How long do smoothing treatments last?

All of our smoothing treatments — including Brazilian Blowout, Cezanne, and Keratin Revolution — last up to 12 weeks with proper care. The QiQi Curly Treatment is different: it's permanent until cut out, since it reshapes the internal bonds of the hair rather than coating or sealing them.

When should I color my hair in relation to a smoothing treatment?

Single-process color can be done before any smoothing treatment, or two weeks after for Brazilian Blowout, Cezanne, or Keratin Revolution. With QiQi, you can color, swim, and style before or after your treatment — there are no restrictions, except one: if you're lightening with bleach, that must be done before the treatment. Toners can be applied anytime afterward to refine brightness or tone if your color shifts slightly. We'll help you plan your color and smoothing schedule so everything stays even, glossy, and healthy.

Will a smoothing treatment change my hair color?

Most smoothing systems can slightly lighten single-process color and may warm or yellow gray and white hair, especially with heat. The QiQi Curly Treatment is the exception — it does not cause color shift and is ideal for clients with lighter tones or gray hair who want smoothness without fading.

Will smoothing make my hair flat or take away volume?

Not unless you want it to. Every service is customized to your texture and preferences — from soft, frizz-free curls to smooth, max results. Our goal is always healthy movement, not heavy or lifeless hair.

Can I swim? Do sulfates, salt water, or chlorine affect smoothing results?

Yes — sulfates, salt water, and chlorine all speed up the fading process. They strip the protective layer that keeps hair smooth and shiny, shortening the life of your treatment. QiQi – Keep All the CURL is our only treatment that allows you to swim immediately after receiving it.

What if my hair is damaged?

If your hair is compromised or overprocessed, we'll still take great care of it — we'll just approach things a little differently. Delicate or fragile areas will be treated with lower heat and a gentler technique, which means your first result may be less dramatic than usual. The goal is to protect your hair's integrity first, then build it back up over time. We can create a restoration plan that combines targeted treatments, proper at-home care, and gradual smoothing so your hair gets healthier with every visit. Once your strands are stronger, we'll be able to perform the treatment at full strength for a more transformative and lasting result.

Can I do a smoothing treatment if I use henna or minoxidil?

No — smoothing treatments cannot be done over henna or on hair being treated with minoxidil. These ingredients can react unpredictably with smoothing systems. We'll help you plan a safe timeline if you've used either recently.

Are these straightening treatments?

No — none of these are straightening treatments. They're smoothing systems, which means they reduce frizz, add shine, and improve manageability while keeping natural movement. Because these treatments don't break and reform bonds like relaxers, we can't guarantee completely straight hair for every texture — but we can guarantee smoother, healthier, humidity-resistant hair that behaves beautifully in Boston's weather. If your hair is frizzy-straight or has a loose wave, it will appear smoother and straighter. If your hair is curly or coily, you'll still have curl and bounce — just softer, shinier, and easier to style. All of our treatments have a cumulative effect and will build on the hair with regular treatments.

What's the difference between the treatments you offer?

Each treatment uses its own science and active ingredients: Brazilian Blowout coats the hair for high-gloss, frizz-free smoothness. Cezanne gently rebuilds and refines the cuticle with a formaldehyde-free formula. Keratin Revolution combines keratin and glycolic acid for stronger smoothing and shine. Results are a little stronger than Cezanne. Formaldehyde-free. QiQi Keep All the CURL permanently reshapes curls for softer, defined texture without losing bounce. Formaldehyde-free. During your phone consultation, we'll help you choose the perfect system based on your hair and goals.

Why choose Brazilian Blowout Boston?

Because smoothing isn't a side service here — it's our specialty. We're the only salon in Boston fully dedicated to professional smoothing systems. Every stylist is trained in product science, safety, and precise application to deliver consistent, glossy, frizz-free results. Clients travel from NY, RI, NJ, CA, CT, VT, MN, LV, Cape Cod, Quincy, Milton, South End, and beyond because they know they'll leave with hair that's glossier, healthier, and easier to manage — every single time.

