A hair straightening cream only changes your hair for good if it is a professional rebonding cream, and even then the change lasts only until that hair grows out or is cut off. Home creams sold as permanent usually are not, and one hair product review site says results of a few days to a few weeks are typical for ammonium thioglycolate creams.
At Olga's Hair Beautique in Nerang our line is Healthy Hair, Honest Advice, and we will tell you when a treatment is not right for your hair. This guide separates the three things people mean by straightening cream, explains the Australian rules behind them, and shows where formaldehyde-free nanoplasty smoothing fits if what you really want is calmer hair in the mornings.
Key Points
- The term hair straightening cream covers three different things: a daily styling cream, a professional rebonding cream and a formaldehyde-free smoothing treatment.
- Home creams sold as permanent often are not, and one hair product review site says results of a few days to a few weeks are typical for ammonium thioglycolate creams.
- Rebonding changes the treated hair until it grows out, so new growth comes through at your natural texture.
- The ACCC reported six supplier recalls in eight months after hair treatment products were found to have unsafe levels of free formaldehyde.
- The ACCC says cosmetic ingredients must be legally permitted in Australia and must appear on the ingredients label, so you can check the active ingredient before you buy.
- Nanoplasty gives less frizz, more shine and a shorter blow-dry, and the results last three to six months.
What do people mean by hair straightening cream?
You will find three very different products sold under the same name. Knowing which one you are looking at decides how long the result lasts and how much your hair goes through.
A daily styling cream is a leave-in product that weighs hair down and tames frizz while you blow-dry or straighten. It washes out the next time you shampoo, so it changes nothing inside the hair.
A professional rebonding or permanent straightening cream is a two-step chemical system. The first cream loosens the bonds, which are the links inside each hair that hold its shape, and the second cream sets those links in a straight position.
A formaldehyde-free smoothing treatment such as nanoplasty smooths the hair without rewriting its shape. You notice less frizz, more shine and a shorter blow-dry, and the results last three to six months.
You may also hear about keratin and Brazilian-style treatments, which are smoothing treatments in general terms. One overseas hair education source says keratin, nanoplasty and Brazilian-style treatments smooth for a few months and keep movement in the hair. We compare the two main options in our nanoplasty versus keratin guide for Gold Coast hair.
Once you know which category a product sits in, you can judge its promises properly.
| Factor | Daily styling cream | Home permanent cream | Salon rebonding | Nanoplasty smoothing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Tames frizz on the surface | Loosens the bonds that hold curl | Breaks and re-sets the bonds | Smooths the hair without re-setting its shape |
| How long it lasts | Until your next wash | A few days to a few weeks for ammonium thioglycolate creams, per one review site | Until the treated hair grows out or is cut | Three to six months |
| What you notice | Less frizz until you wash | Varies with the product and your hair | Flat, straight lengths, with new growth at your natural texture | Less frizz, more shine and a shorter blow-dry |
| Coloured or bleached hair | Check the label | One hair care guide says avoid on very damaged hair, so check at a consultation | Check at a consultation | Check at a consultation |
| Where it is done | At home | At home | In a salon | In a salon |
Is a permanent straightening cream really permanent?
Only the professional systems come close, and even they are permanent on the treated length alone. One overseas hair education source describes rebonding as permanently restructuring the hair so it stays flat, with new growth coming in at your natural texture.
That means you end up with two textures on your head as the months go by. Straight lengths sit below curly or wavy regrowth, and the border moves further down as your hair grows.
Home creams labelled permanent are a different story. One hair product review site says these creams weaken the bonds between hair proteins but are not strong enough to make the effect permanent, and it puts typical results at a few days to a few weeks for ammonium thioglycolate creams.
You will also see the word neutraliser on a two-step box. It is the second step, which sets the hair in its new shape after the first cream has loosened it.
Understanding this before you buy saves you from paying for permanence you will not get.
Can you use one at home, and who should not?
You can buy one, but what has already been done to your hair changes how it responds. One hair care guide recommends doing a strand test first, and advises against using these creams on an irritated scalp or on very damaged or thinning hair.
When someone comes to us to fix hair that has been through a box straightener, the honest answer is often a haircut. [Olga to supply: one or two lines in her own words on what she checks when a client arrives having used a box straightener, or how she decides between smoothing and advising against it.]
If you coloured your hair blonde and humidity turns it to frizz by lunchtime, book a consultation before you try anything at home. Bleached hair has already been through one chemical process, and a straightening cream puts it through another.
