Is it dangerous to get keratin over bleached hair?

I'm not sure (someone will have to correct me if I'm wrong) but I don't think its the keratin thats the problem, more how it is applied? With the straightening treatments the hairdresser goes over and over your hair with hot irons to seal in the keratin, which is advised against if you have damaged hair.
Your hair could be heat damaged not bleach damaged possibly.

Yep.  Keratin is great for hair, but certain keratin treatments require straighteners, which is bad for overprocessed hair, and if your hair is breaking, it's damaged in some way.

A lot of us use Joico's K-Pak Reconstuctor once a week for a non-heat keratin treatment, and it does do wonders on damaged hair.  Always follow up a reconstructor/keratin treatment with a good deep conditioner, as the keratin protein can be very drying on the hair.

I think I'm one of the only people on this board to support keratin. It may be the fact that I've used the treatments so frequently that I've had amazing results, but if you consider the fact that I have done at-home treatments for the past three-odd years,  then went through the process of lightening and bleaching, then silicone-free for a while, and now I'm back to light use of silicones and regular keratin again, and I've only had to micro-trim my hair... that should prove that, even with the use of heat, keratin treatments probably do much more good than harm.

Although everyone is different, but if you ask me... 😀

Alexia, this is not a personal dig at you. But I do have to comment on what you said.

1, though I know this is what you meant, I have to clarify, it's not keratin most of us here don't like. It's the use of straighteners with it. It's these specific processes.

2, That is NOT proof that they do more harm than good. What that proves is that your hair feels silky and smooth after using the product with the straighteners. Just using straighteners alone makes hair feel nice and smooth, especially with silicone. But that doesn't mean it isn't damaged. There's nothing to say that one day your hair won't just give up the ghost and start breaking. It's very possible it's doing as much harm as good, it's even very possible it's doing more harm than good.

3, In the same vein, one case, even two cases, proves nothing anyway.

Now, I'm not entirely convinced either way. I know I sound like I am set against it, but I'm not. The truth is, we don't know for sure. All we have is what the companies say and they aren't against twisting the truth to come up with a conclusion that fits. They're certainly not beyond using a result you get from a product and saying it's one thing, when it's actually something else that causes that result.

Keratin treatments are safe to use on bleached hair as long as the straighteners are no hotter than GHDs and they go over each section of hair with the straightener fewer times. This gives a "mini" keratin treatment/brazilian blowdry that last for around 5 weeks instead of the usual few months. Many keratin suppliers have instructions for this kind of treatment.

If your hair's badly damaged enough that running a straightener through it a few times is going to cause it to snap, it's probably breaking anyway and you'll have to cut the damage off no matter what. Otherwise, it's not going to be "dangerous" if you want to try it. Maybe your hair is drier after the keratin is washed out due to the heat processing, or maybe it's fine. I suggest you read about the mini treatments for yourself and decide.

It's not like perming, which absolutely cannot be done on bleached hair as the bonds are not strong enough to hold the perm.

I personally did it about a year ago.  It was about a month after I had initially bleached and it was done by a girl that works for the salon I assist at.  Almost every girl at the salon gets keratin treatments from her and they all have soft, shiny, beautiful hair so I figured why not.

Maybe it was the specific formula she used, maybe it was the flat iron, I'm not sure exactly but my hair was FRIED afterward.  My naturally curly hair felt like a brillo pad and it was poker straight (even though I had told the stylist I only wanted it to control the frizz issue with my newly bleached hair and keep the curl and she assured me it would feel just as healthy and frizz-free as before).  It never washed out like it was eventually supposed to no matter what I did or what I washed it with.  I recently ended up cutting it all off recently because I was tired of fighting it and wanted to start over.

Like I said, I don't know what factor caused it to go so wrong but just be wary.

I personally did it about a year ago.  It was about a month after I had initially bleached and it was done by a girl that works for the salon I assist at.  Almost every girl at the salon gets keratin treatments from her and they all have soft, shiny, beautiful hair so I figured why not.

