Protein –namely whether or not we should add it to our hair — is a hot topic among naturals. Jc of the Natural Haven is here to guide us through this topic.
By Jc of The Natural Haven
There is a lot of buzzing about protein treatments and what they can do for hair. To summarise it, protein treatments are known to temporarily repair and strengthen hair. They do this by filling up gaps in the cuticle and if of a sufficiently small size can also penetrate to the cortex.(Journal of Cosmetic Science, pg69-87, 1993).
For natural hair damage tends to come from normal weathering – washing, drying, combing, heat use etc. Color treated natural hair and relaxed hair can suffer from more cuticle damage.
No it does not. I repeat, no coconut oil does not contain protein. Oils are pressed out of seeds, in the case of coconut oil, heating up the flesh and straining it out. The oil is very easily separated from the flesh once heated using a sieve.
The straw like feel some people find with coconut oil is usually related to using too much product because coconut oil is not as viscous as other oils . Hardening of the hair is related usually to temperature because coconut oil solidifies at a fairly low temperature so a cold winter breeze can stiffen hair very fast.
Some people (like me) love coconut oil, other people just do not. It is a bit like marmite, if you find that even using less does not help ( see the fingertip tip ), just leave it!
2. Does coconut milk contain protein?
Yes coconut milk does contain protein. Coconut milk is made from suspending the flesh in water and may contain bits of the flesh. However this protein is usually not hydrolysed (yep hydrolysed again). Pretty much like eggs, it is unlikely to be as effective as a hydrolysed protein.
It is the marmite story for coconut milk – if you like its effect use it, if you don’t just leave it!
3. Do protein treatments stop hair shedding?
No, there is a difference between hair shedding (i.e hair with a bulb coming out of the follicle) and breakage (i.e hair breaking off due to handling). At times you can confuse the two but looking for a bulb is always the way to tell the difference. Hair shedding is a programmed event it is not changed by protein treatments. Breakage on the other hand can be stopped temporarily.
4. Does natural hair require protein treatment?
There is no harm in trying it out if you want to. The worst thing that can happen is that you hate it and have to wash your hair all over again.
If you use heat frequently, regularly wear your hair in styles that require combing or colour treat your hair, a protein treatment may be quite useful.
5. Is a plant based protein source lighter than an animal based source?
No. It is more important to assess how the conditioner makes your hair feel. Many bloggers, vloggers etc warn people on how to spot protein but forget to mention that you should really look for where it is on the list. If if is after the first five ingredients there is probably not much in the bottle.
Additionally there are no products that tell you how hydrolysed the protein is (read this post to find out why protein has to be broken up – or hydrolysed to be useful). In short , pun intended, if the protein is not of the right small size (and it does vary according to protein) it may not give your hair the desired effect.
Therefore, comparing Aphogee with its keratin protein in the first 5 ingredients to Giovanni with its soy protein listed as the 17th ingredient is just unrealistic. Use the product and if you don’t like it either on its own or in combination (For example a follow up conditioner or leave in or oil) then just try something else.
Ladies, do you use protein treatments? What’s your protein treatment regimen, and how does it benefit your hair?
For more hair science check out The Natural Haven.
I always thought I was protein sensitive so I don’t use any proteins. But reading this I wonder if I just tried the wrong ones.
Also, I have very strong and long nails naturally. Is that any indication on how much protein you should use?
Very interesting, thanks!
You have more advantage of protien if you eat it, then when you used it for external purposes. Because the hair grows from your scalp, and there it is created with keratin, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals etc. Treatment on your hair is actually an extra care.
I agree 100%. A good diet is the most important beauty treatment! The old saying “You are what you eat” is true.
Not too sure about that
This is interesting. Can protein vitamins help?
I have mixed a kind of protein treatment together a few times be for i colored my hair. I used egg, mayo, olive oil, and honey it actually worked really well for me but i only did it every couple months. Really felt an improvement in my hair aside from the smell. lol
My hair started breaking after I did henna. I am going in for a trim (or cut if need be) tomorrow. I have pretty coarse strands so not sure what that means.
Henna tends to have the same affect as a protein treatment, so it is important to follow up with a moisturizing condtion to find the right balance of protein & moisture.
+1
Great article!
My super fine, medium desnity 4-ish coils LOVE regular protein in all forms! I lost quite a bit of length :( over the last year due to too much blowdrying (twice a month), pulling/stress/tension, combing/detangling and not moisturizing sufficiently. The damage slowly began to appear at a time when I thought my hair was really thriving. I am so mad at myself but this natural journey is a process, and nonetheless I would never go back! Anywho, I used to be a fan of Aphoghee when I was permed. I used it for a while during my natural journey but its soooo messy and the results were not impressive at all anymore.
My poor hair has been splitting and breaking like crazy and so after a lot of research I tried Nexxus Emergencee. OMG. Thank GOD I found this stuff. It has literally stoppd my breakage in its tracks. It’s so easy to do and I notice immediate results. The added strength along with limiting combing (I finger detangle only. All my combs and brushes have been stashed away!) and “coiling/twirling” my hair rather than braiding or twisting it to stretch it, has really given me hope in my goal to get to armpit length! I’m currently collarbone length after 2.5 years. I also love Giovanni, Aubrey’s, Shea Moisture, and good old shea butter, capuacu butter and castor oil. Good luck ladies!
OH and my air also dried up and started breaking after monthly henna treatments.
