs.180 on Flipkart.

The formula of this shampoo is free of alcohol, sulphate and paraben. The key ingredient in it is argan oil and the other ingredients in this completely organic formula are jojoba oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, almond oil, botanical keratin and neem extracts. All these ingredients together nourish and repair the hair, prevent hair fall and that results in shinier and softer hair. The shampoo also nourishes and moisturises the scalp. The 100% organic formula also ensures that there is no skin irritation or skin damage to the scalp. It also effectively cleanses and restores damaged and dry hair. You can get 200 ml of this product for Rs.499 on Amazon.

This shampoo and conditioner duo is ideal for people who have coloured their hair as its formula is specially concocted to protect hair colour. It gently cleanses keratin treated and or coloured hair and gives a smoothness which is long lasting. You can say goodbye to damaged and dry hair and the formula provides deep moisturisation to each strand on the scalp. The absence of sulphate from it ensures that hair colour or keratin treatment is protected and not washed off sooner than it should. Buy this duo for Rs.6,880 on Aamzon.

The key ingredient in this shampoo is argan oil. Besides, it has the goodness of jojoba oil, almond oil, avocado oil, peach kernel, keratin and camellia seed. This formula provides nourishment and moisturisation to the hair and leaves it soft, supple and shiny. An added feature is that the formula is free of parabens, sulphate and silicone, so it is safe to use this shampoo on coloured hair and or keratin treated hair. This shampoo can be bought for Rs.3,849 on Amazon.

The formula of this shampoo is enriched with liquid keratin oil and other beauty oils that give each hair strand of yours ample hydration. It effectively repairs damaged hair and split ends and provides deep nourishment to the hair to make it look glossy, soft and supple. This shampoo is ideal for excessively damaged and dry hair that has the texture of straw. Use this shampoo if you have keratin treated hair as the deep moisturising properties of this shampoo will lock the keratin serum in your hair for a longer period of time. Buy 400 ml of this shampoo for Rs.399 on Nykaa.

This shampoo’s formula is infused with argan oil, almond oil and hydrolyzed keratin. Besides it is a completely vegan formulation made with bioactives sourced from plants. It is also free of parabens, sulphates, salts and synthetic colours. Our hair gets damaged as a result of many harsh treatments like heat styling and other chemical treatments, using sulphate laden shampoos and ageing. This shampoo reverses the damage caused by them and restores the sleek gloss and silky softness of your hair. The keratin present in the formula gently repairs the damage while the argan and almond oil provides nourishment to the scalp and hair strands. If you have keratin treated hair, then this shampoo is ideal as the presence of keratin and the lack of sulphates and parabens in the shampoo prolongs the effect of the keratin treatment. 300 ml of this Body Cupid Keratin Shampoo is priced at Rs.449 on Nykaa.