Ritu Vijayvergiya
17-Jun-2025
Are you using the right type of keratin?
Inputs by: Ritu Vijayvergiya, Co-Founder, 2. Oh!
If you’ve tried every hair serum, mask or salon treatment in the book and are still struggling with brittle, frizzy or dry hair, you’re doing the wrong keratin. Yes! Some of the so-called hair treatments offered at salons might not even include keratin protein in its purest, most effective form. So, which form of keratin does your hair really need for repair, shine and strength inside out?
Enter Hydrolysed Keratin!
Heard of it? We’re all aware of how important ‘keratin’ is to fight frizz, dullness and dryness. You’ve come across the word on the labels of many hair products, from frizz-control serums to strengthening shampoos. What you probably don’t know is that there’s a particular kind of keratin that your hair truly needs and that is hydrolysed keratin!
To begin with, keratin is a fibrous structural protein found naturally in our hair, skin and nails — it’s what gives your hair its strength, elasticity and shine. Think of it as the internal scaffolding that keeps your hair strong, smooth and resilient. When your hair deals with everyday stressors like heat styling, pollution, UV exposure and chemical treatments, your natural keratin levels start depleting, leaving your hair brittle, frizzy, and prone to breakage.
To replenish this protein, your hair depends on external treatments to feel healthy, strong and shiny again. Think external protein supplements for your hair?
The science and benefits of Hydrolysed Keratin
While many salons offer keratin treatments, they don’t use hydrolysed keratin at all — the ingredient that deeply repairs your hair inside out over a period. Over-frequent application of keratin treatments that do not use hydrolysed keratin can cause more long-term harm than good. So, what makes hydrolysed keratin so effective?
Here’s where the science gets exciting! Keratin in its natural form is composed of large, complex protein molecules that are too big to penetrate your hair shaft and end up simply coating the outer layer. This may leave your hair looking temporarily sleek, but it does little to heal the damage from within.
Hydrolysed keratin, however, is keratin that has been broken down into smaller, more absorbable fragments through a process called hydrolysis. These tiny protein pieces can travel deep into the hair cuticle and even the cortex, repairing your strands from the inside out. The result — a ‘wow’ kind of repair that your strands have been craving all along!
This power ingredient simply replenishes your hair’s protein structure, restores elasticity and strength and makes it more resistant to breakage and split ends. It smooths out frizz without making your hair feel stiff or greasy and because it’s easily absorbed by your strands rather than just being layered on, what you get is long-lasting softness and natural shine.
What’s more, when combined with nourishing ingredients like panthenol, wheat, soy or rice proteins, hydrolysed keratin can help your hair retain moisture and stay hydrated and even hold its style better, making it especially effective in styling sprays and leave-in products. It’s one of those rare leave-in ingredients that can repair, protect and support styling, all without weighing your hair down.
Keratin vs Hydrolysed Keratin
While standard keratin offers a glossy topcoat, hydrolysed keratin works beneath the surface to rebuild damaged areas of the hair. It fills in the gaps, strengthens weakened strands and improves overall texture and resilience over time. Where regular keratin works more like a temporary polish, hydrolysed keratin functions like a long-term treatment.
So, if you’re really looking at nurturing your hair with patience and love in the long run, always choose leave-in products that come with hydrolysed protein because your hair deserves more than a quick fix. It deserves the power of complete and real repair!
Cover Credits: Instagram @pratibha_ranta
