I got the Peter Coppola Keratin Concept done with Karolin about 5 weeks ago. So far I love it and it was worth the cost (though Karolin had a groupon deal which is also what made me try the service). Karolin was wonderful to work with - was easily contactable by phone or even Facebook message which made things super easy when I had a quick question for her before my appointment.
The salon she works at is easy to miss on Waukegan so make sure you know where you're going ahead of time or you'll drive past it. Most of the clientele are older folks (or at least it was on the day that I was there) which threw me off for a second, but everyone at the salon was very warm and welcoming. I sat down and Karolin began to work her magic. She assessed my hair, cut it and began the treatment. The groupon was for a cut and the keratin treatment. The cut still looks good! Total time in the salon was about 4 or 4.5 hours. It does take as long time to do especially if you have a lot of hair which I do.
As for the treatment I didn't know it would be the Concept versus the Complex which is much easier to purchase shampoo at places like Sephora or Ulta from. The Concept also doesn't last as long as the Complex. However, my main concern was for the treatment to last through a business trip and a family vacation. The Concept is supposed to last about 3 months and so far I am very happy.
The morning after I woke up and noticed that my hair smelled like the morning after a spray tan. It was really weird, but not unpleasant. Upon washing my hair for the first time (I was told I could wash it immediately following the treatment and didn't have to worry about the no washing or bending for 72 hours), my hair smelled kind of weird. The Peter Coppola shampoo and conditioner I got did not help the smell either. However, it dried stick straight which has never happened! This lasted a few weeks where even if I sweated, I could still smell the smell. I don't know if anyone else could smell it, but it bothered me. I made a mistake of going out and getting the L'Oreal no sulfate no paraben no chemical shampoo and conditioner and after using that for a week (3 washes) the smell was totally gone. I don't notice it any more. Not sure if I've done irreparable damage to the treatment or not, but I haven't noticed any differences. After each wash, a little more curl has come back into my hair but it is not poofy or frizzy. My hair actually looks nice when I air-dry it and don't put in anything more than a little leave in conditioner/product. Blow drying only takes about 10-15 minutes tops from sopping wet hair and flat ironing is about a 15-25 minute process depending on how straight my hair was before I started (air dry vs. blow dry). It used to to take HOURS for my hair to air dry (like 5 hours for it to dry almost completely) and at least an hour to flat iron.
Overall I noticed MUCH less breakage and shedding after I first got the treatment. Now I shed about the half amount of hair as before but I don't notice half the split ends or breakage that I used to have. My hair looks amazing when I flat iron it and it stays straight for days - where as before I would wake up with kinks in my hair from sleeping funny on it. I love the treatment. I'm curious to see how long it lasts - Karolin said about 3 months with proper upkeep - and we'll go from there. Like I said, Karolin was wonderful to work with and I definitely recommend her. read more
