Keratin Complex Smoothing Treatment Giveaway

Two important things before I start with this long post about how much I LOVE the Keratin Complex Smoothing Treatment!   Tera Rae Stephens is going to be GIVING away a treatment!!!!! It is valued at $300!  So, please make sure you read at the bottom on how you can enter to win if you like wearing your straight, but don’t like spending hours blow drying and flat ironing.

Tera is also extending a special deal to first time clients that are Tiny Oranges readers! If you book a service and tell her you found her though Tiny Oranges, you will receive 20% off your first time visit! That is HUGE.  You can schedule online through her website and if you want to go directly to the page to schedule an appointment click HERE. You can enter promo code “tinyoranges” when booking! Or, give her a call at 714.614.5588.

Here is my Keratin love affair from start to finish…

I got this email from a dear friend from San Francisco several months back.  It was titled, “Keratin, here you come?” This is what she said:

“…What is so nice is your hair looks brand new – .. so SHINY, so undamaged -oooh you will love.  You can blow dry in literally 3-5 minutes (WOW) and if you have really good hair (not me) you can walk out the door with wet hair and not look like a homeless person(me again) . If you ever had fuzzy, frizzy hair you can say BYE BYE but it will cost you good $$$ – but hello never have to do your hair again – oh and say bye to the flat iron!  It lasts 3 ish months but I’m on month 4.5 –  it still only takes me 3 minutes to blow dry and my homeless hair has not come back.”

Sold.

I immediately went online to try to find a stylist that does the Keratin treatment here in OC.  My former salon offered the Brazilian Blowout, but that is different.  My friend stressed that the treatment of choice is called  “Keratin Complex Smoothing Treatment by Coppola.”

I couldn’t find much on Google so I put a tweet out there to see if there were any Orange County Keratin leads, and @whoorl who has the fabulous blog Whoorl and also Hair Thursday, tweeted back and raved about Tera.  Super conveniently located for me, so  I called immediately. Tera picks up the phone and we talk for 20 minutes.  I feel like she is an old girlfriend.   I make an appointment for a cut and color, but have to wait for the Keratin because I was still breastfeeding. This treatment is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding moms.

I was patient.   Then come last month when I finished nursing, I called to make my appointment and it has been one of the greatest things to happen to me since the invention of the DVR!

This is the step-by-step in what is involved, sorry in advance for the length of this post and for the endless pics of my mug.  Just look at the hair! HA!

Let me first say that I love curls and curly hair. This has nothing to do with being anti-curl.  What I have never loved about my particular hair is that I have a frizzy wave and I like to wear mine straight.  See, this is what happens when I let it air dry…

Here is another close up of the back before…

Okay, so this is the step-by-step breakdown!

Step 1 & Step 2

Wash with Clarifying Shampoo by Keratin and blow dry hair 100%

Step 3

Apply Keratin Serum to head, put on plastic cap & sit for 20 minutes

Lovely.  I can’t believe I am putting these up for all to see!  Oh well, want you to get an idea of the FULL experience!

Step 4

Blow dry 100% (the serum stays in your hair)

Step 5

Flat iron entire head – do each section thoroughly – the heat seals treatment into the hair

Tera was completely meticulous with this part.  She took so much time and care into the flat-ironing, which she says is the crucial part of the process.

Step 6

Done!

When the flat ironing is complete, you are finished!  You then cannot wash your hair for 72 hours and cannot put any clips in in, any sunglasses on your head, or any basically anything that would mess with the shape.   Here are the afters! Keep in mind, it is straighter than it will be normally because of the intense flat-ironing! And there were lots of fly away whispies up top which settled down eventually.

And the back…

The whole process takes about 2 – 3 hours and this treatment is supposed to last 3 – 5 months depending on how much your wash it.  The less you wash, the longer it lasts.  It is important to wash it with the special Keratin shampoo and conditioner as you cannot have anything with sodium cloride in it.

So then I waited the 3 days, and in those 3 days, I have actually never gotten so many compliments on my hair. From the preschool teachers to my doctor, every single person that saw me commented on how much they loved my hair. I even had people reach out to touch it!

Then the magic happens…

The first time I washed it, I wanted to cry because of how happy I was.  To blow dry my hair before with the round brush and then flat iron would usually take me about 25 minutes +.   Who has 25 minutes to spare when you are a mom?!  I wore a LOT of ponytails.

I timed it, to blow dry it quick, my hair dried from out of the shower wet to dry in 3 minutes and 43 seconds. When I want to spend a little extra care shaping it, it takes around 5 minutes and 30 seconds. SERIOUSLY!   Here is a picture just from this week, 3 weeks post treatment.  This took me 5 minutes with NO flat iron!

