An Asian girl with long, shiny hair against a gray background

The easiest shortcut to soft, shiny, and healthy-looking hair is the Brazilian blowout, a branded treatment that smoothens the hair cuticle and helps reduce . While many swear by this in-salon service, preferring it over other straightening treatments, it’s quite costly and entails sitting in a chair for a few hours. But what if we told you that you could achieve the Brazilian blowout look at home? Read on to find out how.

What is a Brazilian Blowout?

A Brazilian blowout is a smoothing that originated in Brazil. It uses a semi-permanent that adds a protective layer on the strands of the hair to minimize frizz and protect hair from damage. Although it’s often referred to as “keratin blowout,” the brand Brazilian blowout does not contain and uses plant-based amino acids instead.

Keratin blowouts, on the other hand, contain the protein keratin, which is used and produced by many different brands. Both offer the same "permanent blow dry" effects: smooth, silky, and super shiny hair. It lasts for three to six months, depending on how often you wash your hair and . To make it last, use a sulfate-free shampoo like Love Beauty and Planet Sea Salt and Bergamot Deep Restore Shampoo. It cleanses and balances your tresses, leaving hair restored and back to its healthy appearance.

Brazilian blowout vs. rebond: What’s the difference?

Many terms are wrongly used interchangeably, so you must know exactly what you’re asking for when you go to the salon for hair treatment. We’ve established that the Brazilian blowout is a branded treatment, but how does it differ from other straightening or smoothing treatments? The main difference is the process.

What does a Brazilian blowout do to your hair? It coats the hair with the protein, while keratin penetrates the hair shaft because of the smaller keratin molecules. This makes the proteins from the Brazilian blowout easier to wash off. Both treatments use heat and flat ironing the hair to seal the treatment, which visibly straightens and smoothens hair.

However, they are very different from hair straightening treatments such as hair rebonding, which chemically alters the structure of the hair to make it straighter. As the term “rebonding” suggests, the process involves breaking down the natural bonds in the hair follicle and reshaping and rebuilding them into a new shape. 

Will the Brazilian blowout make my hair stick-straight?

Another major difference between the Brazilian blowout and versus hair rebonding is the effect. Hair rebonding can make hair pin-straight and flat. With Brazilian blowouts or keratin treatments, you can control this by telling your stylist exactly what you want. Some people tell stylists to avoid ironing too close to the to prevent the hair from looking flat. You can even get one with a – it won't flatten your waves!

Because of the processes involved, these treatments should be done in a salon by a , but there’s a way to get a similar Brazilian Blowout look at home with , and hair smoothing treatments that contain keratin.

How to Create the Brazilian Blowout Effect at Home

The Brazilian blowout effect is all about silky, shiny, and smooth hair — and it’s something you can create at home using at-home keratin treatments. Here’s how:

Step 1: Wash your hair with a keratin shampoo.

Give your hair the smoothing benefits of keratin before the actual treatment by shampooing your hair. Try TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Shampoo, which deeply cleanses hair and nourishes it with argan oil while calming frizz and boosting shine with keratin. It makes anything from classic to more manageable.

Step 2: Massage the keratin treatment into your hair.

After towel-drying your hair, apply TRESemmé Keratin Smooth KERA10 Smoothing Mask onto your strands, going up from the tips of your hair to an inch from the scalp. Massage the treatment into your hair and leave it on for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.

If your hair has a life of its own, alternatively, you can try the VitaKeratin Brazilian Straight, infused with Vitamin B3 and Brazilian nut oil, which team together to tame your tresses and lock in shine. Perfect for those in a rush, you only need to leave this treatment on for one minute before washing it off. 

Step 3: Blow-dry and iron your hair.

Towel dry your hair before blow-drying, absorbing as much excess water as possible. Use a wide-tooth comb to comb hair into place with blow-drying. As your hair dries, swap the comb for a brush and brush hair while blow-drying. Once hair is completely dry, iron hair one section at a time to seal the treatment in. Avoid washing your hair for 48 hours to allow the keratin treatment to set. Try to keep your hair dry and straight and don’t use hair clips and hair ties.

Step 4: Maintain with a keratin conditioner.

This is a very important step because it’s the habits you do daily that really count. Use a keratin conditioner to continue to infuse hair with smoothing keratin. If you want straighter hair, try Cream Silk Triple Keratin Rescue Ultimate Straight Ultra Conditioner, a potent frizz-fighter with 3 types of Keratin. To revive dull and damaged hair, use Cream Silk Triple Keratin Rescue Ultimate Repair & Shine Ultra Conditioner, which repairs with keratin serum and restores dull hair with keratin essence.

For intense and deep conditioning, try Cream Silk Triple Keratin Rescue Ultimate Straight Ultra Treatment Wrap and Cream Silk Triple Keratin Rescue Ultimate Repair & Shine Ultra Treatment Wrap. They contain pioneering formulas that allow triple-keratin to deeply penetrate each strand for smooth, silky hair.

Soft, silky, smooth, and shiny hair is within your reach. Get the Brazilian blowout effect at home by using products formulated with smoothing keratin!