Which Is Better, Keratin Treatment or Brazilian Blowout?

September 30, 2026

You want smooth, frizz-free hair. One friend tells you to get a keratin treatment. Another swears by Brazilian Blowout. You assume they are two names for the same appointment. They are not.

Brazilian Blowout is one brand with one amino acid based formula. "Keratin treatment" is a category label that covers hundreds of unrelated products from dozens of companies. Walk into two salons and ask for "a keratin treatment," and you can walk out with two completely different heads of hair. That gap is why this question comes up on almost every consultation call we take, and why it is worth five minutes to sort out before you book anything.

The Short Answer Before the Detail

They are not the same purchase, so "better" depends on what you are comparing. Brazilian Blowout is one branded amino acid based smoothing treatment that cuts frizz and shortens blow-dry time for 10 to 12 weeks. "Keratin treatment" is an umbrella term for hundreds of different formulas with different chemistry, different processing, and different results. You can compare a specific product to Brazilian Blowout. You cannot compare a category to it.

That distinction is not us being picky about vocabulary. It is the single thing that decides whether you like your hair in three weeks.

What Brazilian Blowout Is

Brazilian Blowout is a branded, amino acid based smoothing treatment. It eliminates frizz, cuts blow-dry time roughly in half, and leaves hair looking shiny and healthy. It is not a straightening treatment. Smoothing does not automatically mean straightening, and that one line is the thing people get wrong most often.

We have performed more than 10,000 smoothing treatments since our studio opened in 2016, and this work has been our focus since 2009. That kind of repetition teaches you something no bottle of product ever will. You learn what different hair needs before it tells you.

It is also the only service we offer. No cuts. No color. One treatment, done in a private, fully ventilated studio on Beach Street in the Marina Bay area of Quincy. You can see the full scope on our services page.

We go deeper on this in Does Hair Go Back to Normal After a Brazilian Blowout?.

We go deeper on this in Do They Wash Your Hair Before a Brazilian Blowout?.

We go deeper on this in What Happens to Your Brazilian Blowout at Month Three?.

Why "Keratin Treatment" Means Very Little on Its Own

"Keratin treatment" is an umbrella term, not a product. Underneath that umbrella sit gentle glosses, aggressive straighteners, and everything in between, made by different companies with different chemistry and different processing times. Some barely touch your curl. Some flatten it completely. Some hold for a few weeks. Some hold for months.

So when a friend says a keratin treatment ruined her curl, or another says hers did nothing at all, both can be telling the truth. They had different products in their hair.

Here is the line we hold. Brazilian Blowout is a brand. It is not a keratin treatment, and the two terms are not interchangeable. When you book a Brazilian Blowout with us, you know exactly which formula is going on your hair and exactly what it does. When you book "a keratin treatment" somewhere, the only way to know what you are getting is to ask that salon which specific product they use, and then ask what it is designed to do.

Ask it out loud. Before the deposit, not after.

Side by Side

What it is. Brazilian Blowout: One branded amino acid based formula. "Keratin treatment": A category label covering hundreds of products.
What it is designed to do. Brazilian Blowout: Smooth, cut frizz, add shine, shorten drying time. "Keratin treatment": Varies by product, often aims to straighten.
How long it holds. Brazilian Blowout: 10 to 12 weeks. "Keratin treatment": Depends entirely on the product.
Customization. Brazilian Blowout: Three levels: Classic, Lighter, Heavier. "Keratin treatment": Depends on the product and the salon.
What you know going in. Brazilian Blowout: The exact formula and process. "Keratin treatment": Only what the salon tells you when you ask.

Notice that the right-hand column cannot give you a real number anywhere. That is not us dodging. It is the whole problem with the term.

What Happens to the Hair

Most salons skip this explanation, and it is the part worth understanding.

