Eating gelatin VS putting it in my hair? Which is more effective?

[lole18]

What are your opinions\experiences on this topic and what are the benefits that you've noticed? THANKS!

[prettyinpink]

eating it will benefit you more. I heard that beyonce puts it on her hair to make it bouncy and shine. I would think though that eating it would be more beneficial

[furnival]

Here are some threads:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=92292
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=91881
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=109968
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=72807
:)

[neko_kawaii]

I use gelatin when I feel my hair needs a protein treatment (which isn't very often).

1 packet unflavoured gelatin
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup conditioner

Let it sit for 10 min, rinse and follow with a moisturizing treatment.

But as a general health thing, eating gelatin is fantastic! Wish I had some bones to make stock, the weather is finally cool enough.

[Anje]

It can be a decent protein treatment applied to hair, if your hair needs it. (Whether it's beneficial has a lot to do with whether your hair wants protein when you do it, of course.)

Eating it, meh. It's not a good source of protein in general (just a few amino acids, not the whole gamut). It certainly won't hurt you, unless you're replacing some of your normal protein intake with it to a degree that's harmful. But I doubt it'll make a significant difference to your hair if you're already eating a decent diet.

[Firefox7275]

Agree with Anje, gelatin is not considered a high quality protein for consumption and it isn't a good source of micronutrients. In any case most westerners eat more protein than they actually require. It's better to eat it little and often starting at breakfast, from a variety of nutrient dense sources - oily fish, other seafood such as molluscs, eggs, organ meats like liver, plain dairy.

Whether gelatin (hydrolysed collagen) benefits your hair as a deep treatment really depends on your hair properties, coarser hair or low porosity/ shorter virgin hair may not need it. Older, damaged or finer hair is more likely to benefit from the strengthening, patch repairing and film forming properties. With the right amount of hydrolysed protein I get wave boosting, shine and clumping/ definition. Research suggests hydrolysed wheat protein can help protect from heat damage and peroxide damage but it's quite possible other proteins have similar benefits.