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View Full Version : Are hair products with protein good or bad?



alxardnax
April 4th, 2011, 12:34 AM
I am clueless when it comes to protein in products for your hair. Are they good, bad, or okay for your hair? Should I steer clear of products that contain protein or is it something to try. If you have a scientific explaination I would appreciate it as well because I am aware that some products may appear to make your hair feel better but really it may not be so good for it in the long run.

Thanks!

christine1989
April 4th, 2011, 12:59 AM
Protein reacts differently depending on hair type so it can be very beneficial but it can also make hair crunchy and unruly. From what I hear, fine hair is most often the type of hair that reacts well with protein and coarse hair generally does not need protein so using it would only make hair crunchy. The only way to know for sure is to buy a protein treatment and give it a shot. I used to use the Giovanni brand protein treatment (silicone free) and it made a pretty good deep conditioner.

MonaLisa
April 4th, 2011, 01:29 AM
I don't have a scientific answer, but last week i tried protein shampoo and it made my hair feel more rough and ends looked horrible, i thought i needed a 3 inch trim.
After next wash with another shampoo it was all back to normal!
I'm not too willing to experiment further.
And i have very fine hair.

HintOfMint
April 4th, 2011, 11:12 AM
Some people do VERY well with protein, some people don't benefit from it at all. Experiment and see how it goes. If you have protein overload, the worst thing you'll get is buildup which is pretty easy to take care of.

terpentyna
April 4th, 2011, 11:24 AM
It's terrible for me. But I hear it varies from person to person.

CarpeDM
April 4th, 2011, 11:30 AM
I am one of those people whose hair loves protein, the more the better...

knoxkatie
April 4th, 2011, 11:32 AM
My hair also likes protein, so I usually do some sort of protein mask every week or two.

FluffSpider
April 4th, 2011, 11:39 AM
Proteins are the building blocks of the body-and hair. So if your hair has had some sort of rough chemical treatment or other damage which left 'gaps' in the hair, protein from products will attempt to 'fill' these gaps. As thus, protein is beneficial to hair in need of reconstruction. But if your hair has an (almost) intact hair shaft, the protein you give it will build up over time, causing protein build-up. It makes your hair appear frizzy, dry and brittle. The best way to solve this is by ditching all protein hair treatments and moisturizing the living daylights out of your hair.
If your hair loves protein, but you're also pampering it, I suggest you be careful at the protein:moisture ratio, and after a protein deep treatment perhaps use a moisturizing condish or some oil.

Lianna
April 4th, 2011, 01:12 PM
Just like FluffSpider said. If the hair is porous/stretchy, protein will be good. But protein build-up will lead to breakage (hair will be too hard).

alxardnax
April 4th, 2011, 02:54 PM
Thanks everyone! I just didn't know if it is something that could be extremely damaging or not. Oh and by the way I didn't mean to sound rude about a scientific explanation I just meant that if you had one I wouldn't mind but I am also interested in personal experiences as well.

wavyR
April 4th, 2011, 02:58 PM
It all depends on the individual. I've learned that my hair hates soy protein. Made my hair feel like straw. Keratin and silk protein can dry my hair out as well if I use too much, or don't follow it up with enough mositurizing products. I can't remember what is in Nexxus Emergencee at the moment, but whenever using that product, my hair is soft and shiny.

RitaPG
April 4th, 2011, 03:03 PM
In moderation, I think protein is fine :)

Lianna
April 4th, 2011, 03:43 PM
I just remembered a cool video about protein:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3yhbfae_9s

kitschy
April 4th, 2011, 04:06 PM
Protein often helps my curl structure. Believe it or not, my curls can go limp and stringy if I overcondition. Protein corrects the imbalance.

alxardnax
April 4th, 2011, 10:02 PM
I just remembered a cool video about protein:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3yhbfae_9s

haha. Thanks for the video. It was entertaining and informative.

Lianna
April 4th, 2011, 11:33 PM
haha. Thanks for the video. It was entertaining and informative.

You're welcome. :D

einna
April 5th, 2011, 04:50 PM
Hi. In addition to the good advice you have already been given, I thought I should mention that hair often needs extra moisture after a protein treatment. Protein can dry out the hair. My hair likes protein, but not to often and with much moisture afterwards. Also, it it is a deep treatment, do not leave it in for longer than the box says.

