Wondering if your hair needs a protein treatment or how to do it? If youwavy or curly hairyou have probably heard of protein & moisture balance and protein hair treatment. But what does this hair treatment do for curls, how can you tell if you need one, and how can you tell if a hair product contains proteins? And, more importantly, how can you achieve protein-moisture balance? Read on to find out all the details.
We will also show you thebest hair treatment for dry curls, which you can make in less than 5 minutes to bring your hair back to life especially after coloring, bleaching, relaxing, straightening, swimming, over styling, etc.
Our hair is mainly made up of the protein keratin.Keratinensures that it remains healthy, strong and elastic. When our hair is damaged by environmental influences, coloring and styling, the keratin is broken down.
A protein hair treatment is a treatment that gives hair a protein boost. This strengthens and repairs the keratin.
Benefits of a protein treatment for hair
Protein treatments offer several benefits, especially for damaged hair. If your hair has been chemically treated or has heat damage, they will most likely help improve the health of your hair.
A protein hair treatment:
- strengthens the hair
- reduces frizz
- improves the definition of curls
- gives volume
- smoothes the hair cuticle
- increases shine
- makes hair grow longer
- increases elasticity
How do you know if you need a protein cleanse?
If your curls are limp, have a lot of frizz, don't last long, or feel too soft, they probably need a protein boost.
Try the stretch test to check the elasticity of your hair. Take a single hair between your thumb and forefinger and stretch it. Healthy hair can be stretched about 1/3 of its length and then returns to its original size. Damaged hair may not fully return to its original size, while dry or brittle hair may break under tension.
If your hair breaks easily, it needs moisture. When it stretches a lot, it needs more protein.
The stretch test
Usually likeLow porosity hairnot too much protein whileHigh porosity hairneed more protein. This is not an absolute norm as everyone is different and the ingredients in your products will affect how often you need to do a protein cleanse.
Are you still not sure whether your hair needs protein or not? Try one firstRice water rinse. Rice proteins offer similar benefits for revitalizing dry, damaged or lacking volume hair. If your hair feels nice and light after conditioning, it probably needs protein.
How to identify proteins in hair care products
Many products advertise that they contain protein using terms like “strengthening” or “repairing”. Check the ingredient list to make sure the product actually contains proteins.
If you're not sure what to look for, some of the most common proteins found in products are listed as:
- Keratin
- oat flour
- wheat protein
- I am protein
- The collagen
- silk amino acids
- hydrolyzed silk protein
Little tip:Anything that is “hydrolyzed” is a protein.
You know that a hair care product is really a protein hair treatment when there is at least one protein in the first 5 ingredients.
DIY protein hair treatment for curly hair
If you're looking for DIY curl recipes, the only option we know of that really works is the gelatin treatment. However, this is not vegan, which is probably a problem for some of you.
While there are recipes for DIY protein hair masks made with foods like eggs and yogurt, all hair experts agree: the molecules in these foods are too large to penetrate the hair shaft, so they don't really work. This is also the case with rice water.
Many people recommend rice conditioner as a protein hair treatment. Rice water is amazing and offers similar benefits, but it's not really a protein cleanse. Nevertheless, it can be used for the same reasons and produces almost the same results.
If you want to try the gelatin, check out this recipe.
Make your own protein hair treatment with gelatine
The gelatin mask is a simple, natural and effective DIY hair treatment for colored and straightened hair as well as for frizzy, dry, limp and weak hair.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons gelatin – the cheap gelatin from the supermarket will do
- Optional – 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (gently cleanses the hairand removes product deposits)
- Optional – 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oils for beautiful scent, soothing scalp and therapeutic effect on hair. Lavender (soothing), cedarwood (supports hair growth) and rosemary (cleansing) would make a good combination.
- Spray bottle – a new or an old lotion, shampoo or conditioner bottle
- Optional – silicone-free conditioner or deep conditioner (the normal amount you would use for your hair treatment)
Make your own protein hair treatment – instructions:
- Heat water in the microwave or on the stove for 2 minutes until almost boiling.
- Remove from the microwave or heat and add the gelatin. Stir well to mix completely.
- Pour into the empty spray bottle and place in the refrigerator to cool. Or place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes until the mixture cools and thickens.
While the gelatin mask cools, wash your hair with shampoo. Sulfate-free shampoos are recommended for curls because sulfates are cleansing agents that strip the hair of its natural oils and moisture. However, if your hair has product buildup, you may need to use a shampoo with sulfates to effectively remove the buildup.
Apply the gelatin hair treatment:
- Divide your hair into 4 sections, apply the protein treatment to each section, then brush the hair to distribute the product evenly.
- Put on a shower cap and leave the treatment on for 20 minutes (the shower cap helps retain heat to make the treatment more effective). For a mild protein treatment, you can leave the mask on for just 5 minutes.
- To really allow the protein to penetrate the hair shaft, blow dry the hair (with the shower cap) for 20 minutes. It is important to dry the hair with the shower cap otherwise it can cause breakage and damage as the protein on the hair hardens. The shower cap prevents it from breaking.
- Rinse hair with warm water and then continue with your normal washing routine.
- If your hair is sensitive to proteins, you should follow up with a deep conditioner to avoid protein overload.
How often should you do a protein cleanse?
You need to be careful not to overdo it with the proteins. Too much protein can cause your hair to become brittle, dry and split more easily.
Protein treatments should only be used when your hair needs them and according to the product's instructions. Some products can be used weekly, others monthly.
It is generally recommended to use the protein hair treatmentevery 4-6 weeksfor severely damaged hair. Less common with other hair types. Additionally, products that are more moisturizing and not just pure protein can be used more often because they are not as strong.
For deep treatments/hair masks with protein is oneweekly to monthly usein order. The more damaged your hair is, the more frequently you will need to use them.
If you use something stronger, the hair treatment is bestno more than once a monthmake.
Pay close attention to how your hair looks and feels after treatments to make sure you don't overdo it. And if your hair feels dry and stiff after rinsing out the treatment, use a moisturizing deep conditioner.
Protein products recommended by Curly Girl
You can also include protein in your daily routine by using products with some protein content. Then you may not need to do protein treatments at all. However, you have to experiment a bit. Some hair loves proteins in cleansing and conditioning products but not in styling products, and others prefer the opposite. You have to find out what your hair likes.
So check your current products and see if they contain proteins. Consider how your hair behaves when you switch to products with more or less protein.
It's a good idea to write everything down when trying new products, changing your hair care routine, or trying to figure out how certain ingredients affect your hair.
