Keratin in Hurghada: Why Tourists Get It Here, What It Costs and When to Book It
A professional keratin treatment is EUR 180 here, takes about three hours and keeps hair smooth for weeks. The catch is the sea: keratin needs a few days away from salt and chlorine, so the right day to book it is near the end of the holiday, not the start. Here is how to plan it.
4 min read
The short answer
Book keratin for your last full day, or the day before, so the treatment sets while you travel and you arrive home with hair that behaves for weeks. Booking it on day one, then swimming every day, undoes most of what you paid for.
The treatment is EUR 180 at Hurghada Beauty and takes about three hours: clarifying wash, keratin applied section by section, processing, a full blow-dry with the product in, and a flat iron pass on every section to seal it. The formula and processing time are chosen for your hair after a consultation, not from a menu.
Why people get it on holiday
Two reasons, and they are both practical. The first is time: three hours is easy to give on holiday and hard to give at home. The second is price. The same professional keratin products cost a good deal less to have applied here than in most Western European salons, because the rent and wages around the chair are lower, not because the product is different.
There is a third reason that only becomes obvious once you are here. Red Sea air is dry, the sun is strong and the water is salty, and after a week of it hair that was merely frizzy at home is dry, rough and tangled. Keratin fixes the texture and the shine at once, and the timing means you fly home with the result rather than ruining it on the beach.
What keratin does, and what it does not
Keratin smooths the hair's outer layer and seals it, which reduces frizz, adds shine, makes hair softer to the touch and cuts the time it takes to blow-dry. It suits frizzy, dry, damaged and chemically treated hair, and wavy or curly hair that you want to wear smoother. It softens curl; it does not permanently straighten it, and the effect fades gradually over weeks rather than growing out with a line.
It does not colour, it does not add volume, and it does not repair split ends, which need cutting. If you also want colour, do the colour first and the keratin after, on separate days, and tell the stylist in the consultation.
The three-hour appointment
Your stylist starts with a consultation and hair analysis, then a deep cleanse with a clarifying shampoo to open the hair so the keratin can bond. The hair is dried to about 80 or 90 percent, sectioned, and the keratin is applied and combed through evenly. After the processing time for the chosen formula, it is blow-dried fully with the product in, then every section is flat-ironed to seal and activate it. A final styling and aftercare advice finish the visit.
Bring something to read, or a podcast. The room is calm, there is tea, and three hours in a comfortable chair with someone else doing your hair is a reasonable way to spend the last afternoon of a holiday.
Aftercare, and why the sea is the enemy for a few days
For the first days after keratin, keep hair away from salt water and chlorine, which strip the treatment, and from tying, clipping or tucking it behind the ears while it sets. Use a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner afterwards, every time; sulfates shorten the life of any keratin treatment faster than anything else you do.
That is the whole reason for booking it late. A treatment done on the last day sets on the flight and the first days at home, where you are not swimming anyway. If your holiday is long and you want it earlier, leave at least three full days without sea or pool after the appointment, and wear a hat in strong sun.
Practical details
Keratin Treatment: EUR 180, about 180 minutes, in our own salon on the 2nd floor of Panorama Mall, Hurghada, daily 09:00 to 22:00. It is also inside the Royal Retreat Package, EUR 220 with a HydraFacial Deluxe, a Gel Manicure and one-by-one Eyelash Extensions, which is a five-hour day best booked on a last day with nothing else planned.
Hotel pickup is free inside Hurghada, EUR 10 per person return from Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh and El Gouna, and on request from Soma Bay and Safaga. The price is in euros, paid in cash on arrival; cancellation is free up to 12 hours before. Book the appointment a few days ahead in high season, because three-hour slots fill first.