I wonder if you were putting henna on your whole head over and over again, rather than the just the new growth. Perhaps, that is why your hair started to break. Once you receive the desired color, you are only supposed to touch up your roots when they grow.
Im a henna user and the colour oxidises ie gets darker with time. So if you want to keep the colour you should apply to the whole head everytime. Although long lasting, the strengthening effects of henna are not permanent therefore for this reason you should apply it to the whole head ensuring that you moisturise very strongly afterwards as it can be very drying. I find it that hennaing twice every three months means i hardly have to touch up on protein at all, simply keeping up moisture treatments. Every hair type is different so see what works for you. Good luck!
I thought there would be more info, kinda dissapointed with the lack thereof.
Julia,
This is just part 1 of a 3-part series. We will be providing a lot more information in the coming days.
Leila
Great read and extremely informative.
Being a vegetarian, I find myself more intereted in information on protein treatments than anyother treatments.
Questions: Do vegetarian naturals benefit from more regular scheduled protein treatments than meat-eating naturals?
I understand this to be the case. But you shouldn’t give up on ingesting protein. There are many ways to get a protein fix that is vegetarian-friendly. Tofu and hemp protein (which is vegan) shakes are effective. I also use my hemp protein powder on my hair for protein treatments.
um…broccoli and several vegetables have protein content and bean/legumes…all real vegetarians know that..or should
Its not enough protein in vegetable’s beans or legumes. You have to be careful when you subtract a food group because you loose alot of nutrients if your not educated on the vitamins and minerals females need. I’m pescatarian I eat fish which gives me protein and omega 3′s. VEgan vegetarian is healthy, when done the right way educate yourselves ladies. Vegetable’s are the best way too go 100% but eat alot of them everyday,which allot of people even vegans and vegetarian’s don’t. Tofu is not the answer. Its made from soy which is the number 1 genetically modified food meaning “its not real” Vegetable’s Fish,egg’s all organic lots of water. Education on food and nutrients.
Actually, Americans get TOO much protein in their diets, recommended intake of meat or protein should be no more than one meal twice a week and Americans, consume meat usually for breakfast, lunch, dinner, everyday and even snacks in between. There is enough protein in vegetables, beans and grains. There are plenty of sources to get the daily recommended allowance of protein, that are not animal based. I am vegetarian transitioning to strict veggie diet, prior to my transition, I got more than enough protein in my diet and have for 6 years now. However, as you said before, a balanced diet equals a healthy diet and will surely reflect on the presence of one’s outer appearance.
What about edible Whey Protein? Has that been hydrolysed for possible use on hair?
My hair has been experiencing a lot of breakage and it is very brittle. I’ve been trying to be more creative with my styles so all the manipulation has resulted in more breakage. So I started using Le Kair’s cholesterol treatment for about 20 minutes each week with a shower cap. Do you think it’s any good? They have Keratin listed in its ingredients so I hope it’s good. What do you think Natural Haven?
I just started using aphogee 2 minute reconstructor once a week. I think I may also start doing henna treatments once a month to see how that works out.
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I use Jherri Redding for my protein treatment twice a months and i has done wonders for my fine medium hair.
I’ve used a protein treatment on my processed and natural hair. My treatment is homemade I use egg yolks and EVOO. Mix it together and apply to wet hair and blow dry, rinse and deep condition hair after its a must. It leaves my hair soft and spongy.
Trader Joes Nourish Spa Condtioner is all the protein my hair needs. And I’m sorry to say that I believe that you’re wrong about the coconut oil. I did the finger tip test for taking out braids. By the end of the day my hair was dry and crispy. I used products that normally make my hair soft. Yet once I used a lot of heat on my hair for a blow out, and at the end of the day I sprayed my hair down with purified water and then saturated my hair with about a half dollar sized about of coconut oil on my shoulder length (when stretched) natural hair, then I baggied for a couple of hours. My hair was very soft after this process. I did this because I heard that protein rebuilds heat damaged hair and coconut oil acts like a protein in my hair.
Ladies be very wary of trying home made protein treatments containing eggs if you’ve not used it before. I just prepared a home made protein conditioner with eggs(including the egg white) and store bought conditioner. The results were a disaster!!!! The egg congealed and formed little lumps in my afro! I spent 4 hours(yep 4!) trying to use clarifying apple vinegar and cold water to rinse the bits out of my hair and when that failed I resorted to a comb which caused quite a bit of breakage. Its good to experiment as a new natural but be careful of trying everything you read on vlogs. Unless you are a professional(or a very good amateur), if you want to avoid your afro looking like a bird’s nest with bits of egg stuck in it, stick to store bought protein treatments and conditioners!
I’ve used eggs in my hair since I was a teenager. It’s a wonderful protein. I mix mine with mayo and olive oil and just let it sit. If you apply any heat to it IT WILL COOK THE EGG.
did you rinse with warm water? Don’t do that, it cooks the eggs.
I did a protein treatment the first week after I big chopped…did not notice a difference. I used the aphogee treatment.
what can I do so that the egg portion of my at-home treatment doesnt run down my neck, etc? It’s frustrating..love the results but hate the runny egg!
talisa – try making your treatment thicker (sounds obvious!) by changing the amounts of the different products you use. You could also wrap your hair in film/saran wrap while it’s working – that’ll stop the drippies and the extra heat will make the treatment work more efficiently.
i have a short natural hair i don t kwon wether i have to wash it eveyday or not i need help?
I use the Megatek Rebuilder. Expensive but so worth it!