What Do Proteins Do To Your Afro Curly Hair
Hair is primarily made up of protein filaments, called keratin, along with chains of amino acids. Proteins are important as they work by penetrating both the exterior and interior of the hair shaft. Afro curly hair tends to have too much protein, hence its thick, strong structure.
Proteins also aid with strengthening the hair and reducing any weakness caused by environmental stressors, chemical treatments etc. As they penetrate deep into the strand they give strength to the hair and can even temporarily reverse damage. This is especially true because a high percentage of proteins are absorbed by the hair and then remain within the hair for some.
Giovanni Smooth As Silk Deeper Moisture Conditioner
If you are looking for a product with a low protein content that you can add to your weekly hair regimen, then you should try out the Giovanni Smooth As Silk Deeper Moisture Conditioner. This product moisturizes and strengthens natural hair.
5 honest reviews of Giovanni Smooth As Silk Deeper Moisture Conditioner
“My coily 4a/b/c African American hair loves this stuff. I do have to use a ton of it, but as soon as this stuff touches my locks I can feel the difference. Once, before I knew my hair didnt like protein, I used a protein shampoo and conditioner, and my hair matted and tangled so bad that I came close to cutting it all off rather than try to detangle. It was a horrible mess. Giovanni deeper moisture literally saved my hair that day. It was still a chore to detangle but a manageable chore. Its pricier than what I normally spend on shampoo/conditioner but its worth it to me.” -Susan
“I have used this conditioner for around ten years. It is truly perfect for my hair! I dye my hair funky colors, and this conditioner both prevents wash out while treating damage from the dye. It makes my hair very silky and shiny while allowing it to maintain bounce and wave” -Alyssa
“This conditioner is wonderful. Great slip, moisturizing yet not to heavy to weigh down my curls. Works great with the smooth as silk shampoo or by itself as a co-wash. Highly recommend!” -Heather Zaun
Palmers Manuka Formula Manuka Flower Honey Protein Pack Deep Conditioner
Key ingredients: Manuka Flower Honey, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Amla Oil, Hydrolyzed Keratin.
Palmers Manuka Flower Honey Protein Pack Deep Conditioner
Palmers Manuka Flower Honey Protein Pack Deep Conditioner has a rich and creamy texture. It’s one of my OG products from the start of my natural hair journey This lil sachet is packed with cocoa butter, shea butter, amla oil, manuka honey and keratin to help restore moisture and shine. It always gives my hair a much needed boost and leaves it feeling nourished and with a sweet floral scent. I usually leave it on for 35 minutes before rinsing but you can leave it on overnight.
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Alterna Caviar Repair Re
If your hair is particularly coarse, porous or heavily damaged, this is the product for you. By filling in the gaps and tears in the cuticle, this deeply restorative leave-in treatment transforms coarse hair into soft, smooth and manageable, as well as protects it from future damage. Use it 1 to 3 times a week, depending on damage but it can be used more frequently than that on very coarse and severely damaged hair.
Protein Treatments For Serious Damaged Black Hair
If your hair is seriously damaged due to a chemical process, you need a super-intense protein recharge. It is recommended for you to visit a hairdresser. This type of professional will give you the most precise opinion on your hairs health and the best treatment to recover it.
Protein treatments designed for severe damages have to be applied by professionals only. They should be used once every six to eight weeks and you must respect this break. Overuse of the treatment can aggravate the damage instead of restoring it.
When used properly, the protein treatments will only bring positive results. Your black hair will look gorgeous and super sleek.
Take a look at Metro Brazils website to check out the best Brazilian protein treatments and products.
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Signs That You Need Protein Asap
Try a protein treatment if you have any of these signs.
- Loss of elasticity: Hair in good condition can stretch under normal conditions without breaking. Here’s how to test elasticity: Stretch your wet hair out a little and see if it easily snaps back into shape without breaking. If it does, youre good. If it breaks easily, you may need to increase how often you apply a protein mask.
- Serious damage: When hair has been over-processed with chemicals, it may feel and look like seaweed when it’s wet. When dry, it may feel extremely rough. This isn’t regular dryness that Black hair is prone to. This is damage. Although Black hair is textured, when it’s healthy, it’s likely still soft to the touch.
- Severe breakage: Every single person sheds, on a daily basis. But when your curls are extremely damaged due to weakness, you may find strands of it everywherenot just on your comb or brush but also on your pillow, on the back of your car seat, on your shirt, on the bathroom floor, and so on. It might even make a snapping or popping sound when you comb it.
