What Is Keratin?

Keratin is the protective protein that makes up most of your hair. Technically, it is the structural building block of your hair. It plays a significant role in strengthening and softening your hair and keeping its elasticity intact. But, here’s something you need to know – the keratin in your hair can get depleted with excessive use of styling products, chemical treatments, and heat styling tools. Now, let’s take a look at how keratin functions.

How Does Keratin Work?

Keratin works differently on different hair types. It makes your hair smoother and easier to manage. It reduces damage by smoothing down the hair cells that overlap and cause breakage. Your hair cuticles absorb keratin and make your hair look straight and silky. It also forms long peptide chains that strengthen your roots. Ultimately, it determines the structure of your hair type. Once the keratin bonds are broken, they turn water-soluble and are washed away. This is why keratin shampoos and treatments have started popping up to retain the keratin in your hair follicles. But the question remains – how exactly does keratin give you silky hair? Here’s what you need to know.

How Does Keratin Help You Get Healthy And Silky Hair?

Keratin helps in rebuilding the structure of your hair by filling porous spots in your cuticles with proteins. This makes your hair soft and silky and maintains the moisture levels in it. It also makes curly hair less frizzy and more manageable. Now that you are up to speed with all that you need to know about keratin, let’s check out the top 10 keratin shampoos you can get your hands on right now.

10 Best Keratin Shampoos For Smooth And Shiny Hair

1. TRESemme Keratin Smooth Shampoo

Tresemme Keratin Smooth Shampoo is specially formulated to restore keratin in your hair and leave it looking gorgeously straight, silky, and manageable. It contains argan oil that repairs damaged tresses and tames unruly hair. It promises to tackle split ends and reduce breakage. It also improves the texture of your hair and keeps its color intact. It claims to control frizz for up to 48 hours.

Safe for colored hair Reduces frizz Long-lasting shine Suitable for all hair types Affordable price

Contains SLS

2. OGX Ever Straightening Brazilian Keratin Therapy Shampoo

OGX offers this keratin therapy shampoo that contains a rich blend of coconut oil, avocado oil, keratin proteins, and cocoa butter that strengthen your hair and make it soft. This shampoo also contains nourishing properties that help in strengthening your hair follicles from within. It also curbs dryness and minimizes split ends. It is especially great for curly hair as it makes your hair more manageable and easier to detangle.

Reduces dandruff Moisturizes your hair Cocoa butter gives a luminescent glow to your hair Tames unruly hair Pleasant fragrance

Can make your hair sticky Expensive

3. Keratin Complex Keratin Care Shampoo

This shampoo is a blend of keratin, wheat, and soy proteins that help in conditioning dry locks. As it does not contain any harsh chemicals, this shampoo stands close to being a perfect product that can make your hair resilient, smooth, and shiny. It is formulated without sodium chloride to make the effect of keratin treatment last longer. It also restores strength to dry and damaged hair. If you are suffering from breakage and split ends, this shampoo can work wonders on you.

Suitable for all hair types Long-lasting effect Reduces frizz Gives you salon-smooth hair Restores hair proteins

Availability issues Expensive

4. Keranique Scalp Stimulating Shampoo

Are you suffering from thinning hair? Here’s a shampoo that can help you out. Keranique Scalp Stimulating Shampoo is designed to nourish and rejuvenate thin and limp hair. Infused with keratin and pro-vitamin B5, this shampoo gently cleanses your scalp by removing impurities and pollutants. The ginseng root extracts in it strengthen hair follicles and prevent breakage. It also contains advanced amino acid keratin complex (that strengthens and thickens hair cuticles) and peppermint oil (that helps remove any hormonal toxins that may lead to hair loss).

Contains antioxidants Keeps your hair clean and healthy Adds volume to your hair Suitable for fine hair Prevents breakage

Dries out your hair initially Expensive

5. Giovanni 2chic Brazilian Keratin And Argan Oil Shampoo

This shampoo contains luxurious ingredients like Moroccan oil and Brazilian phyto-keratins that smoothen every hair strand efficiently. It adds glossy radiance to your hair and tames unruly wild tresses. This smoothing shampoo contains jojoba seed extracts, aloe vera, and coconut oil that help in nourishing and moisturizing dry strands. It also contains a dual smoothing complex with plant-based extracts that improve the elasticity of your hair. It even adds vibrancy to dull and limp hair.

