A couple of months ago I was getting my hair blow-dried at Toni & Guy when I noticed a treatment on their menu called ‘Peptame’. It said it would reduce frizz but keep natural movement.
Um, yes please!
I have wavy hair, but it has a whole layer of fuzz on top that needs a lot of product to weigh down. Vexing.
With my interest piqued in the extreme, Toni & Guy Paddington invited me in to try the treatment. For full transparency, this is what my hair looks like when I air dry. Yikes, right?
Unlike full-strength keratin treatments that straighten and smooth (and can take quite a while to apply) this one only involved a shampoo, conditioning treatment and blow-dry! The shampoo is left in the hair for 20 minutes to work it’s magic. Come at me!
The brand says it uses ‘sun-kissed sugarcane peptides and glycolic acid which eliminate the need for including the harsh, damaging ingredients of other commonly used straightening treatments. Peptame’s carefully sourced and specially formulated ingredients work by penetrating the internal structure of the hair, rebuilding and restoring both the internal and external hair fibres.
Sounded good to me!
It certainly didn’t smell chemical-y and 20 minutes went by in a blink as I happily sat at the basin flicking through Insta to avoid falling asleep. Mums, you hear me right? Apparently the shampoo can tingle a bit thanks to the glycolic acid*, but I didn’t feel anything (same when I use glycolic on my skin.) If you get a lot of tingle when you use it in skincare, you might feel it more in this situation.
After the shampoo was rinsed out, a conditioning mask was applied for another few minutes. Talk about easy.
My hair was noticeably easier to brush after the shampoo – not totally easy mind you, my hair is next-level knotty – but I think normal hair types would really feel the difference.
After a blow-dry, it’s completely done! They recommend running a hot iron over it a couple of times if you want even more staying power, which is what my stylist Scotty did for me (pic at the top is me with my super straight, post-salon hair.)
I left it two days before I gave it a wash because a) gotta make the most of a blow dry and b) it just felt like it would last longer if I did.
And when I did, I air dried and… bye bye frizz! See below:
No fuzzy fly-aways! This is with absolutely no product in it. If I add a little serum it’ll look ‘done’ and it would take about 2 minutes with a hot tong to really make it look totally polished for going out. SO. HAPPY.
I got the silky smoothness of a keratin treatment, without the extra hours in the salon chair, and unlike full keratin, you can also:
*Colour your hair just before or after
*Wash it straight away
*Tie it hair up
Results are meant to last for 6-8 weeks and it doesn’t grow out. It just fades, which means you don’t have to worry about roots or rebooking on an exact date. Perfect for this lazy busy mum.
K, now off to flick my hair every time I pass a shop window.
I had my treatment done at Toni & Guy Paddington in NSW, (02) 9380 2299.
*How Intruiging – glycolic acid in haircare! I’m a big fan of the common AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) in my skincare, which has the clever ability to break down the ‘glue’ that holds dead skin cells together and in turn, exfoliate the surface layer of skin. Not entirely sure what it is about the glycolic that assists in this treatment, but it’s a naturally derived acid, so If you’re a fan of a cleaner beauty approach, this treatment is one to look into.
