Keratin Smoothing Treatment in Broomfield, CO

A keratin smoothing treatment, also called a keratin straightening treatment, coats and smooths the cuticle so your hair dries smoother, with less frizz and less work at the blow dryer. At Mahne Roots Collective in Broomfield it is starting at $300-$350, and the full menu is on our services and pricing page.

The range covers our stylists, and it reads starting at because longer, thicker, denser hair takes more product and more time to work through. Ask when you call, and the rest of the salon price list sits alongside it.

The morning this is actually about

You wash your hair, not because it needs it, but because the alternative is worse. Then the blow-dry, which is not optional, because air-dried is not a look you get to have here. Round brush, section by section, the same stubborn piece at the crown going wide whatever you do. Then the iron, because the dryer only got it most of the way.

Then, somewhere between the bathroom and the car, the whole thing lifts. That is the Colorado part of it. The air here is dry, drier still indoors once the heat is running, so hair gives up moisture to the room and roughs up at the surface: a sweater comes over your head and the front stands straight up.

The other half is that none of it holds still: hot one afternoon, a cold front the next. Hair takes on and gives up moisture as the air around it changes, so a routine you calibrated for one kind of weather quietly stops working in the next. A smoothing treatment does not change any of that; it gives the hair a smoother surface to face it with. There is more in what Colorado winters actually do to your hair, what the summers do, and why curls look different after moving here.

Who books it, and who probably should not

Miles puts it plainly: it is for somebody whose texture needs smoothing out, whose hair always feels like it needs to be styled, and who spends a lot of time styling it. They just want it smoother. The product we use is mainly for wavy, frizz-prone hair. The people who get the most out of it arrive with the same complaints:

• Frizz-prone, wavy, coarse or dense hair that takes real effort to smooth.
• Anyone blow-drying most mornings who wants that routine shorter, not different.
• People who travel or exercise a lot and need their hair to behave without a full reset.
• Anyone whose hair reads smooth on a calm morning and rough on a windy one.

And who we would steer somewhere else:

• If you want poker-straight hair. This relaxes texture, it does not remove it.
• If your hair is damaged and you want it fixed. Smoothing is not a repair. If the trouble came from lightening or box color, that is color correction, which books online with Nicole, Jadyn, Ally, Amanda or Miles.
• If what you want is a color change. This will not brighten, darken or tone anything; that is balayage or highlights and foils.
• If your hair is curly or coily and the curl pattern is what you love, raise it when you book. What this does to a defined curl is a conversation with your stylist, not something to settle from a page.

What a smoothing treatment actually does

The outside of a hair strand is a layer of overlapping scales. When they sit flat, the hair reads smooth. When they lift, which is what dry air, heat and friction do, the strand roughs up and you get frizz. A keratin smoothing treatment lays a smoothing layer over that surface so the scales stay flatter and the hair dries closer to the shape you want without being forced there. We use Keratin Complex and follow its directions for application.

The two words that matter are relaxes and gradually. It relaxes texture rather than removing it, so your wave sits softer and looser, and it fades as your hair grows, so there is no line where treated hair meets untreated.

What it is not

• Not a relaxer. A relaxer permanently breaks and reforms the hair. This does not.
• Not permanent straightening. Your texture is still there underneath, softened.
• Not a color service. It will not lighten, darken or tone anything.
• Not a substitute for a cut. Split ends stay split ends; that is what a haircut is for.

Four things people have heard about keratin

Most of what gets searched about this is not a question but a worry, and usually one of four.

"It ruins your hair"

Not true as stated, and we will not sell you the opposite either. It is a chemical service, sensible on some heads and a poor idea on others, and what decides that is the condition of the hair and what has already been done to it. If your stylist thinks yours should not take it yet, you will hear so before anything starts.

"It makes your hair poker straight"

It does not. Wave stays wave, looser, softer and far more willing to lie in one direction. What changes most is not the shape of your hair, it is how hard you work to get it to behave.

"It is the same as a relaxer"

It is not. A relaxer takes texture out and keeps it out, so your own texture grows in underneath and you get a hard line where the two meet. A smoothing treatment works on the outside of the strand and fades, which is why it grows out softly instead of leaving a border.

"It will fix my damaged hair"

The expensive misunderstanding. It makes hair look and behave smoother; it does not repair anything. Breaking ends read better in the mirror and carry on doing what they are doing. Damaged ends come off, so the honest first appointment there is a haircut. All four land in the same place: whether this suits your head is answered by your hair, not by the service.

What to expect at the appointment

Come in with your hair the way it was when you left the house, not washed and pinned up on the way in; your stylist wants to see the thing you are complaining about. The hair gets read before anything is applied, then we talk through the plan before we start and get to work.

That conversation is not a formality, because three things change what is safe and what result to expect: the color already in your hair, any previous chemical services, and the condition it is in. Box color, another salon's treatment, a phase you would rather forget: it is all useful and none of it is judged, because saying the awkward thing out loud is what gets you the result you pictured.

The smoothing service itself takes about three hours, on top of any color service. It can be done the same day as color, and the color goes first, so plan for a long day if you are doing both. If you are also due a cut, the same visit usually makes sense, since smoothed hair falls differently, but the booking has to have both services in it. Men book this too, and cut pricing alongside another service is on the men's haircuts and grooming page.

Living with it afterwards

Wait at least 24 hours before washing your hair or putting any product in it, then use a sulfate-free shampoo from there on. How long it lasts varies from client to client, depending on how often you wash, how much the elements get at it, and how much you blow-dry or use hot tools. Most people come in every few months for a touch-up.

It fades rather than ending. The treated length keeps behaving, new growth behaves the way it always did, so there is no line to disguise and nothing forcing the appointment; you come back when the morning starts feeling like work again. What it does not do is remove the reason you needed a haircut.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a keratin smoothing treatment in Broomfield?

Starting at $300-$350, a range across our stylists. It reads "starting at" because longer, thicker, denser hair takes more product and more time. Call with your length and the front desk will tell you where you land.

Is a keratin smoothing treatment permanent?

No. It relaxes texture rather than permanently changing the hair, and it fades gradually instead of growing out to a line. Most people come back every few months for a touch-up; how long it holds depends on how often you wash and how much heat and weather it takes.

Will it make my hair straight?

Not straight, smoother: expect your wave to sit softer and looser, less frizz and a shorter blow-dry, not a different head of hair.

Can I still wear my hair curly, or curl it afterwards?

Yes. Your texture is relaxed, not removed, so the hair still takes a curl from an iron or a set. Natural curl will read looser than it does now, and how much looser is a judgement made with your hair in front of us.

Does a keratin smoothing treatment damage hair?

It depends on the condition your hair is in and what has already been done to it, which is exactly what the consultation is for. Hair in good condition is a different proposition from hair lightened repeatedly or already fragile. If smoothing is the wrong move for your hair we will say so before we start, and if the real issue is previous color, that is color correction.

Can I get color and a keratin smoothing treatment on the same day?

Yes. The color goes first, and the smoothing service takes about three hours on its own, so book it as a long appointment. Say when you book that you want both so the time is set aside.

How do I book one?

Book online or call (720) 240-9391. Mention any color or previous straightening so the right time is set aside, and say if you want a cut in the same visit. Amanda does keratin smoothing treatments; you can request her by name when you book. The team page has everyone.

Book a keratin smoothing treatment in Broomfield

We are at 11566 Colony Row in Arista, Broomfield, with free parking at the door. Book online or call (720) 240-9391, and we will talk through the plan before we start. Anything this page did not answer is probably on our FAQ page.