PROTEIN…it’s something I hear so much about and know very little about. Due to me being hypoglycemic and being on a high protein diet, I now have more of an idea as to what foods contain protein etc. But when it comes to the hair…all I know is that it’s good for it but not too much of it…Hmmm…what does that mean? I want to fully understand the things I’m putting into my hair, how they affect it, benefit it, impair it etc. And so far, I’m not completely getting the protein thing. So this is my quest to gather information about protein that makes sense to me.
How does protein effect hair? I’ve read that hair is protein so the more you consume, the stronger the hair will/should be. Some sites and girls say you need to have a protein treatment once a month, every 6 weeks etc. But what i want to know is why? What are the benefits? And if I’m already on a high protein diet, do I actually need a protein treatment? What about the theory of do your hair before it needs to get done…eg. moisturise your hair before it gets dry…offence being the best defence kinda thing. So I don’t want to wait til my hair needs protein treatment but then again, I don’t even know when it would need one or if it actually doesn’t etc.
Here’s what’s making sense to me so far (all from NatSun):
Protein is needed when your curly hair does not bounce back if you pull it and let it go. You should do protein treatments at least once a month. One website I visited said you should alternate between protein and moisture treatments since your needs a balance of both. It is very important to do a moisturising deep conditioning treatments after the protein treatment (as in the same day right after). You can tell when products (moisturiser and conditioners) have protein when you hair gets hard. If your hair is so hard that you could break a comb or something or the comb wont go through it has too much protein so a moisture packed deep conditioning is due. If you are using a protein conditioner regularly you will not often need a protein treatment. Only do the treatment if your hair feels weak or loses its bounce.
Symptoms of protein overload:
- unusually dry hair
- brittle, hard hair
- easily tangled…may lead to breakage
To rectify the problem, wash hair again and use another deep conditioner, and leave it in overnight.
