by
The Natural Haven
By Jc of The Natural Haven
Click here for part 1.
Click here for part 2.
Here are some of your questions from the protein conditioner series.
Didi asks, ‘I use Mega-Tek Rebuilder. It contains hydrolysed keratin and I think it is quite a heavy protein but it says leave on for 5 mins then rinse – does this mean it gets washed out?’
JC: From the ingredient list for this product, keratin is very high up in the list which means it probably is a very protein rich conditioner. If the keratin has been hydrolysed to a good size then some of it will remain on your hair because it will form temporary bonds to it. A lot of the product would be washed out. This is not a bad thing because too much protein leads hair to feel and be very brittle so using protein rich conditioners is always a balancing act.
Didi and Jan ask, ‘I do not use heat with my protein conditioner does this make it less effective than say aphogee 2 step which requires heat and gets rock hard?’
JC: Not necessarily. Manufacturers design and test their products to perform best at specific conditions. Adding heat to a product which has not been formulated to be heated, may not be useful and even could be harmful. For example the ingredients may be heat sensitive or the preservatives used could be changed by applying heat. It could also be harmless, but the results would be unpredictable. In short, my view is that the manufacturer will produce a set of instructions for their product. They will have performed several tests in these conditions and end up with a formula (ingredients and conditions) which they believe to be most suitable. Deviating away from this means you are experimenting. If you like predictable results, stick with the instructions on the label. If you are willing to experiment, just be aware that the results could turn be good, bad or indifferent.
KN asks, ‘You did not mention following up a protein conditioner with a moisturising conditioner, is this necessary?’
JC: Good question. If the conditioner has hydrolysed protein as one of the first 5 ingredients, then yes it would probably be beneficial to follow up with a moisturising conditioner (see the natural hair shopping list). This is because as I mentioned before, high protein content can lead to a dry brittle feel to the hair strand. Applying some softening ingredients improves the pliability of the hair. However if the conditioner has a few amino acids or hydrolysed wheat thrown in towards the end of the ingredient list, then in all likelihood, it will behave more like a moisturising conditioner rather than a protein conditioner.
Carole asks, ‘Regarding protein conditioners, can you please let us know which proteins are from animals?’
JC: The main types of hydrolysed proteins are collagen, keratin and wheat. Of these, only wheat is strictly plant based. Keratin does tend to be sourced from animals (for example wool from sheep) and collagen has a variety of sources with cattle being a main source.
This series was awesome, I learned so much! Ladies, did you learn anything new from the series? Have you changed the way you use protein or tried it for the first time?
Be sure to check out The Natural Haven for more informative hair articles.
7 Responses
Protein treatments are quite tricky, such that many have either avoided using it or used it too much. Thanks for all of the useful information you’ve shared it. It helps to enlighten more people about its benefits and what it can really do for your hair.If you can come over our blog, we’ve also posted an article on this topic, hopefully you or your readers can find that useful.
Is this site run by Black woman or a mixed race?
Black women hunny
What about Protein shampoos??
Are they less effective than the conditioners?
Does the amount of time the protein is on the hair affect the results?
As shampoo is not on that long will this hinder the performance of the protein?
Which one would you recommend protein shampoos or conditioners?
Oh what about milk protein ( soy based) what category does that go under ?
Wow…I really liked your article! Check out our information if you have time in this video I did about Keratin Treatments .
I’ve avoided protein conditioners/products for a long time (long before I ever heard the term, protein sensitivity) because they made my hair hard and brittle, a feeling I don’t like. However, after reading part one and two of this series as well as some information from another friend, partially sourced from Cathy Howse, I decided to revisit them after about a decade hiatus! I was experiencing more breakage than that with which I was comfortable and thought a protein treatment might be helpful. I have been using henna regularly for about a year and a half. But, at the beginning of this year, started doing roots only fully strength applications because of the curl loosening caused by henna. I realized that I was no longer getting the benefit of the henna on my ends, the most weathered area of my hair. So, a protein treatment seemed like a potential solution and a way to supplement my henna routine. However, because I was better informed because of these posts and the posts of my friend, I knew what type of protein to seek (I settled on the ApHogee 2 Minute Keratin Reconstructor) and to follow it with a moisturizing conditioner. So far, I’m pleased with the results (I used it for the first time a little over a week ago and will probably incorporate it every couple of months on my ends if it seems they need it). So, thanks for this series!
I reviewed the ApHogee treatment this past Friday, for anyone interested:
http://hairscapades.com/2011/10/28/aphogee-2-minute-keratin-reconstructor/