Overuse of products

[Mrstran]

I'm pretty new at all this, so I was hoping that some of you could share your experience using keratin and protein treatments.

How do you know when your hair needs protein? How can you tell if you need a keratin treatment?

Ive heard stories that if you use these too often, your hair can actually become dry and break off. Is this true?

Ive been very curious about this for over a month now and I have yet to find a clear answer. Lol. Being that you all have the experience and great results, I figured I ask for myself and other first timers. I trust that your advise would be more reliable than any other website out there.

[lapushka]

Keratin = protein; or do you mean a brazilian blowout keratin treatment?

For protein, it's simple. If your hair is to elastic-y and stretchy, you need protein. If it is too dry and brittle, it needs moisture. If it's in between the two, it's doing just fine, and you should do what you've been doing.

[Mrstran]

Lol I didn't realize they were the same thing. How embarrassing :(
Thank you for the info! I have no clue what I'm doing.

[animetor7]

Lol I didn't realize they were the same thing. How embarrassing :(
Thank you for the info! I have no clue what I'm doing.

No shame in not knowing something. That's the boards are for, all of us learning how to achieve beautiful long lengths!! Good luck on your long hair journey!! :) :flower:

ETA: As for when you need a protein treatment it's just as lapushka said, if your hair feels stretchy or mushy it needs protein, if it doesn't I wouldn't worry about it.

[sarahthegemini]

I think it's a very individual thing. I mean, I have very fine hair and I use a protein heavy leave in conditioner every other day (that's how often I wash my hair) My hair thrives on protein, and aside from some unavoidable mechanical damage, is healthy.

[lora410]

If your wondering how you'll know what "mushy" feels like, you'll know. I found it out real fast after my not so brilliant idea to perm hip length hair thinking id get large curls. yeah, not so much. Stylist Just fried it to bacon bits and thats how i discovered mushy hair. If I use to much protein I get the dry crunchies. For that imagine dry ends but all through your hair.

[Nique1202]

Sometimes there isn't a clear sign that you NEED protein, except that when you start using it it makes your hair feel or react better. My hair was perfectly alright before I started using a protein shampoo but now I get a fraction of the split ends. Every 15 washes or so, though, I start to feel crunching on my ends, even when they're wet, and they start tangling a lot more, which are the signs in my hair that I need to clarify again. So, since I wash twice a week, I clarify every month or so, before I even feel the crunching or tangling, because then I can keep ahead of it.

It can manifest lots of different ways, but the only way to know if anything is right for your hair is to try it once or twice and see how your hair feels.

[meteor]

I just wanted to add a couple links to some good info on proteins in hair products:
http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2015/10/protein-101-lots-of-basic-information.html
http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2013/09/more-about-protein.html

[Mrstran]

Thank you!! :)

[Mrstran]

I guess I can't respond individually? Thank you all for the info!!! Very helpful!