Tannin smoothing: the disadvantages, the risks and who it is not for

Yes, a tannin smoothing has disadvantages, and you should hear them before you book, not after. It costs time in the chair: at least 30 minutes of product and a slow flat iron in thin sections. The result is temporary, with a line at the root as the hair grows. And it is not for everyone: not on an irritated scalp, not without an allergy test, not during pregnancy without a doctor's word. What it does not carry is the formaldehyde question: no formaldehyde appears on the printed ingredient list of Step B, in the 1000 ml and the 500 ml.

This page is the honest list. What a taninoplastia is and how the tannin works is in our taninoplastia explained guide; the wider formaldehyde question is in the formaldehyde-free keratin treatment guide. Here we take the objections one by one, the way a client puts them: is it bad for the hair, why did mine go dry, does it fall out, is it forever, can it be done pregnant, and who should say no.

What are the real disadvantages of a tannin smoothing?

• Time. The Step B bottle prescribes at least 30 minutes on the hair, then a slow iron in thin sections, 10 to 20 passes according to the need. On long, thick or afro hair that is an afternoon, not a lunch break.
• A temporary choice. The result is not permanent, and in our experience how long it holds depends heavily on the aftercare. The new growth comes in with its own texture, so there is a line at the root that only a new treatment or a haircut removes.
• Aftercare is not optional. The hold fades faster with the wrong shampoo. For the treated length we recommend the Chemical Repair duo; the routine is in the aftercare guide linked below.
• Not for every scalp, not for every moment. Irritated scalp, no allergy test, pregnancy without a doctor's word: any one of these is a no.
• Blonde and bleached hair asks more. The Blue Gold Premium Step 2 bottle gives its own temperature tip for blonde hair; that hair is a separate page, linked below.
• It is not permanent straightening. For someone who wants the curl gone for good, a tannin smoothing is the wrong service; for someone who wants it gone for a while and back afterwards, it is the right one.

Is a tannin smoothing bad for the hair?

Separate the product from the tool. Of the product, Salvatore's Step B, the 1000 ml bottle says that it “acts directly on the salt bonds and hydrogen bond of keratin molecules”. No formaldehyde appears on the printed ingredient list of Step B, in the 1000 ml and the 500 ml.

The tool is where the risk lives. A flat iron at high temperature, passed too often over a section that is too thick or already fragile, dries and weakens any hair, treated or not. Salvatore says so on its own bottle:

“always flat ironing more the root than the ends, avoiding, this way, dryness by overheat”Directions, Salvatore Blue Gold Premium, Step 2 (1000 ml)

So the honest answer is: the tannin is not what damages hair; a badly handled iron is, and a tannin smoothing is an iron service. That is the reason we print the iron rules on every page of this cluster, including the Tanino Therapy steps A to O guide.

Why does hair go dry or hard after a tannin treatment?

This is the complaint behind most of the negative reviews you will read, and it has four usual causes. None of them is the tannin.

1. 1
   Too much heat

   For blonde hair, the Blue Gold Premium Step 2 bottle gives this tip: “flat iron it using temperatures between 180ºC and 200ºC maximum according to the strength of the hair fiber to avoid dryness and tonality loss”. More heat does not make the result better, only drier.

2. 2
   Too many passes, or passes in the wrong place

   The Blue Gold Premium Step 2 bottle prescribes 1 cm sections and an average of 10 passes according to the strength of the hair fibre, more at the root than at the ends. Twenty passes at the ends of fine hair is how hair goes hard.

3. 3
   No finish after the iron

   The Blue Gold Premium Step 2 bottle recommends finishing the process “with a moisturizing treatment for a pH stabilization”. Skip the finish and the hair is left where the iron left it.

4. 4
   The wrong shampoo at home

   For the treated length we recommend the Chemical Repair duo at every wash, and a leave-in before every heat tool, as set out in the Tanino Therapy aftercare guide. A clarifying shampoo at home strips the hold and the softness with it.

On a length that has been relaxed, bleached or repeatedly coloured, a hotter iron is never the answer. If the hair was already fragile before the appointment, a moisture routine comes first, and the smoothing later or not at all.

Does a tannin smoothing cause hair loss?

What clients see is real: after a smoothing the first wash brings out a handful of hair. In our experience that is the normal daily shed that was held in the tangle and came loose all at once when the hair was combed through thin section by thin section. It stops within a wash or two. What should not happen is shedding that continues for weeks, or a scalp that reacts after the service; that is a reason to stop and see a doctor, and we are not one.

Two things make a scalp reaction more likely and both are avoidable: product on an already irritated scalp, and no allergy test. Both are in the who-should-not list below.

Is a tannin smoothing irreversible?

No. In our experience the result fades gradually on the treated lengths; the new growth is not treated. Someone who misses her curl lets the treatment fade and does not book the next one. A relaxer is the irreversible service: a relaxed length is straight until it is cut. For a curly or afro client weighing the two, we wrote the curly hair route page, including the Salvatore steps for someone who wants to keep the curl.

Is it bad for fine or damaged hair?

Fine hair takes the same product and needs a lighter iron: fewer passes, thinner sections, a lower temperature. The Blue Gold Premium Step 2 text already says it, the number of passes follows the strength of the fibre. Hair that is already broken, over-bleached or chemically over-processed is a different case: the tannin will not undo that damage, and the iron will find every weak point. That client gets a moisture routine first and a smoothing later, or not at all.

Can you have a tannin smoothing while pregnant?

That question is for a doctor, not for the salon and not for us. What we can say is what the labels print for everyone: the allergy test Blue Gold Premium prescribes before starting the process, no contact with the eyes, external use only, and stop at any abnormal reaction. A salon that says pregnancy is fine is answering a question only a doctor can answer.

Is a tannin smoothing the least harmful smoothing?

No smoothing is without risk, because every smoothing that lasts is set with heat. What Step B removes from the list is the formaldehyde question: there is none on its printed ingredient list. The heat question stays, and it is handled by protocol: the right temperature, thin sections, the pass count, the finish. Whether the tannin route is the right one for a given head is a conversation about that head; how it compares with the two Salvatore systems is in the Tanino Therapy vs Blue Gold comparison.

Who should not have a tannin smoothing?

• An irritated or broken scalp. Salvatore prints on Step B: in case of an abnormal reaction, stop and seek medical assistance. We go one step earlier and do not start on a scalp that is already irritated or damaged.
• Anyone without an allergy test, or with a positive one. The Step B ingredient list names coumarin, cinnamal and cinnamyl alcohol, known fragrance allergens; the Blue Gold Premium Step 1 bottle prescribes the test with Step 2 on the forearm and the neck.
• A pregnant client without her doctor's word. See above.
• Hair that is already over-processed. Broken, over-bleached, recently relaxed: moisture first, smoothing later or never.
• Someone who wants her curls. The curl route, Steps M and N, works without a flat iron.
• Someone who wants permanent straight hair. That is a different service, and it is not one we sell.
• Blonde or bleached hair without the blonde rules. Read Blue Gold Premium on blonde hair first; the bottle's temperature tip for blonde hair is there.

What do you check before you book?

That is the whole protection: test, ask, agree, finish, send the right shampoo home. Which Salvatore home care follows which salon service is in the home care chooser.

Frequently asked questions

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