Last Updated on January 2, 2023 by Gaga
What is a Brazilian Blowout?
Trying to distinguish between the two treatments can be tricky. This is not helped by the fact that the names are often confused even by professional stylists. As a customer, this can make choosing the most appropriate treatment for your personal needs, particularly difficult. It is essential that you receive the right information before you commit to any kind of smoothing or straightening treatment. A consultation at a salon with a good reputation and experienced stylists is the first and most important step to achieving the desired results.
The “Brazilian Blowout™” is, in fact, a brand name carrying a registered trademark. The name is also used by a company that provides professional hair smoothing products. Many salons use the name Brazilian Blowout to describe their own smoothing service, regardless of the formula they use. They often use some other products instead of the original Brazilian Blowout smoothing solution to achieve similar effects.
In this post, we are discussing the Brazilian Blowout smoothing treatment given in a salon by using original Brazilian Blowout products.
What Do both Treatments Have in Common?
While both treatments make the hair appear straighter, neither of these treatments is permanent as Japanese straightening treatments or hair relaxers are known to permanently alter the structure of the hair.
Both treatments create a protein layer around the hair shaft which smoothes the cuticle and makes the hair look more beautiful.
Both smoothing treatments help fight humidity, create a reflective shine, and improve hair manageability. They also cut down the time needed for everyday styling.
With both treatments, you will be exposed to some level of hazardous chemicals (formaldehyde or other aldehydes) during heat application.
With either treatment, you need to wash hair less frequently to prevent washing out the treatments from hair. You also need to use sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner to maintain the results longer.
Keratin treatments and Brazilian Blowout treatments both achieve similar effects. However, there are distinct variations that are worth mentioning to anyone considering trying them.
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How Do the Two Treatments Differ?
A professional stylist will be able to recommend the most suitable treatment for your hair based on your hair type and needs. Is your hair thick, curly, frizzy, or simply difficult to control? Is excess volume an issue you wish to address?
1. Who are the Best Candidates
A keratin treatment will calm unruly hair, creating a much straighter and sleeker appearance. This is the right option for hair that is overly curly and overly voluminous. The treatment will reduce the volume and make hair far easier to manage. A keratin treatment would not be recommended for use on hair that is already straight or particularly fine or thin as it tends to further reduce the volume.
If your aim is to keep volume and movement whilst making the hair frizz-free and more manageable, then a Brazilian Blowout may be a more suitable choice. This treatment performs well with fine to medium texture, and some slight waves or curls. Brazilian Blowout can also be suitable for transitioning hair textures if a keratin treatment, relaxers, or Japanese straightening treatment has been applied previously.
2. Procedure
One of the notable differences between Brazilian Blowout and Keratin treatment is the time they take to complete.
The Brazilian Blowout process only takes 1 to 2 hours in a salon. A Keratin treatment may take up to three hours to perform.
Both treatments start with preparing the hair by shampooing with a clarifying shampoo followed by a towel dry.
Keratin treatment: The hair is shampooed using a clarifying shampoo, towel-dried, and then blow-dried thoroughly until completely dry. The product is applied section by section and evenly distributed throughout the hair. For best results, a cap is placed over the head for 20-30 minutes to allow the product to soak deep into the hair shaft. The hair is then blow-dried again, and flat ironed, at a 450 F setting. The client needs to refrain from washing their hair for three days.
Brazilian Blowout: The hair is washed with a clarifying shampoo and lightly towel-dried to allow some moisture to remain. The product is then carefully applied to sections of hair. The hair is blow-dried and straightened using a straightening iron set at 450 degrees. Your hair is then rinsed thoroughly to remove the product and apply a deep conditioning masque. Finally, your hair will be blow-dried again to get the final result.
3. Results
After a keratin treatment hair will have a much straighter appearance and reduced volume. The frizz is eliminated from your hair for up to 3 months.
After a Brazilian Blowout treatment hair will be frizz-free, but as this is a “lighter” option compared to keratin treatment it will be less straight and sleek. The wavy hair will be straighter with much of a natural wave and body. The curly hair will retain its natural curls, but the curls are softer, frizz-free, and easier to control. Styling the hair with straightening irons or blow drying it straight is easier and produces better results than before.
Both treatments are customizable depending on the desired results, although the Brazilian Blowout is more flexible. By adjusting the amount of product applied to the hair as well as the level of heat, the results can be tailored to suit the individual’s requirements.
4. Convenience
The Brazilian Blowout is a more convenient option because the results are almost instant.
After a keratin treatment, there are certain precautions that must be adhered to, including the 72-hour waiting period to ensure the treatment works successfully. You are requested to leave the salon by keeping the product in your hair and rinsing it after three days. You also should avoid sweating, tying hair back, tucking the hair behind the ears, or any style that may cause a kink in the hair.
A Brazilian Blowout treatment is complete when you leave the salon and your results are visible right after the service. Your hair can be washed that same day, and you can also freely style your hair. The restrictions associated with the keratin treatments do not apply to a Brazilian Blowout treatment.
Gaga is a blogger and founder of the Softer Hair website. She often says that insomnia is to blame for her first blogging attempts. Being the night owl, she hated the morning alarm. She left her office job and returned to what she loved most - writing.
