Inova Professional Help Center

A keratin treatment is a professional salon service. A stylist applies a keratin-based smoothing formula, processes it, and seals it with a flat iron. The result is a smoother hair surface, less frizz and faster blow-drying and styling.

It is a chemical service and it is designed to be performed by a stylist, not at home. The finish depends on which system is used, how long it is processed and how the iron is worked through the hair.

You can see the four Inova keratin smoothing systems or read our full guide to what a keratin treatment is.

No. It wears off gradually as the hair is washed and as new hair grows in. There is no regrowth line to correct and no point at which the hair has to be cut out.

Results typically last between two and six months, depending on the system, the way it was applied and the aftercare used afterwards.

Two to six months is the normal range. Three things decide where a particular client lands:

• which system was used,
• how it was applied — processing time, iron temperature and number of passes,
• the aftercare used afterwards, which is the part the client controls.

Sulfate shampoo, hard water, chlorine and very high styling heat all shorten results. See keratin aftercare, or read how long a keratin treatment lasts and what changes it.

Check the product packaging for lot, expiration and storage guidance. If the date is missing, unreadable, or you are unsure how old the product is, contact Inova Professional Support before use.

Both outcomes are possible, and the difference is mostly technique. The same system can be worked towards a soft, frizz-controlled finish that keeps movement, or towards a much straighter finish, by changing the processing time, the iron temperature and the number of passes.

Decide the finish you want with your stylist before the service starts, and ask for a strand test so you can both see how your hair responds.

It is worth discussing if you spend real time fighting frizz, blow-drying or flat-ironing, or if humidity undoes your styling.

It is not the right starting point if your hair is currently breaking, very fragile or heavily over-processed. In that case a conditioning service usually comes first — see hair masks and treatments and what protein and moisture each do for damaged hair.

A stylist assessing the hair in person, with a strand test, is the only reliable answer.

This is a decision to make with your healthcare professional, not with us. We are not able to give medical clearance and we do not make a safety guarantee for pregnancy or breastfeeding.

What we would suggest: ask your stylist which specific product they intend to use, take the ingredient information for that product to your doctor or midwife, and discuss it with them before booking. Also ask your stylist about the salon's ventilation and how the service will be carried out.

Stylists who need product documentation for a client conversation can request it through Inova Professional Support.

There is no fixed calendar. Your stylist will assess the hair — how much of the previous result is left, its condition, and what has happened to it in between — and decide whether it is ready, rather than working to a set interval.

If you are a stylist planning a client's schedule, the processing guidance for the specific system is in its application instructions in the Education Center.

A keratin smoothing service changes how the hair behaves — it reduces frizz and makes the hair easier to style, and it is sealed in with heat.

A deep-conditioning treatment does not smooth or straighten. It is a conditioning service aimed at softness, hydration and manageability, and it can be used on hair that is not having a smoothing service at all. Flex-Fusion and Pro Fusion Therapy are the two professional conditioning systems in the Inova range.

Four professional smoothing systems, each available in 17 oz and 34 oz:

• One-Step Kera-Quik
• Simply Silk Vegan Keratin
• 24 Hour Gold
• Ultra Hair Smoothing

Browse the keratin smoothing systems, or start from the keratin systems path in the Education Center, which collects the treatment overviews, application instructions and application videos for all four.

It is a single-step, shampoo-style application, which is why stylists tend to reach for it when chair time matters. It is listed and sold as a 0% formaldehyde keratin.

The authoritative process guidance — processing, iron work and the post-service waiting period — is in the One-Step Kera-Quik application instructions.

It is the vegan option in the range, sold as a plant-based smoothing keratin.

For current ingredient information, contact Inova Professional Support.

Process guidance is in the Simply Silk application instructions.

24 Hour Gold is formulated with methylene glycol and is intended for trained professional application in a properly ventilated salon.

Because of that, the product's own instruction sheet — not a general rule of thumb — is the document to work from, including its post-service waiting period before the first wash. See the 24 Hour Gold application instructions.