You guys, this is just WAY too many pictures of me, I am dying!  BUT I have to shout from the rooftops how much I LOVE THIS treatment!!!

I could never get my hair to go like that above, even with 30 minutes drying and flat ironing, it still had some frizz to it. To be able to style it like that in 5 minutes is seriously life altering!

So, in closing, for anyone who straightens their hair either by having to blow it out or use a flat iron, this will be a seriously miraculous treatment for you!    And, there is no better person to do it than Tera.  She is extremely knowledgeable and talented.  Plus, it helps when you actually really LIKE your hair stylist too! Since she has three kids, two of which are close to age to mine, it is just fun to chat about mom stuff for hours.

Here she is talking about this treatment…

Hooray!  It’s a Tiny Giveaway!

Tera Rae Stephens is giving away a FREE Keratin Complex Smoothing Treatment (valued at $300!)*  Here are the entry options, please leave a separate comment for each one.   You can also comment to ask Tera questions.

1. Simply comment below – 1 ENTRY

2. {Like} Tera on Facebook – 1 ENTRY

3. Follow @teraraestephens on Twitter – 1 ENTRY

4. {Like} Tiny Oranges on Facebook – 1 ENTRY

5. Follow @TinyOrangesOC on Twitter – 1 ENTRY

Contest runs all week, through 5pm PST on Sunday, 6/27.  I will Facebook & Tweet the winner on Monday morning! Good luck!

*Includes treatment only & not gratuity.  Tera didn’t tell me to add this, but I felt I should because of how much time and care she puts into her work!

{Disclosure: I received this treatment free of charge but this is in no way a compensated post.  Just ask my family and friends who cannot get me to shut up about Keratin!!}

98 comments

  3. What wonderful before and after pics!! I would LOVE to have this done to my hair!! 🙂

  4. I have a friend who got this treatment and loves it! I have the most insane hair…it is curly but not pretty curls…frizzy curls. This treatment would save my hair from so much damange and would save me a lot of time!

  6. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and results!!! AMAZING!!!! I would LOVE to win this treatment. I am nearing the end of breastfeeding too, now that my baby is just about a year, and would love to treat myself to this! I TOO live in ponytails for the time being, as I simply have no more than 5 mins to do my hair. I would love to be able to have a better look especially during the week, when going into the office.

  7. This treatment is a dream come true!!!!!!!!! I have just completed all 5 steps to get 5 entries (sgarofalow on facebook, cupcakescutlery on twitter). I need as many chances as possible to get rid of this awful frizzy, wavey mess of a hairdo that came on after the birth of my second child. I have stopped blow-drying altogether but would love to be able to look way more presentable in the 3-5 minutes described above. My husband thanks you in advance. 🙂

    S-

  8. This would be amazing! Been meaning to do this, but it\’s a little out of the budget now (what, with these kids wanting to eat, and stuff. The nerve!). I think I already have done all those steps before though – does that count as entries? 😉

  9. I would love this. I have very straight hair on top and curly in the middle and bottom. Very frustrating.

  13. I blow dry and flat iron my hair daily as well. The ONE main reason why I keep my hair shorter is because the longer it gets, the longer it takes to do my hair! When I had it past my shoulders it would take me 45 minutes to style it, and Mama just doesn\’t have that kind of time anymore. Would LOVE to try this treatment out!

  26. I absolutely LOVE Tera (just visited her a few weeks ago) and had to skip getting a Keratin treatment because I’m pregnant. I can hardly wait until my baby (who is due in Oct) is weaned so I can have lovely straight hair again!! Only a year or so to go! WAHHH! In the meantime, Tera tames my hair so well. Love her. Would LOVE to win, but either way, my appt. is BOOKED for Oct 2011!! Ha ha!

  27. Would love to get this after my twins are born (AUG). It would be a lifesaver when I\’m juggling newborn twins and a toddler not to have to spend time on my hair!!!.

  28. My hair went curly after having my twins and now that I have an infant too, this would save me so much time! P.s I love how your hair turned out!

  32. I’ve had this done once, and have another appointment scheduled in a few weeks. It has been about 3 months and it definitely takes longer to dry than it used to, but I have seriously curly/thick hair. I can still say it’s much easier to straighten than ever. I’m looking forward to a refresh on the treatment – whether it’s free or not, but I’ll give it a try and hope I win!

  42. & I follow you on Twitter.

    Now come on, THIS busy mom needs some love. did i mention my b-day is coming soon?!

