Keratin Making Hair Frizzy

[Springs10808]

Hi,

I've been working on healthy ways to straighten my hair and keep the frizz at bay. Something I like a lot is to WCC with sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner and then LOC and doobie wrap overnight. Well, my boyfriend really loves the Organix products and so I decided to try their Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy conditioner as one of my two conditions (keeping my old conditioner as the other one). I thought that the keratin proteins would make the hair even more smooth than I'd already managed and might even help it stay straighter. Instead, my hair came out uncontrollably frizzy (like it is naturally). I tried it a couple times with the same results, then went back to using my old conditioner for both conditions instead and my hair is nice and smooth again.

Since this is a protein conditioner, does that mean my hair needs more moisture? Should I avoid protein products and maybe look into deep conditioning and stuff like that?

[Ambrielle]

it sounds like your hair is "sensitive" to protein. Keratin is a heavy one, i can't use it on my hair at all, anything that has hydrolized keratin will leave swollen, stiff, brittle and it snaps off no matter how well moisturized my hair is. I have used the brazilian keratin conditioner by Organix (the one in the brown package) and it was a total disaster. I used it three times as i wanted to be sure it was the culprit. I gave it to my friend whose hair really benefits from it. I can't see your hair type but thicker/coarser hair strands usually need less proteins than finer ones unless the hair is damaged from bleach, heating etc but there are always exceptions.

Yes, i think your best bet is to invest on moisturizing conditioners, maybe your hair does not need protein at all at the moment. I use lighter proteins (oat, silk- usually conditioning one and milk protein) every 5 to 8 weeks or whenever i feel my hair needs it (you will know when it needs it because it will feel mushy) but in general i find it hard to overdose on moisture (my hair type), i can use the coconut milk conditioner from organix without issues, it does have a bit of protein but not keratin.

[Panth]

Maybe your hair just doesn't like that product? You can't swear off an ingredient just because one particular formulation, containing many, many ingredients, wasn't for you. If your hair really is protein-sensitive, it will dislike all products containing protein.

Alternatively, maybe it's not what that product contains, but what it doesn't. E.g. if your regular conditioner is absolutely full of 'cones (which add sleekness) and the new one is 'cone free then you'd have a loss of the sleekness through no fault of the ingredients actually in the new conditioner.

[prettyinpink]

My hair dosent like too much protein either. Take a break from the keratin and use a moisturizing conditioner for a few days. Try herbal essences "touchably smooth" conditioner, it helps straighten hair pretty well. its very moisturizing, and I believe no or very little protein. Good luck!

[thirstylocks]

It is probably the product. Organix (and actually the protein-heavy Joico) makes my hair dry, frizzy and brittle. These products made me believe I was protein sensitive.

But I have done an actual keratin treatment that worked really well on my hair, so I don't think its the keratin. It is probably something else in these products that claim to be protein-rich.

[Anje]

Sure sounds like a bit of a protein overdose for your hair. Mine gets like that pretty easily.

It'll likely wear off on its own, but doing a moisture treatment with a no-protein conditioner should help speed the process. My hair's crazy for humectants, so SMTs are my go-to for that sort of thing. :)

[Snivellus]

It didn't work well with my hair either. I switched back to garnier and was amazed at how much smoother it became.

[Springs10808]

Good to know I'm not the only one that's had that experience. It probably is something about the make-up of that particular product, because I have had a keratin treatment before that worked really well on my hair. It was years ago, so I wasn't sure if my hair just has different needs now, but it would make a lot of sense if it was just that product. Either way, I'm probably going to stick to moisturizing for a while. Thanks for all your replies!

[Fericera]

I just washed my hair with a new shampoo today and was confused by its dryness and weird "rough" texture. I checked the shampoo bottle, and sure enough, hydrolyzed keratin. It's a shame because I really loved the smell. :( A deep condition should help you out.

[meteor]

Maybe your hair just doesn't like that product? You can't swear off an ingredient just because one particular formulation, containing many, many ingredients, wasn't for you. If your hair really is protein-sensitive, it will dislike all products containing protein.

Alternatively, maybe it's not what that product contains, but what it doesn't. E.g. if your regular conditioner is absolutely full of 'cones (which add sleekness) and the new one is 'cone free then you'd have a loss of the sleekness through no fault of the ingredients actually in the new conditioner.

I really agree with this.

There are so many "keratin" or "protein" products that I've tried that had completely different effects on my hair - some were moisturizing (with protein listed within top 3-5 ingredients), some dried my hair out (and protein was way down on the list), so the overall formulation matters a lot.
Only ingredients lists are a bit of a guideline, but marketing claims - not so much.
Things get further complicated by salon treatments often called "keratin treatments" while they are really a combination of chemical and heat straightening and have nothing to do with depositing hydrolyzed proteins on hair ("protein fillers"). Such straightening "keratin treatments" are downright damaging, unfortunately.