Greatly improved my dry/crunchy ends!

[monsterna]

ETA: Mistakenly put this in the off topic board, if the mods could move it to the Mane Forum, please! Thanks!

I just wanted to make this thread in case it might be useful, since I've seen a lot of threads recently about this issue.

I DO have layers, but was noticing more easily tangled ends and a little crunchy/dry feeling. Nothing was making a significant long-lasting change. I clarified, ACV rinse, more moisture, but nothing. Then I figured out that protein was in a lot of my products. I decided to get rid of protein from my product regimen and it has WORKED!

I bought an Aubrey Organics shampoo called Calaguala Fern, which is cone-, sulphate-, and protein-free. My conditioner doesn't have any, and I opted for the Nightblooming Winter panacea (protein-free) to replace the Summer blend.

Such a difference. My ends feel so good. My fingers and comb run through so smoothly, rarely catching a snag, even right after waking up after sleeping all over it and wearing an eye mask. I've had a silk pillowcase which has helped for months now, also.

Just wanted to say that here in case anyone else was having a similar problem, that perhaps protein overload could be the cause. :)

[Honestwitness]

Thanks for sharing this. I will have to give this a try, as my ends are not in the best condition now either and I do use protein hair products.

[Wheatland]

I think I will try this. My ends are not very crunchy but I am starting to have troubles running my fingers through my hair and not snagging. Something just doesn't feel right... I admit I've never clarified or done and ACV rinse before though.

[ange1ito]

Oh :o I always try to alternate my products between protein and moisturising and found that was good too.

[defineinsanity]

thankyou for sharing :) i'll look into it

[gthlvrmx]

Oh protein...you pesky ingredient. I got rid of my problem in March i believe :) Smooth sailing since then.

But remember you do need some protein, so if you ever feel like it's getting too mushy and over moisturized(yes, overload on moisture), just stick some protein in and you'll be fine :)
Or clarify and start over.
I heard that after clarifying, you should follow a protein treatment with a real good moisturizing one, does that work? If you already had protein build-up?

[spidermom]

The only thing I can remember that made a dramatic difference in my dry crunchy ends was clarifying. I was planning a major trim, then handled the python and got his musk in my hair. It took 3 washes to get the smell out, which I thought was going to be major over-kill for the condition of my hair, but no - it was soft and silky again.

[delsh]

I think this might have been my problem as well - I've been using Herbal Essence's Hello Hydration, and I was reading the back of the bottle and THINK there's some protein in it, but for the life of me I can't remember the ingredient now. I'm gonna take a break from cones and try CO only, and see if I get some good results =) Congrats on beating the crunchy ends!

[Red_Wednesday]

Oh if only I had seen this before the 7th of June:(. I just cut off about an inch of ends because they were so velcro-ish. After they were cut I looked at them and there wasn't really a split end in the bunch. I just chalked it up as water damage...not sure why I was thinking that:rolleyes:. Anyway, I bet that was my problem - too much protein. Plus, I had just recently used a heavy duty cone for my rare occasional flat ironing session. Good to know going forward!

[Red_Wednesday]

Oh protein...you pesky ingredient. I got rid of my problem in March i believe :) Smooth sailing since then.

But remember you do need some protein, so if you ever feel like it's getting too mushy and over moisturized(yes, overload on moisture), just stick some protein in and you'll be fine :)
Or clarify and start over.
I heard that after clarifying, you should follow a protein treatment with a real good moisturizing one, does that work? If you already had protein build-up?

@bolded: Good question. Plus, what if it takes multiple clarifying washes to get all the build up off. Seems like putting more protein on top again would only start the ball rolling again:confused:. But I've heard the same thing.

[krissykins]

I heard that after clarifying, you should follow a protein treatment with a real good moisturizing one, does that work? If you already had protein build-up?

If you already have protein buildup, clarifying should get rid of the problem. It's been recommended that you should follow a protein treatment with a moisturizing treatment because of the protein's tendency to make hair feel so dry. I remember there being some other science behind it, but I'd have to hunt it down :p

But if you already have protein buildup, then a good moisturizing treatment isn't going to do much to the actual buildup.

[Sundial]

I had the same problem with protein a while back but I wasn't as lucky in catching the problem early. The overload on protein caused my hair to break off in bits.

I didn't notice that both my new shampoo and conditioners were loaded with protein. The problem went away soon after I stopped using those products. It was quite a scare so I'm making it a point to check for proteins in any new products I get. It's a good thing you caught the problem early before you ended up broken bits of hair :o

[Anje]

Been there, done that. Protein (particularly silk proteins) give me awful crunchy, tangly, kinky ends that snag on each other.

Some hair likes protein, some doesn't. I'll bet we don't hear as much about it because it does seem to be necessary for damaged hair, which is often what you find out in the flat-ironing-seals-in-moisture world.

By the way, the easiest way to get a thread moved or a title changed or the like is to report the thread and describe what needs changed. It brings it to the mods' attention much quicker.

[monsterna]

Been there, done that. Protein (particularly silk proteins) give me awful crunchy, tangly, kinky ends that snag on each other.

