Salvatore Tanino Therapy on curly and afro hair: smooth it, soften it or define the curl?

Yes, a tannin treatment works on curly and afro hair, and you decide the outcome by the letters you use. Salvatore Tanino Therapy has three routes: Step A and Step B with the flat iron for a smooth result. The Curl Transition Kit MBFNO for hair that is moving from smoothed to curly. And Steps M and N, without Step B and without the iron, for defined curls that keep their pattern. None of the three is a relaxer: the result washes out gradually and the curl comes back.

What a taninoplastia is and how it works is in our taninoplastia explained guide; what every lettered step does is in the Tanino Therapy steps A to O guide. This page is only about the curly client: which route, which steps, what the bottles prescribe and what happens afterwards.

Smooth, soften or define: which route for which client?

Three outcomes, three sets of letters. Pick by what the client wants to see in the mirror in a week, not by what the hair looks like today.

What does the tannin do to a curl?

Salvatore prints it on the 1000 ml Step B bottle: product B acts directly on the salt bonds and hydrogen bond of keratin molecules, providing the realignment and filling the fiber. A relaxed length is straight until it is cut off; a tannin-treated length curls again.

“Product B acts directly on the salt bonds and hydrogen bond of keratin molecules providing the realignment and filling the fiber; this process increases the strength of hair shaft, aligning the cuticles and reflecting on a smooth and high gloss effect.”Directions, Salvatore Tanino Therapy Capillary Styling, Step B (1000 ml)

That is also the honest answer to the fear that a tannin treatment is irreversible. The treated lengths stay smoother until the treatment has washed out; the new growth is never touched. Anyone who regrets it lets it fade and does not book the next one.

How do you smooth curly or afro hair with Tanino Therapy?

With Step A and Step B, and with patience in the sections. This is the protocol as the Step B bottle (1000 ml) prints it:

1. 1
   Step A

   Wash the hair with the Cuticle Prepper clarifying shampoo.

2. 2
   Dry to half

   Remove 50 percent of the moisture with the dryer.

3. 3
   Step B

   Apply the Capillary Styling tannin conditioner section by section from roots to ends, spread it evenly with a comb and leave it on for at least 30 minutes.

4. 4
   Rinse

   With cold or lukewarm water, removing the product completely.

5. 5
   Iron

   Flat iron slowly in thin sections, at least 10 to 20 passes, according to the need. On afro hair that means the thin end of the range in section width and the high end in passes.

On afro hair the number of passes does the work, not extra heat. For a chemically treated or relaxed length we also recommend the Chemical Control mask, Step F.

How do you define curls without smoothing them?

With the curl letters. There is no Step B in this route and no flat iron, so nothing changes the curl pattern; the route gives the curl cleansing and moisture.

1. 1
   Step M

   The Curly Collagen Cleansing shampoo: apply evenly to wet hair, massage without rubbing the scalp, distribute to the ends, rinse, repeat if needed. The bottle names collagen against dryness and porosity.

2. 2
   Step N

   The Curly Hydrolipidic mask: a small amount on lengths and ends, detangle with a medium comb so the product is absorbed, leave on 20 to 30 minutes, rinse. The bottle names collagen and D-panthenol.

Both are in the Max Curly Nutrition Kit MNO. It is the answer for the client who asks for a tannin treatment because she has heard it fights frizz but does not want to lose her curl.

What is the transition route?

The Curl Transition Kit MBFNO puts the tannin step B inside the curl routine, with the curl shampoo M, Step F and the curl mask N among others. We recommend it for hair that has been smoothed or chemically treated and is being taken back to its curl.

How does the client keep her curls at home?

With the Curl Hair trio, the home-care line Salvatore prints as indicated for curly, wavy and afro hair. Step 1 is the shampoo, applied evenly to wet hair and rinsed with cold or lukewarm water; Step 2 is the treatment, left on for 3 to 5 minutes; Step 3 is the leave-in. Which Salvatore home care goes with which other salon service is in our home care chooser.

After the smoothing route we recommend the Chemical Repair duo at every wash, as set out in the Tanino Therapy aftercare guide.

How long does it last, and do the curls come back?

How long the smoothing route lasts depends on the hair and on the aftercare. The curl comes back in two ways: from the root, as new hair grows, and along the length, as the tannin washes out. The define route lasts as long as the routine is kept up; it changes nothing that has to grow out.

What do you watch for on curly and afro hair?

• Run the allergy test before the first treatment, on the forearm and the nape, as Salvatore prescribes it for Blue Gold; ask a pregnant client to consult her doctor first and test in every case.
• No treatment on an irritated scalp; avoid contact with the eyes and rinse with running water if it happens; stop at any abnormal reaction and seek medical advice. External use only.
• Bleached or blonde curls: read our Blue Gold Premium on blonde hair guide first; the rules on temperature and sections are set out there.
• A client torn between the two Salvatore systems reads the Tanino Therapy vs Blue Gold comparison; for the curl route only Tanino Therapy has the letters.

Frequently asked questions

All Salvatore systems, kits and the daily line are on the Salvatore Cosmetics brand page.