Frizz is mostly a cuticle problem. When humidity gets into the hair, the cuticle swells and lifts, the strand roughens, and the surface stops reflecting light evenly. That is the puff you see by mid-morning in July. A smoothing formula works by laying that cuticle down flat so humidity has far less to swell.

The flat iron is the sealing step, and it is where the treatment is won or lost. We run heat over each section after the formula processes, at a temperature chosen for that section rather than one setting for the whole head. Coarse, resistant hair takes more. Fine, highlighted, or previously damaged hair takes less. Too little heat and the result underperforms. Too much and you have stressed hair that did not need to be stressed.

What you should expect from it is honest and specific: less frizz, a smoother surface, more shine, and a blow-dry that takes a fraction of the time it used to. What you should not expect is a permanently different hair type. Your curl pattern is still yours. It simply stops fighting the weather.

If you want to see how that plays out through a New England summer, we walked through it in detail in when a Brazilian Blowout stops working in Boston humidity.

Customization Is the Part That Decides Everything

People assume a smoothing treatment is one process applied the same way to every head. It is not, and treating it that way is how clients end up either over-processed or disappointed.

We adjust every Brazilian Blowout around real factors:

Hair texture. Fine hair needs a lighter hand than coarse hair. Texture drives most of the other decisions in the appointment.
Curl pattern and strength of curl. A loose wave and a tight curl do not respond the same way, even under identical heat.
Porosity and condition. Damaged or over-processed hair gets a more conservative approach. We check this before the flat iron ever comes out.
Chemical history. Recent color, bleach, or a previous smoothing service changes how we pace and time the process.
Desired result. Some clients want maximum smoothness. Others want the frizz gone while keeping their natural body. We ask this before we start, not after.
How you dry and style at home. A daily flat-iron routine and an air-dry routine wear a treatment differently on identical hair. If air-drying is your habit, our post on air-drying curly hair without humidity frizz covers what that looks like day to day.

That is why there are three levels: Classic, Lighter, and Heavier. Your first appointment is a starting point, not a formula locked in forever. We keep notes on what your hair did and what you told us afterward. Next time we fine-tune from there.

That is also the part a one-off appointment at a general salon cannot really give you. Adjustment requires a record and a second visit.

What the Appointment Looks Like

We talk first. Every new client gets a complimentary 10 to 15 minute phone consultation before booking, so we know your hair history before you sit down. Details are on our contact page.
We clarify the hair. Clean, dry hair with no heavy oils is ideal but not required. We clarify regardless of what is already on it.
We apply the formula. Application varies by section. Fragile or highlighted pieces get a more conservative approach.
We let it process. Processing time depends on density and condition, checked section by section rather than by a timer alone.
We seal with the flat iron. Temperature drops in delicate areas: fine ends, highlighted strands, anything already stressed.
We rinse and finish. There is no three-day waiting period. You can wash your hair the same day.

Appointments run anywhere from 90 minutes to about five hours, depending on your length, density, texture, and which level you are getting. Long, thick, curly hair sits closer to the top of that range. Shoulder-length wavy hair sits closer to the bottom. We tell you which one you are on the consultation call, so nothing about the day is a surprise.

What Changes How Long It Holds

Three things move the number more than anything else.

The level you choose is first. Classic, Lighter, and Heavier do not wear at the same rate, and a lighter result naturally fades out sooner. Second is the condition of your hair going in. Healthy hair holds a smoothing treatment longer than hair already stressed from repeated lightening or daily heat. Third is how often you wash and what you wash with. More frequent shampooing shortens the window, and harsh sulfate cleansers shorten it faster.

Salt water and chlorine speed the fade too. If you are on the water most weekends, tell us at the consultation so we can plan the level and the timing around it. Two people can have the identical treatment on the identical texture and land weeks apart, purely on home routine.

Most clients land in that 10 to 12 week range. Not 12 days. Not six months.

What People Get Wrong, and What It Costs Them

The most expensive mistake is booking "a keratin treatment" without asking which product the salon uses, then being surprised the result does not match what a friend described. Different product, different chemistry, different outcome. That is not a failure of the treatment. It is a mismatch nobody checked for.

