Taninoplastia explained: what a tannin smoothing treatment is, how it works and who it suits

Taninoplastia (tannin smoothing) is a salon smoothing treatment that works with plant tannin and the heat of a flat iron, not with formaldehyde or glyoxylic acid. You use it on frizzy, curly or unruly hair that needs to fall smooth and glossy, including coloured and bleached hair. The difference from a classic keratin treatment is the smoothing agent: at Salvatore that is tannic acid with tannin-bearing plant extracts from bark, peel and leaf, set with the flat iron. The printed ingredient list of Tanino Therapy Step B shows no formaldehyde, no formaldehyde releaser and no glyoxylic acid.

On this page we explain what happens inside the hair, how a session runs in the salon, how long the result lasts and what to watch on blonde, fine or curly hair. Every figure comes from the directions for Salvatore Tanino Therapy and Salvatore Blue Gold, the two systems we stock at Beauty As Well.

What is a tannin smoothing treatment (taninoplastia)?

A tannin smoothing treatment is a hair smoothing based on tannin, the astringent substance in tree bark and plant leaves, set into the hair fibre by the heat of a flat iron. The name taninoplastia is a registered mark of the Brazilian professional brand Salvatore; the Tanino Therapy bottles print 'patent pending' with a Brazilian application.

Which tannin exactly? The INCI of Salvatore Capillary Styling Step B names these plant extracts and the acid itself: barbatimão bark extract (Stryphnodendron adstringens), angico peel extract (Piptadenia colubrina), ipê-roxo leaf extract (Tabebuia impetiginosa), cinchona bark extract (Cinchona succirubra) and tannic acid. Alongside them sit hydrolysed proteins: gelatin, collagen, keratin and sericin. Blue Gold Step 2 carries the same actives.

How does tannin work on the hair?

Tannin goes into the hair with Step B and is then set with the flat iron. Salvatore describes how that step works on the bottle itself, and the two bottle sizes each put it in their own words. The 1000 ml Step B bottle says:

“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)

The 500 ml Step B bottle prints a different sentence: 'acts to form a protein network in the intercellular cement and acts mainly on the hydrogen bridges'. Translated to the chair: a taninoplastia is not a permanent relaxer. That is also its honest limit: a client who expects a permanently straight result needs a different treatment. What you get is less volume and frizz and more shine, with a result you dose yourself through the number of flat-iron passes.

Tannin, keratin or glyoxylic acid: what is the difference?

The difference is the smoothing agent, not the name on the box. A classic Brazilian keratin treatment smooths with formaldehyde or a formaldehyde releaser, a nanoplastia or 'organic' treatment usually with glyoxylic acid, and a taninoplastia with plant tannin. In all three, keratin is a conditioning protein, not a smoother.

You sometimes hear that a tannin treatment is 'keratin with tannin'. As a description of the chemistry that is wrong: Salvatore Step B lists hydrolysed keratin as a protein, but the smoothing comes from the tannin, and neither glyoxylic acid nor formaldehyde is on the list. If you want to learn to read an INCI yourself, the checklist is in our formaldehyde-free keratin treatment guide.

Who is taninoplastia for, and who is it not for?

Taninoplastia suits clients who want less volume, less frizz and more shine without a chemical relaxer, including on coloured and bleached hair. It does not suit clients who expect a permanently straight result, or hair and scalp that react to the allergy test.

Not for: hair or scalp that reacts to the allergy test (for Blue Gold Premium, Salvatore prescribes that test with Step 2 on the forearm and nape), and clients who expect a permanent relaxer. If a client is pregnant or breastfeeding, we do not decide that for her: she discusses it with her doctor, and the allergy test is done in every case.

How does a tannin smoothing session run in the salon?

A Salvatore taninoplastia is two products and four actions: clarifying shampoo, tannin conditioner left on, rinse and flat iron. This is how the directions for Step A and Step B of Tanino Therapy put it:

1. 1
   Step A, Cuticle Prepper

   Apply the clarifying shampoo Step A to wet hair at the roots without rubbing the scalp, distribute to the ends and rinse the product out completely. Repeat 2 to 3 times as needed, taking care over the front hairline and the back of the head.

2. 2
   Pre-dry

   Blow-dry the hair until half of the moisture is out.

3. 3
   Step B, Capillary Styling

   Apply Step B section by section from root to ends and distribute evenly with a comb. Leave on for at least 30 minutes.

4. 4
   Rinse

   Rinse well with cold or lukewarm water until all product is out.

5. 5
   Flat iron

   Flat-iron slowly in thin sections, at least 10 to 20 times per section as needed.