Some hair likes protein, some doesn't. I'll bet we don't hear as much about it because it does seem to be necessary for damaged hair, which is often what you find out in the flat-ironing-seals-in-moisture world.

By the way, the easiest way to get a thread moved or a title changed or the like is to report the thread and describe what needs changed. It brings it to the mods' attention much quicker.

I thought so, but wasn't sure. Thanks, I just reported it.

[Aleria]

hmm, I wonder if this is what causes me to get dry ends and stall at BSL? I don't know if my old shampoos and conditioners have protein, but I know my CO products do (Suave Coconut and now, Sea Breeze). Since my hair was cut short, I haven't gotten any dry ends though I've been using the Suave for quite a while now.

[delsh]

Been there, done that. Protein (particularly silk proteins) give me awful crunchy, tangly, kinky ends that snag on each other.
That was exactly it, for me - silk protein! It worked wonderfully for about a month, then my ends turned out just like yours. I'm switching products now for sure! :laugh:

[gthlvrmx]

If you already have protein buildup, clarifying should get rid of the problem. It's been recommended that you should follow a protein treatment with a moisturizing treatment because of the protein's tendency to make hair feel so dry. I remember there being some other science behind it, but I'd have to hunt it down :p

But if you already have protein buildup, then a good moisturizing treatment isn't going to do much to the actual buildup.
Ohh so it's always better to clarify and then do the quick treatments?
So if you have M-C hair and you clarified and moisturized, do you need to add in extra protein into your hair?

[adiapalic]

Protein was the issue I was having with crunchy, dry, velcro ends a few years ago. I stopped using the product with it, and the ends improved dramatically.

This along with using AO Honeysuckle Rose conditioner are what keep my ends happy. I've noticed the days before washing my hair (I wash it once or twice a week) that my ends will start getting dry, and after the shower they're replenished with moisture from just being wet and treated with conditioner. :bluebiggr

Sometimes when it's braided and the ends start getting dry, I'll actually wet and coat them with a little jojoba oil before the shower, and this helps. That's my experience with problems of dry/crunchy ends!

[RitaPG]

I was having the opposite issue, never in my life I've used conditioners with protein (I think?) and my ends were feeling really stiff and dry. A week ago I bought one that has protein, and my hair is awesome now! :D
Isn't it great when we find out what's missing?

[cat in a girl]

How do you know when you have protein build up VS silicone buildup VS hard water build up VS just plain dry ends? I don't understand why my ends are so unmanageable. Sticky yet dry and very tangled

[cooklaezo13]

I had the exact same experience as you. For me, protein = crunchy ends.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

How do you know if the products you use have protein in them? Maybe this is a silly question...Do coconut and olive oils have protein in them?

ETA: do shampoos and conditioners have a specific ingredient in them which is actually a protein, or will it just say *protein*?

[ravenreed]

From what I have heard on LHC, coconut oil doesn't have protein, but my hair sure responds to it like it does. Here (http://www.curlynikki.com/2009/01/proteins-humectants-and-conesoh-my.html) is a list of sneaky little protein ingredients I found on the 'net. HTH.


How do you know if the products you use have protein in them? Maybe this is a silly question...Do coconut and olive oils have protein in them?

ETA: do shampoos and conditioners have a specific ingredient in them which is actually a protein, or will it just say *protein*?

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Wow...Thanks, Ravenreed.

[palaeoqueen]

From what I have heard on LHC, coconut oil doesn't have protein, but my hair sure responds to it like it does. Here (http://www.curlynikki.com/2009/01/proteins-humectants-and-conesoh-my.html) is a list of sneaky little protein ingredients I found on the 'net. HTH.

I read on here that coconut oil inhibits protein loss so can lead to symptoms of protein overload despite not actually containing any. This is certainly true for me, my hair is snapping again after switching back to my coconut oil based conditioner shudder: I obviously need to give up on protein for now.

[Indigostreams]

Maybe this is my problem...my hair has been SO DRY! Even though I recently clarified, I CO wash, oil it every night, apply deep conditioning treatments every week, it is still dry. I'll take a look at my products and the protein content. Thanks :)

[lilliemer]

'hydrolyzed' anything = protein

[kidari]

Thanks for starting this thread! My dry crunchy ends are always from buildup of all kinds. For me clarifying helps the most. I was wondering if anyone knows it's natural and normal for your ends to dry first before the rest? My obsessive nature worries about this lol.

[AspenSong]

I think I'm going to give this a try. My ends are so tangly and weird the last couple weeks....it's like the last 8-10" of hair. I literally can't do anything but bun it and it gets these huge knots in it from putting it over one shoulder, to the other to use my tangle teezer!! It's terrible and I've felt half like crying over it or hacking it off out of frustration. =( Oil isn't helping or anything.

[Achlys]

I was wondering if anyone knows it's natural and normal for your ends to dry first before the rest? My obsessive nature worries about this lol.

I suppose you mean drying after washing? Yes, I think it's normal. Ends are more exposed to air than the rest of your hair, which is probably more clumped together when wet, so the ends dry faster. Especially if they are thinner than the rest.