Ultra Hair Smoothing is part of the professional range in 17 oz and 34 oz.

The Ultra Hair Smoothing application instructions are the authoritative source for this system. For current formulation documentation, contact Inova Professional Support.

In practice the stylist chooses, on the hair in front of them. The inputs are texture and density, porosity, color and chemical history, the finish the client has asked for, and how realistically that client will keep up sulfate-free aftercare.

If you are comparing them for the first time, read formaldehyde-free keratin compared with traditional keratin and formaldehyde and amino-acid keratin chemistry side by side, then work through the four instruction sheets.

Pro Account holders can also put the question to Professional Support with the client's hair history.

The Inova Education Center is the current home for all of it. It is organized into six paths — keratin systems, hair repair, scalp and hair loss, aftercare, professional resources and Educación en Español — and it links the treatment overviews, the four application instruction sheets, the application videos and the before-and-after material.

Some professional resources inside it, including catalogs, program material and professional pricing, sit behind a Pro Account. See Professional accounts, education and salon support.

General professional practice is to color before the smoothing service, in the same appointment or ahead of it, so the color is not affected by the processing and heat.

How soon color can go on top of a finished treatment varies by system, so follow the waiting period in that system's instruction sheet rather than a single rule. If you are unsure, a strand test answers it on the actual hair.

The keratin systems path links the instruction sheet for each of the four systems.

Often yes — a great many smoothing clients are color clients. Whether it is appropriate depends on the condition and chemical history of the hair and on which system is used.

A strand test is the step that answers this, and it is worth insisting on it if your hair has been lightened. Highlighted and lightened hair is more porous and takes processing and heat differently from virgin hair.

For keeping color looking good afterwards, see how to make hair color last longer and maintaining dyed blonde hair.

Bleached hair needs to be assessed before anything is booked. If the hair is fragile or breaking, a conditioning service comes first and the smoothing conversation waits.

Your stylist should strand test, and should be honest with you if the answer is no for now. See caring for bleached hair and conditioning treatments.

Processing and flat-iron heat can shift tone on very light, highlighted or porous hair. Stylists normally work at the lower end of the iron range on blondes and strand test first, precisely to see whether tone moves.

For brassiness afterwards, Magic Purple anti-brass pigment booster can be mixed into shampoo, conditioner or a mask.

Many stylists do combine them, coloring first. Semi- and demi-permanent options are also commonly used on already-smoothed hair.

Both decisions belong to the stylist and to the specific system's instruction sheet, so raise it when you book rather than on the day — it changes how long the appointment needs to be.

A sulfate-free shampoo, and a conditioner meant to go with it. This is the one aftercare rule worth being strict about.

Inova sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners are available to everyone without a professional account, in full and travel sizes. There is also a shampoo collection if you want to compare formulas side by side.

Background: why sulfate-free shampoo matters after a keratin treatment.

Each system has its own waiting period, and the figure on your product's instruction sheet is the one to follow — they are not the same across the four systems.

Your stylist should tell you the number before you leave the salon. If you cannot remember it, the instruction sheet for the system you had is linked from the keratin systems path in the Education Center, or call the salon and ask.

In roughly the order that it matters:

• sulfate shampoo,
• hard water and chlorinated pool water,
• very high flat-iron or blow-dryer heat with no heat protection,
• frequent clarifying or detox shampoo at home,
• salt water and heavy sweat left in the hair.

The ten aftercare do's and don'ts covers this in more detail, and the aftercare path in the Education Center collects the rest.

Clarifying shampoo is a preparation step. It strips build-up, minerals and residue out of the hair before a smoothing or color service so the treatment can work on a clean surface. Inova Clarifying Shampoo #1 is the version used for that.

Using it routinely at home after a treatment works against you — it will shorten the result. Keep to sulfate-free shampoo day to day, and leave clarifying to your stylist unless they have told you otherwise.