Signs That Your Hair Needs A Protein Treatment
Before you start looking for the most suitable hair protein treatment for your locks, you might ask yourself, Does my hair need protein at all?. Thats a great question to start with a protein treatment isnt always needed.
Many people think that having hair thats dry indicates that your locks need more protein. However, dryness alone isnt a good enough reason to treat your hair with protein. If your hair is dry, try an emollient-based conditioner first to try and bring back the moisture. Only if that doesnt work, you should give protein treatment a go.
Here are 5 signs that your hair is crying out for a protein treatment:
If youre still not sure whether your hair needs a protein boost, asking for advice at your local hair salon is a good idea. Getting a protein treatment for hair in salon is a great starting point for someone whos entirely new to the protein game and may have doubts about needing one.
Once youve received a recommendation or a treatment from a stylist, youll have more confidence doing a hair protein treatment at home .
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What Ingredients To Use In A Homemade Protein Treatment Natural Hair Growth On 4b & 4c Hair / Black African Hair / Afro Hair / Curly Hair
It is important that before using any of these homemade masks for protein-based hair, we wash our hair normally. We can apply it after the shampoo or after the conditioner -especially if we have very dry hair and mistreated.
An excellent option is to use masks based on eggs. For that, we must beat them and add different ingredients such as lemon juice , essential oils castor or olive. We must make masks with eggs twice a month, taking into account that the yolk should not be used in the case of very oily hair.
We can make a mask made with two beaten eggs, two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and half a pureed avocado.
Yogurt is another option, since it contains lactic acid that cleans and nourishes the hair in depth. We can use it alone or combined, as in the case of the egg, and even for very damaged hair you can mix both ingredients for intense nutrition.
Protein Treatments At Home
Protein treatments can be accomplished at home using store bought treatments or treatments at the salon. But did you know that its possible to achieve a protein treatment by mixing up household items that you may have in your kitchen right now?
Mix in any variation of these elements commonly found in your kitchen to create your own protein treatment at home:
Eggs
Eggs are rich in protein but may need to be added to other products because the protein in eggs may be too large to fit into the tiny gaps in your hair follicles. Make sure to rinse any egg protein treatment with cool water rinsing with warm to hot water will cause the egg to scramble in your hair.
Trust, this will lead to a HUGE mess and will be tough to get the little egg pieces out of your hair. Protein treatments without egg are possible and will still be effective in your hair.
Avocado
Avocado is rich in fatty acids and protein treatments with avocado that has been mushed could add moisture to your hair.
Greek Yogurt
Non-fat, plain Greek yogurt strengthens curly strands and adds additional moisture to the hair. It must be a staple product in your protein treatment.
Its easy to apply, doesnt require mashing, and the protein should be able to enter the hair follicle easier than most other products. Raw honey, mayonnaise and olive oil would also be great products to use in your homemade protein mixture.
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Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Treatment Masque
Key ingredients: Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Peppermint Oil, organic Shea Butter, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein.
Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Treatment Masque
Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen and Restore Treatment Masque is life and a staple for many naturals! I love the thick texture and the scent. It’s got some great nutrient rich ingredients like apple cider vinegar which has anti-inflammatory properties, exfoliates the scalp, enhances shine and soothes itchy scalp, plus stimulating peppermint oil for an invigorating experience. After leaving it on my hair for up to an hour without heat it leaves hair feeling stronger and restored . For me it works especially well after the Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo with ACV which also has apple cider vinegar .
How Protein Treatments Work
They create a protective barrier around your hair. By entering into the follicles and filling in the gaps, proteins will provide you with stronger hair. The layer of protein created around the hair protects it from damage and gives it extreme smoothness and shine.
However, it is important to remember that the effect is not permanent it is a temporary fix. Also, you should not overload the application.
They create a protective barrier around your hair. By entering into the follicles and filling in the gaps, proteins will provide you with stronger hair. The layer of protein created around the hair protects it from damage and gives it extreme smoothness and shine.
However, it is important to remember that the effect is not permanent it is a temporary fix. Also, you should not overload the application.
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How Often Should You Do A Homemade Protein Treatment
So, how often should you do a protein treatment? Although the application of these hair masks rich in proteins is of great help, its prolonged use is contraindicated in natural hair or free of dyes. If we exceed its use our hair can become brittle, rigid and dehydrated. The ideal is to limit the application to 5 times per month to get the best results without saturating your hair fibers. After using any of these masks , it is important to rinse with plenty of water. When finished, we should wash the hair with shampoo to remove other waste.
Since protein treatments are heavier, you shouldnt leave them in for hours and certainly not overnight. The maximum time is about 30 minutes with the minimum being 20 minutes.