The second mistake is assuming any smoothing service straightens hair completely. If you have waves and want to keep body, say that out loud and ask for a lighter result. Do not let the appointment decide that for you.

The third is about safety rather than styling. We do not perform the Original Brazilian Blowout on clients who are pregnant or breastfeeding. We do have formaldehyde-free options for those clients, and we are upfront that those treatments do not necessarily give the same result as the Original. That conversation belongs on the consultation call. It is also part of why we work out of a private, fully ventilated studio rather than a shared floor, and why we will tell you exactly which formula we are using on you if you ask.

The fourth is skipping the consultation call and simply showing up. Ten minutes on the phone is how we plan the right level, the right timing, and the right expectations. It saves a much longer conversation later.

Color Timing and Aftercare

Highlights are fine to schedule before your Brazilian Blowout. Same day works.

Single-process color is better scheduled 10 to 14 days after, because of a possible lightening effect on freshly smoothed hair. Get that order backwards and you may end up with a color result you did not plan for, which then needs its own appointment to correct.

At home, the goal is simple. Wash less often than you think you need to, use a gentle cleanser, and stop reaching for the flat iron out of habit. The treatment already did that work. If you live near the water in Quincy or anywhere along the South Shore, our piece on Boston humidity and how fast it wears a treatment down goes deeper on the local version of this.

Why the Distinction Matters When You Pick a Salon

Plenty of salons in Greater Boston list "keratin treatments" as one line on a long menu. We do one thing, exclusively, and we have done it more than 10,000 times. When a service is the only service you offer, you see its edge cases constantly: the fine hair that goes limp if you push it, the resistant curl that needs more heat, the highlighted ends that need less.

If you are torn between a generic keratin treatment and a Brazilian Blowout, the honest answer is that it depends on your hair, your history, and what you want your mornings to look like. That is what the consultation call is for. We will tell you plainly whether Classic, Lighter, or Heavier fits, and we will say so if this is not the right service for you at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brazilian Blowout the same as a keratin treatment?

No. Brazilian Blowout is a brand with its own amino acid based formula, and "keratin treatment" is an umbrella term covering hundreds of unrelated products. The two are not interchangeable. Booking one does not tell you what you would get from the other.

Which is better, keratin treatment or Brazilian Blowout?

It depends which specific product you are comparing, because "keratin treatment" is not one standardized thing. We can tell you exactly what our Brazilian Blowout does and does not do. If you are considering another product elsewhere, ask that salon to name it.

Does hair go back to normal after a Brazilian Blowout?

Yes. Results hold for 10 to 12 weeks, then fade gradually rather than washing out all at once. Your natural texture returns as the treatment wears down.

Do they wash your hair before a Brazilian Blowout?

Clean, dry hair without heavy oils is ideal, but it is not required. We clarify the hair before the treatment regardless of what is already on it.

What are the potential downsides of a Brazilian Blowout?

It is a 10 to 12 week commitment rather than a one-time fix, and the result depends on your texture, condition, and chemical history. It is also not a straightening treatment, so expectations need to be set on the consultation call.

How long do most Brazilian Blowouts last?

10 to 12 weeks is typical. Clients who wash frequently or swim often land toward the shorter end, and healthy hair with a gentle home routine holds toward the longer end.

Can I color my hair around my appointment?

Highlights are fine beforehand. Single-process color is best scheduled 10 to 14 days after, because of a possible lightening effect on newly smoothed hair.

Is Brazilian Blowout still a thing?

Yes. We have performed more than 10,000 treatments since 2016, and it is still the only service we offer. That focus is what lets us adjust for texture, curl, and condition instead of running one process on everyone.

Still Deciding?

The fastest way to settle this is a real conversation about your hair. Every new client starts with a complimentary phone consultation. No pressure, just a straight answer about what your hair needs and which level fits.

Book a Consultation

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