If you have ever asked a salon for "smoothening" and been quoted four prices for four names you did not recognise, this is for you. They are genuinely different treatments. Knowing which is which is the difference between paying for what you wanted and paying for what was easiest to sell.
Smoothening
The most chemical of the four. It relaxes the bonds in your hair so the curl pattern drops and the hair sits flat. It is the closest thing to permanent straightening, and it is also the harshest — the effect grows out rather than washes out, so you get a visible line between treated and new hair after a few months.
Suits: thick, coarse, strongly curly hair where the goal is genuinely straight.
Keratin
Not a straightening treatment, though it is sold as one. Keratin coats and fills the hair shaft, which reduces frizz and adds shine. Curly hair stays curly — it just behaves. It washes out gradually over roughly three to five months, so there is no harsh regrowth line.
Suits: frizz, humidity, hair that is fine but unmanageable. Most people in Gurugram asking for "straightening" in July actually want this.
Hair botox
Nothing to do with actual botox. It is a deep conditioning treatment — proteins and oils that fill in damaged sections of the hair shaft. No straightening at all. Hair looks fuller and feels repaired, and it fades in about two to three months.
Suits: bleached, over-coloured or heat-damaged hair that needs rescuing before it needs styling.
Nanoplastia
The newest of the four and generally the gentlest of the smoothing treatments. It works at a lower temperature and without formaldehyde, and it smooths while keeping more movement in the hair than smoothening does. It costs more, and it takes longer in the chair.
Suits: people who want smooth hair but have had a bad experience with harsher chemicals before, or who colour their hair regularly.
How to choose
- Want it genuinely straight and are willing to accept regrowth lines? Smoothening.
- Want to keep your texture but lose the frizz? Keratin.
- Hair is damaged and needs repair before anything else? Botox.
- Want smooth without the harsh chemistry, and the budget allows? Nanoplastia.
Whatever you pick, ask two questions before you sit down: what is the aftercare, and when can I next colour my hair. A good salon will answer both without being asked.
We do all four at our Sector 31 salon. If you are not sure which you need, come in and we will look at your hair first.