Since I was a kid, I’ve had extremely curly hair that’s difficult to straighten. My curls are on the kinkier side, frizzy, and often unruly, meaning that blow-drying (and then flat-ironing) my hair could take up to 90 minutes. I used to carve out time during the week dedicated just to styling my hair. After a while of this, I began to look for ways to both speed up and simplify the process.
About a decade ago, I discovered It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin spray, which costs around $20 for a 4-ounce bottle. I started by using the spray periodically for blow-drying (and to give it a test run to see if it agreed with my hair), then regularly every time I styled my hair with heat. Thanks to this nifty leave-in, I’ve been able to cut my styling time in half.
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What is the It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin?
The It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin is a spray that promises to moisturize and restore hair. It claims to make hair stronger and healthier by replacing lost keratin, a type of protein in hair, skin, and nails. This spray aims to add more keratin and also protect the natural keratin in hair by offering heat protection, hydration balance, detangling, defrizzing, and shine-boosting properties. I mostly rely on it as a heat protectant before styling, but it can also be used like any other styling cream on wet hair for adding shine or smoothing the hair.
What’s it like to use the It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin?
After showering, I sop up some of the moisture in my hair with a Company Store Turkish Cotton Bath Towel. Then, I spritz between about 15 to 20 sprays (depending on how dry my hair feels) of the product throughout my hair, making sure to coat the entire length of my strands from my roots to my ends, which fall about eight inches past my shoulders. I need more product than most people to make sure all of my hair is covered because it’s long and thick (and there’s a lot of it). Then, I brush it through my hair with the Wet Brush Original Detangler to help spread it evenly.
If I have time, I like to let my hair air-dry about 75% then dive into styling it with a blowdryer followed by a flat iron, as my hair seems to dry smoother and straighter this way. In a pinch, though, I’ll go straight to the blowdryer (mine is the Conair 1875 Watt Style and Shine Hair Dryer).
With the help of the leave-in spray and a paddle brush, I can blowdry my hair in about 15 minutes to get it somewhat straight and smooth—enough so that I can run through it with a flat iron for about 30 minutes after and have it look pin straight (my preferred style). In total, I can style my hair in 45 minutes or less when I use the It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin.
I sometimes use the spray as a conditioning mask, too. In this case, I'll apply my usual 15 to 20 sprays on damp hair and then wrap my hair into a loose bun before bed to sleep with the product in. When I take this route, I’ll usually let the spray sit in my hair until the next time I’m ready to wash it. The result is softer and silkier hair with smoother, less frizzy curls.
Does the It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin do what it claims?
Considering how many benefits this product claims to have for the hair, you may feel skeptical about whether or not it can actually deliver. In my experience, the It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin makes good on all of its promises. In fact, I was shocked that simply adding this product to my routine cut my styling time in half, but on days that I forget to use it (or I run out), my blow-dry-plus-straightening takes up to 90 minutes. It bears out: A leave-in keratin spray can cut down on heat-styling time, according to Holly Dear, a hairstylist at House of Dear Salon in Dallas, TX. “It replaces the water with protein so that it smooths out faster and more easily,” she explains. “Keratin also strengthens dry, brittle hair, which helps with smoothness and shine.”
However, it’s important to be mindful of keratin use because too much keratin (like everyday use) can actually damage your hair. “The results of too much keratin and not enough keratin are the same results of dry, brittle hair,” Dear warns. She says keratin leave-in sprays work best on coarse, frizzy hair that tends to be more porous, as this type allows the keratin to absorb better and add a boost of hydration.
She's right there, too: The spray also helps keep my coarse, frizzy hair looking frizz-free, smooth, and shiny. It significantly reduces my tangles as well, making my hair easier to brush through. My curly hair tends to tangle easily, but that’s not the case when I have the product in my locks. When I don’t use the spray, I see a major decline in how my hair looks after it’s styled. Without it, my hair feels and looks drier and damaged.
Is the It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin worth it?
Though the It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin runs on the pricier side, it’s worth every penny to me because of how much time it saves me and how healthy it makes my hair look and feel.
I usually spring about $42 (which works out to $$4.20 per ounce) for the larger 10-ounce bottle at Ulta, where you can sometimes snag a BOGO deal around the holidays or various sales events. Because I run through the product quickly with weekly use, the bigger bottle is worth the investment. If you want to try it and see if it's right for your hair first, you can snag a 4-ounce bottle for cheaper on Amazon.
For anyone with curly, frizzy hair like mine—or if you just have a lot of hair that takes a long time to style—I recommend giving this leave-in spray a go.
- Get the It's A 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin spray (4-ounce) on Amazon for $17.77
- Get the It's A 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin spray (10-ounce) on Amazon for $36
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.