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 tannin from four Brazilian tree barks plus tannic acid, set with a flat iron at 180 to 200 °C. No Salvatore INCI lists formaldehyde, a formaldehyde releaser or 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, which brought the technique to market first and has a patent application on it.

Which tannin exactly? The INCI of Salvatore Capillary Styling Step B names four 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 binds to the proteins of the hair and is activated by the heat of the flat iron, so the fibre is realigned from the inside rather than only coated on the surface. Salvatore describes it in the Step B directions like this:

“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)

Translated to the chair: the tannin works on the salt and hydrogen bonds of the keratin, not on the disulphide bonds like a permanent relaxer. So a taninoplastia is not a chemical straightening that grows out; it is a smoothing that washes out gradually. 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, a closed cuticle and 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 (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 with cold or lukewarm water. Repeat 2 to 3 times as needed, taking care over the front hairline and the nape.

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 with a medium 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, 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, on towel-dried hair with a 30-minute leave-on. Both are ironed in 1 cm sections with a minimum of 10 passes, and only here does Salvatore print a temperature: 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 fiber 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)

Safety, as on every Salvatore bottle: before Blue Gold, run an allergy test with Step 2 on the forearm and nape; avoid contact with the eyes and rinse with running water if it happens; stop at any abnormal reaction and seek medical advice; keep the product out of reach of children. External use only.

How long does tannin smoothing last?

Three to five months, depending on aftercare. That is the usual range for a tannin smoothing and not a guarantee: Salvatore prints no month figure on the pack. 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 set the tannin; too few passes and the result washes out sooner. Salvatore deliberately lets the number of passes depend on the strength of the fibre.
• The shampoo at home. Salvatore ties maintenance to its own everyday line; the matching set is the Chemical Repair duo (shampoo + mask).
• The regrowth. Tannin washes out and grows out; the faster the hair grows, the sooner the root gives volume again.

How often to repeat? Salvatore prints no minimum interval. 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?

The aftercare for a Salvatore taninoplastia is the brand's own everyday line: the Chemical Repair duo as shampoo and mask, topped up if needed with the T.T. Protein serum or Tanino Touch leave-in 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? Not with Salvatore. The brand prescribes no sulphate-free shampoo anywhere, and its own Chemical Repair shampoo lists Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Step A and Blue Gold Step 1 are sulphate shampoos too; that is their job, they open the cuticle for the tannin. 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, not chemical: the chance of a tone shift if the iron is too hot, 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.

• Tone and heat. Salvatore warns on the Blue Gold bottle of 'dryness and tonality loss' on blonde hair if the iron runs too hot; stay between 180 and 200 °C. The blue colourant CI 44045 in the conditioner is deliberate: it counteracts warm tones and is not a fault in the formula.
• Variation per strand. The directions say it themselves: if a few strands do not reach the expected result, dry and flat-iron them again without applying Step 2 a second time. Plan that check 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. 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 adds amyl cinnamal, hexyl cinnamal and linalool.
• What the products are not. Step A and Blue Gold Step 1 contain sulphate and parabens, so they are not sulphate-free or paraben-free, and 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 and hair loss 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 do a taninoplastia. Two are Salvatore's, Tanino Therapy with Step A + Step B and Blue Gold with Step 1 + Step 2; their labels are transcribed and quoted throughout this page. Two are other brands we stock, Vitta Gold Silk Express and Brazilicious Tanino Therapy, described here only by what their line pages say, because we have not yet transcribed their labels.

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.