Blue Gold follows the same pattern with Step 1 (anionic shampoo, two washes) and Step 2 (realignment conditioner). The difference is per pack: on the navy Blue Gold bottle, Step 2 goes on fully dry hair; on the grey Blue Gold Premium bottle, you first take half the water out of the hair after Step 1 ('Remove the excess of water (50%)') and leave Step 2 on for 30 minutes. Both are ironed in 1 cm sections: a minimum of 10 passes on the navy bottle, an average of 10 on the Premium bottle. For blonde hair the Premium Step 2 bottle gives its own tip: 180 to a maximum of 200 °C. The rule we pass on most often is on that same bottle:

“Flat iron it slowly with thin sections (1 cm) an average of 10 times according to the hair fibre strength, always flat ironing more the root than the ends, avoiding, this way, dryness by overheat.”Directions, Salvatore Blue Gold Premium, Step 2 (1000 ml)

Precautions: before Blue Gold Premium, run an allergy test with Step 2 on the forearm and nape, as the Step 1 bottle prescribes. The Step A and Step B bottles add: avoid contact with the eyes and rinse thoroughly with running water if it happens; stop if irritation occurs and seek medical advice; keep the product out of reach of children and pets. External use only.

How long does tannin smoothing last?

It depends on aftercare, not on a fixed number of months. What decides the duration is partly your work in the salon and partly what the client does at home.

• The flat-iron work. Thin sections and enough passes: the Step B directions ask for at least 10 to 20 passes per thin section, according to what the fibre needs.
• The shampoo at home. On the Blue Gold Premium Step 2 bottle, Salvatore recommends its own everyday line for maintenance; for home use we recommend the Chemical Repair duo (shampoo + mask).
• The regrowth. New hair at the root is untreated; that is where volume returns first.

How often to repeat? Our rule: book on the regrowth, not on the calendar. What the first 30 days at home require is in our Tanino Therapy aftercare guide.

What aftercare goes with taninoplastia?

For the aftercare of a Salvatore taninoplastia we recommend the brand's own everyday line: the Chemical Repair duo as shampoo and mask, topped up if needed with T.T. Protein or Tanino Touch from the Home Care line. The Blue Gold Premium Step 2 bottle says it outright: 'For the treatment maintenance, recommended an Everyday Use on Salvatore Line.' Which set goes with every other salon treatment is in our Salvatore home care chooser.

The question every client asks: does it have to be sulphate-free? We do not think so: Salvatore's own Chemical Repair shampoo lists Sodium Laureth Sulfate, and Step A and Blue Gold Premium Step 1 are sulphate shampoos too; that is part of their role as a preparatory cleanse. What we care about more than the sulphate label: a shampoo with a pH that suits treated hair, no salt water in the first days and no heat without protection.

What are the disadvantages and precautions?

The disadvantages of taninoplastia are practical: the heat of the flat iron, a result that can vary strand by strand, the time a full protocol takes and the allergy test you have to schedule. We would rather name them up front than have the client discover them at home.

• Heat. Too much heat dries the hair out; that is why the Blue Gold Premium Step 2 bottle has you iron the root more than the ends, 'avoiding, this way, dryness by overheat'. For blonde hair the same bottle gives its own tip: 180 to a maximum of 200 °C. The blue colour of the conditioner comes from the colourant CI 44045.
• Variation per strand. The directions tie the number of passes to the strength of the fibre, and thick and fine hair on one head do not ask for the same. Check every section before the client leaves the chair.
• Cost. What a taninoplastia costs depends on the time of a full protocol and on the product used per treatment. That is why there are 2x100 ml kits to trial and litre bottles for the salon that runs the service weekly.
• Allergy test and allergens. For Blue Gold Premium, Salvatore prescribes a test with Step 2 on the forearm and nape. The Step B INCI lists the fragrance allergens coumarin, cinnamal and cinnamyl alcohol; Step A lists amyl cinnamal, coumarin, hexyl cinnamal and linalool.
• What the products are not. Step A and Blue Gold Premium Step 1 contain sulphate, and Blue Gold Premium Step 1 and the 1000 ml Step A bottle also contain parabens; the line is not certified vegan. We would rather say so ourselves than have a client find it on the INCI.
• Pregnancy. Asked in every salon. We give no advice on it: the client discusses it with her doctor, and the allergy test is done in every case.

The full objection list, from dry hair to pregnancy and who should not book at all, is on its own page: the disadvantages and risks of a tannin smoothing.

Which tannin smoothing systems can you buy?

Four systems on our shelf carry the tanino name. Two are Salvatore's and smooth with tannin: Tanino Therapy with Step A + Step B and Blue Gold with Step 1 + Step 2; their labels are quoted throughout this page. Two are other brands we stock, Vitta Gold Silk Express and Brazilicious Tanino Therapy; their smoothing step works through a different route, as set out per line below.

Torn between the two Salvatore systems? Our Tanino Therapy vs Blue Gold comparison puts them side by side on what the bottles say; what each letter step does is in the Tanino Therapy steps A to O guide. First time with taninoplastia? We would start with an A+B kit of 2x100 ml or the Blue Gold Premium kit 2x100 ml: enough for a trial service without opening a litre. If you work a lot of blonde hair, read our guide to keratin treatments for blonde hair as well.

Frequently asked questions

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