Janelle (not pictured) says;
Thanks to the information on your site, I’m realizing that I need to do some kind of strengthening treatment on my fine strands. I know that protein treatments work by depositing protein on the cuticle, while henna works by binding to the cuticle and thus strengthening it. My question is, which is better for strengthening? I can’t decide which to choose. I’d love to hear your readers thoughts and experiences.
Great question Janelle! Ladies, which do you like better as a strengthening treatment: henna or protein? Share your tips, photos and advice below!
Great topic=) My crown is home to a bunch of fine densely packed 4c-z strands that would break at the slightest touch (lil hairs shaped like c’s in my sink and on my hands in such)even when being handled like a neonate with water, oil, or a great conditioner.
So, I decided to henna gloss (love it!) some months back and have found that it leaves the bulk of my hair (4a/b) very soft, shiny, and it does appear fuller and is easier to manage (no change in texture- except for the few type 3 strands I have- just seems easier to detangle and my twist look nice and fat afterwards); but, my middle (4c-z) was still uber fragile and just as challenging to handle as before.
Just this weekend I did a homemade protein treatment with egg, yogurt, and a collection of oils which left my hair definitely feeling stronger and now the crown can handle manipulation better than before. Nevertheless, I had to use a super duper moisturizing conditioner after the treatment b/c my hair was feeling like wire in the crown-but my cuticles were nice and smooth at the same time (minimal fuzzies), with a noticeble reduction of the lil c’s in my sink or hands. I’ve finally decided that protein is my friend, just not my best friend. We will meet maybe every 2-3 months, depending on what my strands tell me. I henna-gloss every 6 weeks.
I know it can be a pain in the tuckus, but you will simply have to experiment and find out what’s best for you. Good Luck on your journey =)
To be honest I never used commercial protein products but I have used Henna and I absolutely LOVE IT! I got the results that I needed with Henna; stronger hair, color, less shedding. I highly recommend it
Great post. I have avoided protein deep conditioners in the past and relied on henna for the last year or so. But, I recently decided to experiment with protein DCs after a reading some good posts about it and recommendations from friends (like Michelle @ Radiant Brown Beauty above). I’ve been having a little more breakage than that which I am comfortable and only use a henna gloss on my length once a month because full strength henna has loosened my curls (I have fine hair). So, I picked up some ApHogee 2 Minute Keratin Reconstructor and ORS Olive Oil Replenishing Pak last week. I plan on trying the ApHogee tomorrow and evaluating the results. I henna my roots and gloss the length once a month for the conditioning and coloring benefits and will continue to do so. I see protein as a potential supplement to my henna regimen. If it works well (and now I know that protein must be followed by a moisturizing DC), I’ll use it maybe once every two months at least two weeks before/after my henna treatments.
I’ve done light protein treatments and henna. I prefer henna.
Are ther any stores you reccomend for henna? I would really like to try Henna (moreso for dying purposes).
I get my henna from one of the local Indian grocery stores. If you don’t have any local Indian stores, you can order henna online. I know many folks order theirs from mehandi.com or hennaforhair.com. I’d look into a local Indian store first, as it is much cheaper.
Amazon.com is where I buy Napur henna for less than $4.00 per pack. Napur has a combination of 8 other Ayurvedic herbs along with henna.
Protein treatments leave my hair very brittle and breakable. I prefer henna. My tip is to do a “henna gloss” instead of just a straight henna treatment. Henna gloss consists of adding a conditioner (whatever is your favorite) to your henna mixture. Also, be sure to deep condition your hair once you’ve rinsed out all of the henna. By adding conditioner to the henna and then deep conditioning after the henna, your hair will come out super soft.
I have not experienced any curl loosening with henna, plus I love the red highlights and coverage my my gray hairs.
Ditto on the gray coverage! I will try taht henna gloss this month
I have never used henna. But my hair loves protein. Some peoples hair does not respond well to direct protein from what I have heard. I do not like Aphogee protein treatment too messy and time consuming for me. But I love Sally’s Ions protein treatment and Keratin reconstructor and plain cheap cholesterol. I co wash alot with moisturizing conditioners so my hair handles the protein well.
I actually use Cassia with protein (eggs/yogurt) added in as a deep conditioner and protein treatment. So I get the conditioning benefits of henna (without the color stain) and also the benefits of protein in one shot.
Also, isn’t it typical that after a protein treatment your hair will feel hard bc you need to condition? Is the hardness after a PT the result of “protein sensitivity” or is it just the way everyone’s hair responds to protein.
Help from the resident natural scientists would be much appreciated!
