Maintaining a delicate balance between moisture and protein is essential for the health and vitality of our hair. When this balance is disrupted, it can lead to dreaded bad hair days. In this blog post, we'll explore the significance of protein, the importance of maintaining the moisture-protein balance, how to identify if your hair needs protein or moisture, and effective methods for using these treatments.
We'll discuss why achieving the right balance between moisture and protein is crucial for maintaining strong and resilient hair. You'll learn the signs that indicate whether your hair needs a boost of protein or moisture, empowering you to address the specific needs of your hair.
Furthermore, we'll provide practical insights on how to effectively incorporate protein and moisture treatments into your hair care routine. Whether it's using protein-rich products or deep conditioning methods, we'll guide you through the steps to optimize the health and balance of your hair.
What is protein?
Each strand of hair is held together by something called disulfide bonds. 80-85% of your hair is composed of a protein called Keratin which reinforces these bonds, making the hair stronger and less likely to break. Keratin is, in essence, your hairs’ building blocks - it makes your hair strong and helps to gives your strands their strength, flexibility and elasticity.
How do protein and moisture work together?
Moisture plays a vital role in maintaining the overall look and feel of your hair. It hydrates the bonds within the hair, contributing to its health and appearance. Celebrity colorist Matt Rez explains that protein bonds are responsible for keeping the hair shaft strong and intact. Without these bonds, hair becomes prone to breakage and snapping. On the other hand, moisture provides hydration and keeps the hair soft. When combined, protein and moisture work together to promote healthy hair.
Image by LUS Brands
Keratin loss is inevitable for all hair types, especially curly hair. Factors such as chemical treatments, color treatments, weather conditions, pollution, washing, drying, styling, detangling, and heat exposure can erode the keratin in your hair, leading to weakened strands. However, curly hair is even more susceptible to protein loss. The cuticle, a protective layer of overlapping cells on each hair strand, is constantly lifted due to the hair's corkscrew shape. This results in a ruffled feather-like surface with gaps between each layer. Unfortunately, these gaps allow moisture and nutrients to escape, further weakening the hair's protein chains.
To address this issue, protein treatments play a vital role in replenishing lost keratin. It's not only important to use protein treatments regularly to replace the depleted keratin, but it's also wise to be proactive. By incorporating a protein treatment prior to coloring, chemically altering, or subjecting your hair to heat, you can help prevent damage before it occurs.
It's important to know that not all protein treatments are created equal. Firstly, the treatment that you use should contain hydrolyzed proteins. Hydrolyzed proteins are proteins broken down into smaller molecules that work to form flexible film-like support and rigidity around hair that inhibits moisture loss. This means that simply slapping on an egg or some mayo isn't going to get the job done effectively since those proteins have not been hydrolyzed! Also, it's vital that you understand your hair texture and the best protein for it. If your hair is coarse, choose products with smaller proteins such as hydrolyzed silk, keratin, or collagen. Larger proteins such as wheat, soy or quinoa work better for fine and medium hair or occasionally for coarse hair (SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT: Our Matcha Boost protein treatment is formulated with both Veggie Keratin and Quinoa to work well on both fine and coarse hair strands!) You can usually spot a protein treatment by how the product is labeled. Protein treatments will normally mention being good for damaged hair and tout repairing or strengthening benefits. Of course, you should analyze the ingredient list to see exactly which proteins are included and the concentration. The higher up in the ingredient list, the higher the concentration of protein in the formula.
How often and how long?
It's important to remember that protein treatments will not repair the hair permanently, so finding the right frequency to apply such treatments is critical. The elasticity test is an easy way to get an indication of your moisture-protein balance. When your hair is wet, pull a strand. If your hair stretches a bit, then returns to its normal state, your protein and moisture is balanced. However, if it snaps immediately, you need a protein treatment. Conversely, if it stretches a bit and then snaps, it needs moisture.
In addition to finding the right protein versus moisture balance, you’ll also need to get a feel for the protein intensity, frequency of use, and the amount of processing. In a nutshell, the greater the porosity and damage, the more frequent and intense the protein treatment. I created the following table as a guide, but of course, please do what is best for your hair:
|
Porosity |
Health |
How often? |
How long? |
Heat? |
|
High |
Healthy |
Weekly |
5 minutes |
No |
|
High |
Damaged |
Weekly |
30 minutes |
No |
|
Low |
Healthy |
Monthly |
5 minutes |
Yes |
|
Low |
Damaged |
Weekly |
30 minutes |
Yes |
So when should you moisturize?
Since protein treatments can make the hair feel a bit stiff and dry, always remember to follow up your protein treatment with a moisturizing deep conditioner! Furthermore, on the wash days where you don't need a protein treatment, do a moisturizing deep conditioning treatment. Basically, when in doubt, moisturize!
I know that this is a lot of information to take in! Over time, you'll learn how to "listen to your hair" to better determine its needs! Pop back in to let me know how your hair's moisture-protein dance evolves over time!
Cheers,
Adria
Credits: ouidad.com, naturallclub.com,
I thought if it snaps immediately, it needs moisture. That seems to be what every other website says….