Hi, my name is Jeannie maybe you can suggest a place where I could get botox hair treatment I have done many Brazilian hair treatments, my hair is thinning on top and I am sometimes self -conscious maybe I should stop doing Brazilian treatments and do the botox hair treatments instead I live in NY suburb queens N.Y.
Keratin treatments are much better than Brazilian hair treatment because it stays in longer and it holds in the shine and keeps the frizziness at bay. There are people that Brazilian Blowout work for and that’s great, but if you have a complex hair situation like me, you need a higher density of a product. It’s like you have a problem with sweating. Some are stronger than others so you have to figure out the one that works for your body. The same thing goes here, if you know that your hair is REALLY damage or gets frizzy a lot, you need a stronger smoothing therapy. Another thing is feeling. I always feel like Brazilian hair treatments always are wearing off earlier than I expected. Keratin Complex has the perfect different types of products that can make this happen. And they have different product and smoothing treatments based on what your hair type is. Please check out and see what types of smoothing therapy will work for your hair’s situation.
Where can I buy the BOTOX hair treatment
Hair Botox products are available on Amazon.
After my keratin treatment my hair has an orange tint. my new stylist says that with the Brazilian Blow Out you color first than do the treatment and it should be fine. Do you agree?
I agree, because the treatment will lock the color. However, it would be a good idea to color slightly darker than your desired shade, because the treatment can have a mild lightening effect.
You explained that the Brazilian blowout is customizable depending on the desired effect. Can you explain this in more detail? Would that mean if more product was applied to the hair and may be left on for a longer period of time that it is possible to achieve a result that leaves the hair straighter, similar to the results from the Keratin treatment?
The flat ironing stage is most important for achieving flexible results. To get your hair straighter, your stylist will divide your hair into a smaller section, apply higher heat, take multiple passes over the same section of hair, and also apply more tension.
If you want to keep your curls and just eliminate frizz and cut down styling time, your stylist will divide your hair into larger sections, use lower heat settings, and use fewer passes over each hair section.
I have an oval-shaped face (skinny cheeks). Which will be good for me Keratin Treatment or Brazilian Blowout Smoothing Treatment?
Both treatments bring life to dull and lifeless hair, a keratin treatment also enhances the health of your hair as it is a protein-based treatment. Hydrolyzed keratin penetrates deep into the cuticle and bonds with it during treatment, strengthening your hair from within.
Hi. Please, can you Help I have had Keratin Treatments before? This time round I went, my hair was washed then the product applied it was Purple in color I was advised this was to help with the tone of my hair!!! (it had been highlighted 4 weeks before) it was left on for 30 mins then it was washed out not like times I have had it done in the past. This product I could feel a tingle on my scalp THE HAIR WAS FULLY DRY when the hair was blow dry then she used more than 8 passes over the hair with the Ghd. I washed it after the 3 days to find the next day dry frizz !!, very curly !! and tram lines you could see the Ghd lines on my hair. I was always led to believe that no toner should be used before Keratin Treatment but to use it while having this treatment I am not sure what I should do my hair looks quite bad and was not in need of toner.
My stylist was doing a mini version of the keratin treatment for about 8 months then she dumped me. Now that I see how she should have done it I’m shocked. My new stylist only does the Brazilian blowout but I wear my hair curly most of the time. Any suggestions?
If you have previously used a no-lye relaxer but want to transition into one of these two treatments which are the best choice – Keratin or Brazilian? I should also mention that I color fairly regularly as I am about 30-40% grey now (sigh…), and my hair is pretty manageable. My results using a regular strength no-lye relaxer changes what would be bulky wave into soft no frizzy med-loose curls that easily blow-out to totally smooth without the need to use a flat iron. The biggest reason I think I need a change is my rather sudden need to color so regularly (I went from a bit of grey all of which was on the crown of my head to a ton more grey which has also begun infiltrating my hairline). Your advice is REALLY APPRECIATED.
Hi, I just had the keratin Treatment done two weeks ago, and my scale is very dry and itchy. Now I have dandruff and I have never had dandruff in my life. I don’t know what to use without mess up the keratin treatment. I love the way the keratin treatment looks and feels. But the itching and the dryness it’s really bad. Any suggestions.
Consult your doctor for medical advice about your dandruff problem. You can try an anti-dandruff shampoo that is free of sodium chloride and sodium laureth sulfate. You might want to consider Sage Anti Dandruff Shampoo by Maple Holistics, Tea Tree Oil Shampoo for Flaky Dry Scalp by Puriya, or Deep Hydrating Shampoo by T’zikal.
I believe I did the keratin treatment. My hair was beautiful for the first few days, but then my hair started to break. Now my hair has so many breakages. Does anyone know why this might be?
Also, should I try the Brazilian blowout or would this lead to another breakage again?
I have done keratin treatments to many clients, tho am interested in doing Brazilian Blowouts as well. That being said, I was quite interested in reading this article. I found myself reading & rereading the paragraph describing the keratin treatment process… I have never heard of drying & flat ironing the actual keratin product right into the hair after processing it for 20-30 mins w/out having rinsed the product out first. Is this correct or am I mistaken?
Thank you for your comment and question. I have changed the questionable sentence. Also, with so many different straightening products today I should avoid writing about the procedure.