What Is A Protein Treatment
A protein treatment is a conditioning treatment that adds protein to the cuticle layer of your hair strands. This strengthens your hair, making it a lot stronger and less likely to get damaged later on.
But you might be thinking hey, a good deep conditioning treatment can also do the magic. Well, that’s different, a good deep conditioning treatment adds moisture to the hair restoring its elasticity. But a protein treatment binds proteins to the hair strands which is ideal for strengthening the natural hair so it doesn’t break off easily.
However, it is important to alternate between doing a deep conditioning treatment and a protein treatment for your natural hair. When you do this you are able to maintain an adequate protein-moisture balance in your natural hair. This is why it’s recommended that you do a protein treatment once every month because too much protein can actually have the opposite effect on your hair.
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Aphogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor: Best For Lightly Damaged Hair
The ApHogee Keratin 2 Minute Reconstructor is formulated with a blend of keratin amino acids, vitamins, and natural oils, penetrating the hair deeply to help restore its strength and shine.
It also helps repair damage caused by the harsh components of hard water and chlorine. As the name suggests, it takes just two minutes to get the job done.
This product is recommended for treating relaxed, bleached, or tinted hair. It is also important to note that it can only work effectively on light to medium damaged hair.
To repair excessively damaged hair, we advise you to opt for the ApHogee Two-Step Protein Treatment .
It doesnt take a professional to apply this product all you need to do is apply it to your towel-dried hair after shampooing and rinse it out after a couple of minutes. Upon rinsing it out, youll notice that your hair is softer, stronger, and shinier.
How Often Should I Use Protein Treatments On Relaxed Hair
Too little protein and your hair can turn dry and damaged, too much protein, however, can lead to hair breakage. While there are no hard and fast rules on how often you should apply protein treatments on relaxed tresses, examining your hair might help you find the magical number. If you have highly porous hair, then you should be applying protein treatments more often. If you feel like your hair is generally healthy, a deep protein treatment every 4-6 weeks is recommended.
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How To Make A Protein Treatment For Natural Hair
Combine as many products as you want into a small bowl. You do not have to put a lot of products into your mixture just use whatever you have.
Its preferred that the mixture is heated either on the stovetop or in the microwave but you must be careful when warming mixtures with egg to ensure that the egg will not scramble. Dampen your hair and evenly apply the mixture to your hair.
Cover your hair with a plastic cap or plastic shopping bag and let the mixture sit on your hair for 30-45 minutes. Donotletthemixturesitonyourhairfortoolong this may cause your hair to harden and break off.
Once your time is up, rinse the mixture out of your hair with cool to lukewarm water and shampoo/condition like normal.
Ogx Extra Strength Hydrate And Repair
- How to use: After shampooing, apply generously to hair, working through to ends. Leave on 3 to 5 minutes. Rinse hair thoroughly.
Dry and damaged hair can benefit from both protein and natural oils. This hair mask from OGX contains a combination of silk proteins and argan oil to help correct damage while making your hair softer. Its an especially good choice for curly hair.
Ingredients: Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Ceteareth-20, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Silk Amino Acids, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethiconol, Glycol Distearate, Glycol Stearate, Isopropyl Alcohol, DMDM Hydantoin, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Nitrate, Fragrance, Red 40 , Yellow 5
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What Happens If Your Hair Has Too Much Protein
Keratin strengthens the bonds between the molecules in your hair strands, which is why a lot of protein treatments use it to coat your strands. But you need to use these treatments in moderation. Overuse can lead to a build up of protein on your hair cuticle, which can weaken the hair shaft as it makes your hair heavier. This can lead to split ends and brittle, breakage-prone hair exactly the reason why you wanted to use protein in the first place, to strengthen your strands against breakage. See why its a tricky balance to strike?
If you think your hair has too much protein, try cutting back on or removing any products that contain protein and add in extra moisture-boosting products. If after a few weeks your hair feels softer and looks healthier, then youve probably just recovered from protein overload. You could also try using a clarifying shampoo to clear away any protein product buildup.
The Best Homemade Protein Treatment For Hair
You may be keen to give your hair a protein boost, but unsure about buying a full-on protein treatment yet. Before you snap up a professional product, how about trying natural protein for hair? Egg protein treatment is considered to be the most effective natural protein conditioner for locks that are crying out for a bit of protein love. In addition to protein, eggs are packed with biotin and sulfur, which contribute to shiny, healthy hair when applied as a hair mask . Its a quick DIY remedy which you can give your hair using stuff you already have in your cupboard without committing to something more professional.
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