All of the retail aftercare range. Shampoos and conditioners, hair masks and conditioning treatments, finishing and styling products and styling tools are all open to everyone.

A small number of listings inside those collections are salon-size or professional-only and will show “Login to see price” instead of a price. Those are the professional versions of the same products — the retail size is listed separately alongside them.

Two, and they do different jobs. Bond Benefits Leave-In Spray is a lightweight leave-in used after washing. The Litan Collection — Pure Shine Gloss and Sheer Magic Smoothing Balm is a finishing pair for shine and flyaway control on dry hair.

Both are available in retail sizes without a professional account.

A mask conditions. It does not contain smoothing chemistry, it is not sealed in with a flat iron, and it will not straighten hair or remove frizz the way a keratin service does.

What a mask does well is softness, moisture and manageability — including on hair that is too fragile for a smoothing service right now.

Flex-Fusion Therapy is a professional deep-conditioning system with mixable boosters, so the stylist builds the treatment for the hair in front of them. It comes as an eight-treatment kit.

It is not a keratin treatment and it does not straighten. It is a stand-alone service, which means it suits clients who do not want a smoothing service at all, as well as clients who do and want something in between appointments.

It is also one of the four tracks in the Stylist Calibration Program.

Pro Fusion Therapy is a keratin and collagen deep-conditioning treatment. Stylists use it on chemically processed, over-processed and lightened hair, with the focus on strength, elasticity and condition.

Like Flex-Fusion it is a conditioning service rather than a smoothing one, and it is a Calibration Program track. See the hair repair path in the Education Center.

The retail hair masks and deep conditioning collection is open to everyone.

One listing in that collection is the salon size of The Miracle Mask and is professional-only — it will show “Login to see price” rather than a price. Everything else there is retail.

Start once a week and adjust by how the hair behaves. Hair that feels dry and dull usually wants moisture; hair that feels limp, stretchy or mushy when wet usually wants protein. Over-doing either one causes its own problems.

Protein versus moisture: what damaged hair really needs is the clearest explanation of how to tell which you are dealing with. Five things a hair mask actually does covers the basics.

It is the scalp-care and hair-support part of the Inova range. It includes:

• Anti-Hair Loss Shampoo #2, in 3.4 oz and 11 oz,
• the Anti-Hair Loss Scalp Tonic Booster, a leave-on scalp treatment,
• the Root Renewal Collection, which brings the steps together.

These are cosmetic scalp and hair-care products. They are not a medical treatment, and if hair loss is sudden, patchy or rapid, that is a conversation for a doctor or dermatologist rather than a shampoo.

Raise it with your stylist, because the two routines have to be fitted together rather than simply stacked. Day-to-day washing after a smoothing service should stay sulfate-free, and your stylist can tell you how to work a scalp step around that — including how often, and whether to keep it to the scalp rather than the mid-lengths and ends.

If you want a specific product checked against a specific service, ask Professional Support and give them both.

There are a lot of possible reasons, and most of them are not about shampoo — stress, iron or thyroid issues, medication, post-partum changes, traction from tight styling, and genetics all show up in the chair.

Common causes of hair thinning goes through them. For anything sudden or patchy, see a doctor before you change your products.

The scalp and hair loss path in the Education Center collects the product detail, the routine guidance and the background reading in one place.

The Titanium Ultra Pro Flat Iron, in two plate widths: 1 inch for shorter hair, fringe and precision work, and 1.75 inch for long or dense hair where you want fewer passes.

The full styling tools and accessories collection is open to everyone.

Use the temperature specified in the instructions for the system you are performing. The required temperature differs between systems.

What is true across all of them: finer, lighter, more porous or previously lightened hair generally needs a lower setting than coarse virgin hair, and a strand test is how you find out where to sit in the range. The four instruction sheets are linked from the keratin systems path.

Bond Benefits Leave-In Spray on damp hair before you blow-dry, and Pure Shine Gloss or Sheer Magic Smoothing Balm on dry hair for shine and flyaways.