~H
I really like the protein treatment from hydrathermal naturals… don’t use much else as far as protein… yogurt is cool. I like henna too…
Has anyone done an avocado hask mask treatment on their hair, I guess that would be considered an protein treatment. I saw “Naturalcurlz86″ and she did a mixture of this with 2 ripe avocadoes, 2tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons honey. I will definitely have to try this on my hair, but I’m looking at doing some mini twists within the next 2 wks and leaving them in for about a month.
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I am SO torn on hennaing my hair. I have hennaed my hair a total of 5 times, and it’s been about 6 months since my last henna. I stopped because of the color deposit (yeah, it only shows in the sun, but I’m still not a fan); because I was afraid that over time, my hair would become like concrete and not respond to any products; and because of time. I have tried indigo but the whole process is just too time-consuming and irritating to me. HOWEVER, when I was hennaing, the thickness, shine, and strength my hair exhibited were remarkable. I kinda miss that… but there were definitely the disadvantages.
I’ve been thinking about turning to cassia, which I hear provides the benefits and effects that henna does, but without the color deposit. However, here are the factors that dissuade me: I would have to order it online since Indian grocers (or any for that matter) where I live don’t sell cassia and I’m not a fan of ordering products online (but this is the least significant factor); I’ve heard that cassia’s effects don’t last as long so that means I’d have to apply it more frequently; I have doubts as to whether cassia is as strengthening/thickening as henna.
I have thinner, finer hair that likes treatments like henna, and protein treatments do nothing for my hair. Any help/advice for my issue would be appreciated…
None of these work for my hair, which also seems to really hate conditioner. I don’t know if anyone else has this problem. Protein treatments make my hair feel dry and Henna makes my hair dry and tangled. It has maybe worked well once for me and only because I did a Rhassoul clay treatment afterwards. The last time that I did a Henna treatment, it took hours to detangle and I had so much shed hair. I was so frustrated I almost cried lol.
I would think a Henna treatment might work better for people who are protein sensitive, and I also think that after a protein treatment, to help with that “hard, brittle” feel a good deep conditioner would be good, when I do my henna treatments, I like to do a good deep conditioner and make sure to keep rinsing for a few days because it helps with that “hard” feeling. Now my hair feels nice and soft, I think I might do another henna treatment soon
I tried both protein treatments (eggs, oils, aloe vera) and henna. For both of them, I think it is a question of balancing the protein and the moisture. of course, if you do a protein treatment without enough oil or aloe vera your hair will feel dry and crispy. That is why it is recommended to do a deep conditioning afterwards. I combined both because I did not want to spend a lot of time in the shower. Now,I henna my hair. I only use Henna from Beauty and Art Quality Henna because it is not mixed with harsh chemicals and I recommand this brand. I mix my henna with some conditioner, water, aloe vera juice, an oil and 3 drops of Rosemary oil. My hair feels fantabulous :)
I agree with a lot of you ladies on the henna. I use bodyart quality
henna. I use it because it is a pure form of henna not mixed with any
chemicals and pure sifted. Henna does not change natural hair color.
But if your hair is gray it will take on a red or auburn color. For those who have dark hair like me you will see nice deep red highlights
when the lights, or being outside or sunshine is reflected on your hair.
Since I have discovered the use of henna for my hair over a year ago
the more you use it, your hair will grow like weed. I gave this advice
to a friend of mine who is much older than I am.
She had a teeny weeny afro that was dyed jet black and didn’t seem to
grow at all. It didn’t happened overnight but when I saw her 5 months
later that fro was not the same hair. That fro literally grew out of
her head nearly an inch a month. She hugged and kissed me. In her words” Child I have been telling everybody about this Body Art Quality
henna. This here stuff is the truth!! girl. My girl friends so jealous my hair is growing better than theirs.
And besides henna is a protein and a protein treatment. Plus I use a
moisturizing conditioner after I henna. It depends on the person.
It may actually do your hair good to do both. I love the way my hair feels after a henna treatment, but I don’t do it too often because it could change the color of my hair. Which I love. So I do protein treatments once every 6-8 weeks and henna once every 3 months. Since I’ve been consistant about this routine I’ve seen my hair flourish. Love em both… who says we have to choose.
I use my own form of a protein treatment since I recently suffered from damaged from a hair dye. I mix eggs with honey (no specific amount) and coat my hair in it. After about 15 minutes in a shower cap, I rinse the mixture out and shampoo and deep condition my hair as normal.
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henna works best for my hair. I used it once and i could feel how strong my hair was.
I’ve been using henna for almost a year and I love it! It does make my hair stronger and I haven’t experienced a loosening of curl pattern. As far as protein, I only use Aphogee 2 minute because the two-step it too hard on my hair; but with both, I definitely make it a point to deep condition afterwards-my hair is loving the treatment :-)