A strand test means processing a small hidden section first to see how your hair responds. A patch test means following the product's instructions to check your skin on a small area before a full application.
If you are pregnant, have a sensitive scalp or are recovering from medical treatment, please do not guess. Talk it through with us at a consultation first.
If a cream stings, burns or irritates, rinse it off straight away and stop using it. Follow the warnings on the product itself, and speak to your pharmacist or GP.
What do Australian rules say about straightening products?
Australian regulators have taken a close look at hair smoothing products. In 2011 the ACCC urged salons to check their straightening and treatment products after six supplier recalls in eight months, when hair treatment products were found to have unsafe levels of free formaldehyde.
The ACCC also said cosmetic ingredients must be legally permitted in Australia and must appear on the ingredients label. That gives you the right to read exactly what you are buying.
Claims on the box matter too. In one case the Full Court found a supplier lacked reasonable grounds for its formaldehyde-free claims, including that the product had no formaldehyde, was safe for its recommended use and contained no harmful chemicals. The same notice records that the Poisons Standard was amended in 2012 to restrict formaldehyde in products like these.
The ACCC's position is that a business needs reasonable grounds for any claim that a product is free from harmful chemicals. Treat words like chemical-free or no harmful chemicals with caution, and look for specific, checkable statements instead.
Olga has worked with the ZenzTherapy organic range, made without ammonia, resorcinol or PPD, for eleven years. If you ask, we will tell you what is in the colour or smoothing treatment we use.
Reading the label this way puts you in control of what goes on your hair.
Will it hold up in Gold Coast humidity, salt water and chlorine?
Any straightening or smoothing result has a hard life on the Gold Coast. Humidity pulls frizz back into hair, and salt water and pool chlorine dry it out, so aftercare matters as much as the treatment.
One hair care guide recommends waiting 48 hours before the first wash and switching to a sulphate-free shampoo, and that matches how we look after smoothed hair. Rinse with fresh water after the beach or the pool, keep heat tools low and always use a heat protectant.
If what you really want is less frizz and a shorter blow-dry, that is a smoothing job rather than a rebonding job. We have this conversation at most consultations, and describing the result you want usually changes the recommendation.
Good aftercare means your smooth finish lasts for months rather than weeks.
What should you ask a salon before booking?
Ask direct questions, and expect direct answers. A good hairdresser will tell you when a treatment is not right for your hair.
You can book a consultation with us and ask every one of these before anything goes on your hair. Nanoplasty, our formaldehyde-free smoothing, gives less frizz, more shine and a shorter blow-dry for three to six months, but it will not give you the flat result of rebonding, and we will say so. The full detail on results and aftercare is in our complete guide to nanoplasty.
- Ask what the active ingredient is and whether it is listed on the label.
- Ask whether the product is formaldehyde-free and what that claim is based on.
- Ask how long the product sits on your hair and how they will look after previously coloured lengths.
- Ask whether they will do a strand test first.
- Ask what the regrowth will look like and how you will maintain it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is hair straightening cream permanent?
Only professional rebonding is permanent, and only on the hair it treats. New growth comes in at your natural texture, and one hair product review site says home ammonium thioglycolate creams typically last a few days to a few weeks.
What is the difference between a straightening cream and a styling cream?
A styling cream works on the surface and washes out at your next shampoo. A chemical straightening cream loosens and re-sets the links inside the hair that hold its shape, so it changes the hair itself.
Can I use a straightening cream on coloured or bleached hair?
Check at a consultation first, because it depends on the condition of your hair. One hair care guide advises against using these creams on very damaged hair and recommends a strand test, so we would rather see your hair before any chemical service goes on it.
I have already used a box straightener. What now?
Do not put another chemical service on top of it until a hairdresser has checked your hair. Use a sulphate-free shampoo, keep heat low, and bring the packet to a consultation so we can see the active ingredient.
How do I know if a straightening product is legal in Australia?
Check the ingredients label, because the ACCC says cosmetic ingredients must be legally permitted in Australia and must appear on that label. Be cautious of chemical-free claims, since the ACCC says businesses need reasonable grounds for them.
Is there a gentler way to get smoother hair?
If you want calmer hair rather than poker-straight hair, formaldehyde-free nanoplasty smoothing is what we would talk to you about. It gives less frizz, more shine and a shorter blow-dry, and the results last three to six months.
Find Out What Your Hair Actually Needs
Tell us the result you want, and we will give you honest advice on the best way to get there, even if that means not straightening at all. Visit us at Shop 11, 1 Tibbing Street, Nerang, book online, or call the salon on (07) 5627 0090.