Imparts shine Safe for color-treated hair Reduce frizz and breakage Sulfate-free Gives you salon-like silky hair

Availability issues

6. Wella SP Luxe Oil Keratin Protect Shampoo

Wella SP Luxe Oil Keratin Protect Shampoo provides absolute care to your tresses by gently cleansing away all impurities and oil build-up. This shampoo contains keratin and panthenol that penetrate into your hair follicles to enrich them with water molecules and hair proteins and add strength and resilience. It also contains jojoba, almond, and argan oils that enhance your hair and impart natural shine to it. The conditioning properties of this shampoo help in nourishing your locks and making them visibly soft and shiny.

Lightweight formula Nourishes your locks Repairs damaged tresses Does not weigh your hair down Lathers well

Availability issues

7. Syoss Keratin Hair Perfection Shampoo

This shampoo contains a keratin primer that helps in smoothing down your hair fiber. It revitalizes dry and limp hair and makes it healthy and shiny. It repairs damaged locks with its nourishing properties and tackles split ends. It uses keratin to strengthen your hair from within. It also improves your hair texture within a couple of washes.

Adds shine Protects your hair from damage and breakage Makes your hair resilient Results are immediate Very effective A little product goes a long way

Not available in stores

8. Sattwa Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo

This shampoo contains botanical keratins along with argan oil, jojoba oil, neem extracts, and almond oil. It keeps your hair soft and moisturized. It also strengthens your hair and minimizes breakage. It tackles split ends and dryness by conditioning damaged tresses intensely. It also restores strength and resilience to your hair. Besides conditioning, it also nourishes your scalp and improves your scalp health. The unique blend of ingredients helps in boosting the hair regrowth process and preventing premature graying.

Mild natural fragrance Does not contain harsh chemicals Anti-inflammatory properties Reduces hair fall Pocket-friendly

Delayed results

9. Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair Million Gloss Shampoo

Schwarzkopf Gliss Million Gloss Shampoo is formulated with liquid keratin that helps in volumizing your hair. It contains liquidized sea-collagen that reconstructs damaged tresses by repairing dry strands and split ends, without weighing down your hair. This shampoo is perfect for over-treated hair that is fragile, limp, and dull. The Gliss Cell Repair System helps in strengthening the follicles from within.

Prevents hair fall Ideal for fine, dry, and limp hair Long-lasting effect Affordable

Takes time to show results

10. St.Botanica Pro Keratin & Argan Oil Shampoo

Treat your damaged hair with the St.Botanica Pro-Keratin & Argan Oil Shampoo. The keratin-infused shampoo nourishes your hair, smoothens the hair fiber, controls frizz, and increases manageability. Shikakai infused in the shampoo deeply cleanses the hair without leaving any residue, while argan oil prevents scalp dryness. Additionally, ashwagandha boosts hair growth and protects it from daily damage. Pros

Paraben-free SLS/SLES-free Mineral oil-free Phthalate-free Cruelty-free Vegan

Cons None Before buying any of the keratin shampoos listed above, consider the factors listed in the following section.

Things To Consider While Buying Keratin Shampoo

Hair Type

Knowing your hair type is the key to finding the best shampoo for your hair’s needs. If you have oily hair, look for a keratin shampoo that offers deep cleansing. A mild sulfate-based shampoo is an ideal choice in this case. If you have dry hair, opt for an intense nourishment shampoo formulated with the goodness of natural oils and moisturizers like coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, soy, or milk proteins to condition your hair. If you have normal hair, go for a shampoo that contains pH-balancing agents that are gentle on your hair.

Ingredients To Avoid

It is important to know what goes into the shampoo that you want to purchase. Therefore, it is necessary to scan the ingredients list. Some of the ingredients to avoid are:

Preservatives: Preservatives like parabens are added to increase the shelf life of products. Such preservatives are to be avoided as they have been found to have tumor- and cancer-causing properties. Irritants: Irritants like Dimethicone and Benzophenones can destroy your hair’s natural keratin and, thus, result in issues like excessive hair fall and baldness. These irritants are also associated with an increased risk of cancer. Alcohol: Avoid any shampoo that contains alcohol as one of its main ingredients. Alcohol can make your hair dry and cause breakage and split ends.

Acidity

The acidity or pH level of any shampoo is important to consider. A shampoo with a pH value of 5.5 is considered safe to use as it does not disturb your hair’s natural composition. Any deviation in pH value can harm the hair follicles, make your hair brittle, or cause hair thinning. Those were our picks of the best keratin shampoos available in the market right now. Try them out and let us know about your experience in the comments section below!

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