Hair Botox Beauty Trend© Pexels

The Hair Botox Beauty Trend Explained

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Eesha Kulkarni

It feels like there’s no problem Botox can’t solve these days—anything from a migraine, forehead wrinkles to sweaty armpits and a widened jawline, Botox is your guy. And now, with over 285K views on the #HairBotox hashtag on Instagram, a new beauty trend is doing the rounds on the internet. Before you freak out and imagine needles poking at your hair, let me clarify that hair botox does not involve actual botox or giant syringes—it’s a non-invasive deep conditioning treatment to give you the glossy hair of your dreams. Are you sold, yet?

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Hair Botox©Pexels

Why is it called Hair ‘Botox’?

As you might know, facial botox is a cosmetic treatment which includes botulinum toxin, a neurotoxic protein, being injected into certain muscle areas to induce them into flaccid paralysis or relaxation leading to wrinkle-free, younger-looking skin. If you’re a fan of facial botox or other such quick-fixes, then hair botox might pique your interest. Unlike the skin procedure, hair botox does not involve any chemicals or injections, but is rather nicknamed so thanks to the similar smoothening effect it produces.

The treatment originates from Brazil, and is slowly gaining popularity in India and the rest of the world given its slew of benefits. Offered by luxury and premium salons across metropolitan cities in India, it’s steadily becoming a highly-requested smoothing procedure in place of keratin and other cysteine hair treatments.

So, what is hair botox and what are the ingredients used?

Simply put, it’s a deep conditioning treatment that repairs, revitalises, softens, and hydrates broken and damaged hair fibres resulting from stress or consistently using heating tools on your mane. The process uses lush ingredients including antioxidants, caviar oil, vitamin B5, vitamin E and collagen complex to bring your dull strands back to life.

hair botox ingredients©Pexels

What are the benefits of hair botox?

  1. With a slew of benefits, including deep hydration and a boost in elasticity of your hair, hair botox is the haircare treatment that everyone’s obsessed with. Collagen, which is a key ingredient in the process, encourages smooth and shiny hair for a longer period of time.
  2. Similarly, caviar oil helps fight free radicals in your strands which lead to damage and add age-related oxidative stress to degrade the hair. Usually, your body naturally has a defense mechanism in place to fight these radicals, but ageing can weaken that immunity and accelerate the ageing process of your hair as well. This is why hair botox can give your mane an extra layer of protection against internal as well as external components that deteriorate the health of your gorgeous tresses. The magical solution also makes way for frizz-free hair because of the oils that help seal the cuticles and retain moisture.
  3. Hair botox also avoids the risk of heat damage that often comes with keratin or chemical smoothing hair treatments, rendering your strands softer, healthier and shinier sans the heat damage. The treatment polishes hair fibres with compounds like proteins, peptides, amino acids, vitamins and collagen to each strand. And, unlike keratin and other popular cysteine hair treatments, which make use of harmful compounds like formaldehyde to alter your hair’s structure to achieve poker straight hair, the botox process is chemical-free and uses minimal heat.
  4. The effect would not only be for cosmetic reasons, but for improving your hair’s overall strength and well-being. A bonus point for our curly-haired girlies is that unlike keratin and smoothing procedures, hair botox is not meant for straightening the hair. It will simply leave your curls ultra-hydrated and lustrous, without having to sacrifice the natural texture and type of your tresses.

Who qualifies for this trend?

Since added moisture and TLC is welcome no matter what your hair type or texture is, everyone qualifies for a hair botox treatment. To get it done according to your individual needs, simply share your daily hair routine and the ingredients and protein content that goes into your hair products with your trusted hairstylist, and the professionals will formulate a hair-botox mix unique to you—mainly to decide how protein-heavy they want it to be, since excess protein can beat the purpose of the treatment, giving rise to brittle, dry and damaged hair.

How long does the effect last?

Because it’s a semi-permanent treatment, it can last between two to four months, depending on how fast your hair grows and new roots start to peek through. Using a protein-rich shampoo and conditioner may prolong the effects of your salon appointment.

So, why should you get professional hair botox done instead of an easier-on-the-pocket DIY deep conditioning treatment at home?

Because a salon will typically use more effective and high quality products containing proteins and pH balancers, that at-home experiments don’t offer. The stylist will be able to customise the process as per your unique hair requirements and work on your mane, section by section and strand by strand for maximum effect. The smoothing effect will also be more long-lasting thanks to the use of carefully-picked steam tools, dryers and red light therapy to aid in deeper penetration of the products—something that is difficult to achieve at home. This will shave off some serious hair-styling time you put in everyday to look like you haven’t just woken up with bed-head and achieve a styled look minus the efforts.

Lastly, how do you maintain the results of the treatment?

According to hair experts, hair botox can be done no more than three times a year. To maintain the results of the treatment, it is recommended to use a sulphate, paraben and silicone-free shampoo, and never skip conditioning. Use a hydrating hair mask or massage your scalp with oil once every week, and protect the treated hair from external and environmental stressors by covering it with a silk scarf when you step out of the house.

So, are you ready to take the plunge and experience the elusive ‘good-hair-day,’ everyday? ‘Cause, I sure am!