Maybe it was the specific formula she used, maybe it was the flat iron, I'm not sure exactly but my hair was FRIED afterward.  My naturally curly hair felt like a brillo pad and it was poker straight (even though I had told the stylist I only wanted it to control the frizz issue with my newly bleached hair and keep the curl and she assured me it would feel just as healthy and frizz-free as before).  It never washed out like it was eventually supposed to no matter what I did or what I washed it with.  I recently ended up cutting it all off recently because I was tired of fighting it and wanted to start over.

Like I said, I don't know what factor caused it to go so wrong but just be wary.

I'm a little apprehensive. I've had it done plenty of times with no damage. When my hair was just highlighted, it didn't seem more damaged after keratin. But, my hair is definitely more fragile now. I take good care of it and barely ever use heat. They told me I can use a flat iron sometimes, like 2-3 times a month, but I don't/

@xo123, I wonder if you'd consider using keratin just as a leave-in, no flat iron. It sounds like your hair would not be too happy with straightening at all at the moment. I'm just not convinced you'd get maximum benefit without a flat iron, but it's really amazing stuff even as a styling aid, and I'm sure you'd get some benefit from brushing it into your hair.

(For the record, I'm referring to the Brazilian Blow-dry keratin stuff, not K-Pak, though I've used that as a leave-in before too!)

Even when I use the keratin and I've "baked" it in, I try to keep it away from my face just because it's not meant for the skin, but if I'm using just as a leave-in, it's probably worth being more aware to keep it off your skin as much as possible. My facial skin is never affected, and my hair always falls on my face regardless, but I guess it's worth mentioning because it's not a facial keratin 🙂

@xo123, I wonder if you'd consider using keratin just as a leave-in, no flat iron. It sounds like your hair would not be too happy with straightening at all at the moment. I'm just not convinced you'd get maximum benefit without a flat iron, but it's really amazing stuff even as a styling aid, and I'm sure you'd get some benefit from brushing it into your hair.

(For the record, I'm referring to the Brazilian Blow-dry keratin stuff, not K-Pak, though I've used that as a leave-in before too!)

Even when I use the keratin and I've "baked" it in, I try to keep it away from my face just because it's not meant for the skin, but if I'm using just as a leave-in, it's probably worth being more aware to keep it off your skin as much as possible. My facial skin is never affected, and my hair always falls on my face regardless, but I guess it's worth mentioning because it's not a facial keratin 🙂

I use so much leave in stuff now. I just want straight hair. My hair texture is gross right now, because my roots are wavy and the ends are straighter. I honestly would not have bleached my hair if I had known keratin treatment might be a problem. The one I get is formaledehyde free..I need it, or I'm going to scream. I would rather have straight highlighted hair than bleached hair that looks like a cloud.

:-*

I'm sure you've mentioned it previously, xo123, but I hope you don't wash your hair often and co-wash when you do.  And of course you know, if possible, don't brush or comb or mess with wet hair at all - just let it dry and try to detangle very gently using your fingers.

Cholesterol conditioners are excellent, as are any silicone-free, thick, buttery repair treatments - I love those found at Afro-Caribbean shops that come in tubs.  Products with coconut oil and shea butter seem to really make a difference, and keratin, in whatever form you can find!

Though the damage will not mend, it can definitely look better so that you feel better about your hair.  I don't know if you're silicone-free, but if you are, I think you can safely get some silicones back in there and just let your hair rest a while, and enjoy the shine from the silicones!  But it bothers me that you seem to be so displeased with the state of your hair now - stick some silicones in and ENJOY your hair a bit.  Just remember to clarify and deep-condition regularly too.

(sorry, that got a bit off-topic)

:-*

I'm sure you've mentioned it previously, xo123, but I hope you don't wash your hair often and co-wash when you do.  And of course you know, if possible, don't brush or comb or mess with wet hair at all - just let it dry and try to detangle very gently using your fingers.