The habit that matters more than any product: use the lowest heat that gets the result, and do not iron hair that is still damp.

A smoothing service does most of the work, but humidity still finds porous hair. Keep the hair conditioned, finish with a balm or gloss rather than nothing, and avoid heavy brushing once it is dry.

How to humidity-proof hair and ten common causes of frizz cover the rest.

A Pro Account gives licensed salon professionals and salon owners access to professional INOVA products at professional pricing. Four steps:

1. Create your Pro Account.
2. Upload your license — a cosmetology license or a business license, whichever applies.
3. We review the application, normally within one business day.
4. Once approved, log in for full access to professional products and pricing.

Read the full Pro Account requirements or go straight to the Pro Account application form.

Inside the United States, yes — a valid cosmetology license or business license is required, and it is uploaded as part of the application.

Outside the United States, no document upload is required. Use the international route on the Pro Account page to reach the team by WhatsApp or email and they will point you at the right path for your country.

Normally within one business day. Applications that arrive after business hours, at a weekend or on a holiday are reviewed on the next business day.

If you have not heard back after that, contact the team rather than reapplying.

Through the international route on the Pro Account page. Send your full name, country, business or salon name if you have one, and whether you are a salon or stylist, a distributor, a retailer, or an individual buyer. The team will reply with the right next step for your country.

No U.S. cosmetology or business license upload is needed on that route.

The Education Center is the current training resource. It holds the treatment overviews and application instruction sheets for all four systems, the application videos, before-and-after material, repair and scalp education, and material in Spanish.

There is also the Stylist Calibration Program for licensed professionals working with real clients.

To arrange training for your salon or team, contact Inova Professional Support.

It is a product-calibration program. The program is intended for licensed professionals actively working with paying clients. It is not designed for students or hobbyists.

There are four tracks: Pro Fusion Therapy, Flex-Fusion Therapy, One-Step Kera-Quik and Simply Silk Vegan Keratin. Participants agree to use the products on real paying clients, supply before-and-after photos and short video clips, give honest professional feedback and tag Inova in at least one post.

Read the requirements and apply.

Yes — start on the distributor page, or reach the team through Contact with your business name and location.

Through the Contact page, which has the current phone number, the WhatsApp number and the email address. For professional or distributor inquiries, include your business name and location in the first message — it saves a round trip.

Orders are processed and shipped within 48 hours, Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM. Delivery is by UPS, and a tracking number is shared once the order ships.

If part of an order is on back order, the in-stock items ship immediately and the rest follows separately at no extra shipping cost. Full detail in the Shipping & Returns Policy.

Returns are initiated within 15 days of purchase, and the item must be in its original, unused condition unless there is a manufacturer defect. Two things to know before you start:

• opened personal-care products — shampoo, conditioner and similar — cannot be returned,
• a 20% restocking fee is deducted from the refund, and original shipping is not refundable.

Defective products are the exception: those are replaced or fully refunded with no restocking fee and no additional shipping charge. The Shipping & Returns Policy has the return address and the documents to include.

Refunds are normally processed within 7 to 10 business days after the returned item has been received. If an item was bought with a discount or promotion, the refund reflects the amount actually paid.

Tell us within 48 hours, with photos and a description of the damage — that window matters for the carrier claim. Contact the team and include your order number.

Packages lost in transit are handled by the carrier directly; see the policy for how that works.

Yes. Customs fees and import duties are the responsibility of the customer, and delivery times vary with customs processing in the destination country.

Professionals ordering from outside the United States should start with the international route on the Pro Account page rather than ordering at retail.

An order can be canceled any time before it ships — tell us as soon as you can. Once it has shipped it cannot be canceled.

Unopened items can be exchanged for a different product with no restocking fee, subject to availability; return shipping is covered by the customer. If the item you want is unavailable you can take a refund or choose something of equal value instead.

There is a Spanish FAQ at Preguntas Frecuentes, and the Education Center has material in Spanish including instruction sheets and before-and-after posters.