  43. You cannot IMAGINE how badly I need this! Over the years my hair has drastically changed!!! It almost looks like a fro if I don’t straighten it! Would love to win this!!!

  51. Wow, your hair looks beautiful!

    The more I read about this treatment, the more I dream about having it done!

  52. A frizzy haired mommy’s dream! I follow Tiny Oranges and I “like” Tera 🙂

  53. I am really amazed at the efficacy of this treatment. Every gorgeous photo of you shows just how well this treatment delivers. A lot of hair treatments in the past haven’t been able to create truly measurable results like this. Speaking for all frizzy haired busy moms… “HELP!” 🙂

  59. are you advised to not wet your hair at the beach or pool after having the treatment? it looks great on you! i\’m just weary of getting my hair chemically treated since i\’ve never dyed it or done anything really to it. thx!

  64. My hair morphed into something completely unnatural when I was pregnant. I was hoping that my pre-prego hair would return after delivery…alas, it didn\’t. I\’d love to be able to wash and go without the frizz!

  67. I’m going to enter for my friend, Brooke! She is a busy mom of 3-year-old twin girls and a one year old.

  72. SOOOOO excited about this! A few friends from work had it done and it looks amazing!!

  75. i\’ve been pouting about my hair since 90210 (the first time around)…seems like light at the end of the tunnel. i live in sc, by the by…freakish humidity.

  78. @Janet- sodium chloride or salt will shorten the life of this treatment. If you must go in the ocean or pool, I recommend wetting with clear h2o first, applying a good amount of a heavy conditioner or Morrocan Oil and rinsing again when you get out of the water.
    @Lani- it works on all hair types, you may feel a little too flat at first but it will be soooo smooth!

  79. I would love to have this done. It would make for such a nice summer.

    Rachel

  80. This is a question for Tera…after the birth of my son (although 5 years ago)…my hair started thinning considerably. Especially on the crown. I currently have frizzy dry hair that I have to blow dry and flat iron every day!! I went to see a dr about my thinning hair and he said its genetics. Obviously I want to do as least as possible damage to my hair to maintain what I have….how will this treatment affect my hair?

  81. This is a question for Tera…after the birth of my son (although 5 years ago)…my hair started thinning considerably. Especially on the crown. I currently have frizzy dry hair that I have to blow dry and flat iron every day!! I went to see a dr about my thinning hair and he said its genetics. Obviously I want to do as least as possible damage to my hair to maintain what I have….how will this treatment affect my hair? Its amazing how us women take our beautiful hair for granted…..I hate that my hair is thinning and it makes me soooo self-conscious…..I would love to have the opportunity to try this treatment so that I will not have to continuously flat iron it daily i.e. more damage!

  82. Enjoyed every minute of my straight hair. Reminds me of the excitement I had after it was completed. Thank you Tera!! P.S. Love the pics!

  85. @mrs. H- this treatment is not damaging and in fact makes hair healthier. The product bonds to the hair with the heat of the flat iron and seals the cuticle smooth reducing breakage and split ends.

  87. Tera – thanks so much for your reply! I would love to have the opportunity to try this treatment….I don’t think I could stand any more damage to my hair….I already feel embarrassed about the thinning…. 🙁

  88. This sounds too good to be true. I would love to spend 5 mins on my hair and have it turn out that great!

    1. It is absolutely true – I am a 51 year old brunette who colors her hair every 3 weeks (over 75% gray). My hair is coarse and unrully wavy and frizzy. It is a nightmare to style. The straight iron was my best friend.

      I had the Keratin Treatment 2 weeks ago and I feel 15 year younger. It has been like a facelift for me. I literally look forward to washing my hair. I let it air dry and it look great. I’ve used velcro curlers and it looks great; I’ve blow dried it with a round brush and it looks great! It is worth every single dollar. I will now consider letting my hair grow in gray because I’ve always love the smooth gray hair. I will most likely wait until I am 60. I wnat to finally enjoy beautiful brown shiny heir for a while. GO FOR IT! YOU’RE WORTH IT!!!!

  96. I really NEED this treatment. I have been trying to grow my hair out but it doesn’t grow out very quickly because it’s got so much frizz. My hair is kind of curly, more wavy than anything. It takes me FOREVER to try to blow dry and straighten my hair and even then it’s always somewhat frizzy. Most days, I just put it up in a pony tail (a frizzy one) because with a 2 year old,I just don’t have the time to straighten it very often. This treatment looks awesome but I’m a little sceptical to pay that money to get it done. I would love to be proved wrong so then I can find it’s worth the money to get. I would be honored to be chosen for this!

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