Cholesterol conditioners are excellent, as are any silicone-free, thick, buttery repair treatments - I love those found at Afro-Caribbean shops that come in tubs.  Products with coconut oil and shea butter seem to really make a difference, and keratin, in whatever form you can find!

Though the damage will not mend, it can definitely look better so that you feel better about your hair.  I don't know if you're silicone-free, but if you are, I think you can safely get some silicones back in there and just let your hair rest a while, and enjoy the shine from the silicones!  But it bothers me that you seem to be so displeased with the state of your hair now - stick some silicones in and ENJOY your hair a bit.  Just remember to clarify and deep-condition regularly too.

(sorry, that got a bit off-topic)

Thank you! I wash less often with no  sulfates. My hair seems stronger lately. I am avoiding heat and using a lot of stuff. My main gripe is that I just want straighter hair. When I air dry my hair is wavy. When I had keratin before it air dried so well. I never iron and the stylist said my hair can withstand an occasional ironing because the under layer is not all bleached out. I am thinking the one time of keratin involving heat will be ok.

I did not know you shouldn't comb wet hair? I use a ton of product and the comb slides through without any problems.

I also want to be pure platinum but until I keep bleaching more roots and cutting off my ends I know it won't happen and I would rather be a mix of golden and platinum tones like now than have short or completely ruined hair. Oh well.

Thanks for the help!

I did not know you shouldn't comb wet hair? I use a ton of product and the comb slides through without any problems.

It's just that your hair is much more elastic when it's wet, so if you pull it, like a rubber band, it will stretch, and that will make it ever so slightly weaker.  My hair tends to be on the thicker side, so I just pay close attention to how I treat it when it's wet.  But as long as the comb isn't pulling at your hair or getting caught mid-comb, you should be fine!

It might help to get others' opinions of what colour your hair looks, because though you do want that "platinum", you may be seeing small details that others don't see - your hair may actually be "lighter" to an outsider than you think it is.

I only say that because, until I got others' comments on my blonde, I was focussing on the imperfections and the darker/stained underlengths... but to an outsider, it's not even noticeable, so I don't care about it anymore and am happy to just let it be till it grows out!

I did not know you shouldn't comb wet hair? I use a ton of product and the comb slides through without any problems.

It's just that your hair is much more elastic when it's wet, so if you pull it, like a rubber band, it will stretch, and that will make it ever so slightly weaker.  My hair tends to be on the thicker side, so I just pay close attention to how I treat it when it's wet.  But as long as the comb isn't pulling at your hair or getting caught mid-comb, you should be fine!

It might help to get others' opinions of what colour your hair looks, because though you do want that "platinum", you may be seeing small details that others don't see - your hair may actually be "lighter" to an outsider than you think it is.

I only say that because, until I got others' comments on my blonde, I was focussing on the imperfections and the darker/stained underlengths... but to an outsider, it's not even noticeable, so I don't care about it anymore and am happy to just let it be till it grows out!

That is true, everyone tells me how blonde I am! The overall effect is very blonde, but I think we tend to be very focused on the imperfections, especially those of us who are addicted to bleach. My underlengths are not as obvious as I think they are, and my hair dresser is bleaching them slowly, I notice each time she lightly runs a little bit of bleach through the ends, not enough to cause a lot of damage, but I definitely notice that it's improving.

I asked her to assess the condition of my hair, she said it's not in bad shape considering what I've done for it. My own ends were thin, but now I trimmed them so they aren't bad anymore, and my hair is very dry and knots easily, but it isn't really elastic, which is good. With all the knots it is prone to break more, but after the shower I lather my hair in oils and leave in conditioners, and I am able to get the brush through very easily.

Keep in mind that the oils and leave in conditioners are most likely masking the true condition of your hair.

To really assess how dry/damaged your hair is, you need to wash it, don't condition it and let it air dry.

We've had a lot (a LOT) of people come on this site insisting that they had super-strength hair that felt fine after multiple bleaches thanks to all of the products they were using, and it all melted off with their next bleach bath.