Oh, and I`ve read here that hair can react differently to types of protein. I think keratin and silk protein were the ones people most often could use.

In2wishin
April 5th, 2011, 04:56 PM
I am another one who's hair likes small amounts of protein. I don't do special protein treatments but I do use a small amount of it in my shampoo and conditioner. Heavy duty protein treatments leave my hair heavy and crunchy.

Jenn of Pence
April 5th, 2011, 10:38 PM
I believe my hair is skeptical about proteins. I avoided them like the plague for many months after learning about them on here because I believe they contributed heavily to the horrible state of dryness and crunchiness my ends lived in for most of my adult life. But just recently I've been experimenting, at least with normal conditioners and leave-ins that have some proteins in them, not a full-blown treatment or anything. I think I can tell a difference in my ends being dryer and more tangly, so I will have to hit it with lots more moisture to see if I can balance it out to finish using these products. But when they are gone I'll probably go back to largely protein-free. I do think that my hair tolerates some better than others, as mentioned above, but I haven't narrowed it down specifically yet. :)

LotusFIre
April 7th, 2011, 04:58 PM
I have fine hair, and I am using Mane and Tail, which is protein rich. I have been using it for a couple months now, and it seems to have made my hair more shiny, silky and strong.
However, if I do egg treatments too often, my hair gets weird and crunchy for a few days.
You probably just have to experiment. It wont do permanent damage either way, if you don't try, you'll never know. :)

CathyEarnshaw
April 7th, 2011, 05:22 PM
I have straight, dry, mature grey hair and I do a protein treatment once in awhile with Joico K-Pak followed by a deep moisturizing conditioner and my hair seems to love it. It looks and feels great afterwards.
I don't do it more than once a month.

ravenreed
April 7th, 2011, 05:29 PM
I have learned the hard way that my hair hates protein. Theoretically, my hair should love it because my ends have old dye damage, but nope. Any protein use and my hair turns into crispy, dry, velcro.

RitaCeleste
April 7th, 2011, 05:35 PM
I have coarse Color-treated hair. It loves an Aphogee Keratin 2 minute reconstructor treatment occasionally. Both products I've tried with silk protein seemed to cause more shedding. I also like to deep condition after a protein treatment with a conditioner that has no protein. I sort my conditioners by with protein and without because sometimes I need it and sometimes I just don't.

ouseljay
April 7th, 2011, 08:00 PM
For people who try protein and find out their hair hates it, how easy is it to make your hair happy again? I'm thinking my hair probably needs it (stretchy and prone to splits), but I'm a little hesitant to try a protein treatment if there's a chance of hurting my hair past what can be helped with a relatively easy fix.

RitaCeleste
April 7th, 2011, 08:31 PM
First don't do a big treatment like Aphogee two step, use something lighter like Aphogee Keratin 2 minute reconstructor instead. Have a good conditioner like Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose (something really good at conditioning you can do a deep treatment with, anything your hair really likes and adds moisture not protein). If your hair comes out feeling dry or brittle, do a deep conditioning treatment on it. If its still dry from the protein, bring on the oils like olive oil coconut or whatever your hair likes. Oil it up really good, wash with light conditioner after its been well greased for a few hours and deep condition again. This should straighten it back out. Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor wears away much quicker and will wash out of the hair in about 2 weeks anyway. Sometimes my hair likes protein, sometimes it just dries it out too much and this has fixed it thus far.

ravenreed
April 10th, 2011, 07:05 PM
I think of anything I have ever used that was damaging to my hair, protein would top the list. For my hair it is a complete disaster. The last few inches turn into yuck and I usually have to trim them off before I am happy with the way my hair is. It isn't even that the ends are crunchy, but that I can't run a comb through my hair without snapping hairs and causing general havoc. I have become a lot more careful about reading ingredients after I realized what was making my hair freak out.

However, other people have reported being able to rehabilitate hair that has had too much protein. So, I think like most hair related things, YMMV.



For people who try protein and find out their hair hates it, how easy is it to make your hair happy again? I'm thinking my hair probably needs it (stretchy and prone to splits), but I'm a little hesitant to try a protein treatment if there's a chance of hurting my hair past what can be helped with a relatively easy fix.

dollface
May 11th, 2011, 09:07 PM
I have fine hair with a slight wave and protein and I do not mix. It made my ends get close to snapping.