How long does a protein mask have an effect on hair?

[turtlelover]

Assuming that you gave your hair a heavy duty protein treatment, how long would the effects last? How about a more moderate protein mask?

[diddiedaisy]

Aphogee 2 step lasts 6 weeks, that's super heavy duty!!! I don't know about the rest :)

[lapushka]

I would say it lasts until the next wash. I somehow don't buy the claims of it lasting 6 weeks, not even from a brand like Aphogee. Unless you can genuinely feel that it *is* working for that amount of time. But how does that happen, and can you really *feel* that?

[Nique1202]

Yeah, it probably depends on how often you wash and how stripping/harsh your wash is. That's why I feel like for most people who benefit from it, using smaller amounts of protein regularly in shampoo or conditioner (even if you alternate with a non-protein version of whichever you use) is probably better than using one treatment and waiting for it to wear off. If I do a full treatment I go into instant protein overload and have to clarify and undo all the good, but I can use my shampoo for a dozen washes or more before I hit the first hint of crunchy ends, and I get all the benefits in between.

[turtlelover]

Some treatments claim to add both protein and moisture to the hair, but I wonder if it would be better to do a strictly protein treatment first and then follow it with a moisturizing treatment afterwards vs. a dual-purpose treatment.