Mositure help!!!

[Hollyfire3]

Ok, so about 6 months ago, i began heavy protein treatments on my hair in an attempt to repair damage done by heat and straight irons. Now, i am still struggling to get my hair back because not only did the treatments not help, they completly ruined my hair. I have a major case of protein overload and now, as i read all of my moisturizing products, they all contain proteins. I need straight moisture NOW without using something with keratin protein or anything like that. Any suggestions? i will take homemade treatments with stuff on hand but they must be safe for colored hair. I am currently using nexxus ultimate moisture shampoo and conditioner but am afraid to conitue because it had keratin in it that seems to be negativly affecting my hair. Help please fast! specific instructions also please!

[Amber_Maiden]

Not sure about homemade moisture treatments, but Live Clean's Moisture CO is protein free! I love it!

[Hollyfire3]

I don't know where to get it and i doubt that i will be able to buy ANY more hair products only because i have soo many right now. Maybe i will ask for it for Christmas. Do you know if sally's ion pure moisture mask (or something i think thats the name) is protein free? Or any of the sauve conditioners and shampoos?

[GoldberryHair]

Garnier Triple Nutrition spray and conditioner are really good, as well as Dove conditioner in the white and blue bottle..damage repair? They're my go-tos for hair in need of a drink :)

[Hollyfire3]

I think i had the garnier moisture conditioner at one point, wish i still had it. How do you know when your hair is back to normal after protein overload?

[GoldberryHair]

I think i had the garnier moisture conditioner at one point, wish i still had it. How do you know when your hair is back to normal after protein overload?

I would guess when I feels heathy to you. I found personally that somes I'll do too much to it and it starts to feel heavy and overloaded and I actually just shampoo and condition in the shower and don't do any leave-ins and it actually felt really nice surprisingly, maybe you could try that? The less is more concept lol although sinces it's winter now (or getting close) it might not work :(

[Hollyfire3]

I have tried nearly everything. This is not one protein treatment too many only, this is build up of months of continuous abuse of protein. My has has lost a lot of curl, is brittle and just looks like it has been rubbed the wrong way. It was getting bet at first then just, poof, even after several deep moisture treatments, it is all brillo padish and sticking out. It is really horendous and doesn't even feel like my hair anymore. I want to chop it all off, (it is at BSL right now) and my hairdresser doesn't even know what is wrong with it. Its like yeah, i purposly make my hair look teased and brittle and disgusting, yeah sure.

[GoldberryHair]

I have tried nearly everything. This is not one protein treatment too many only, this is build up of months of continuous abuse of protein. My has has lost a lot of curl, is brittle and just looks like it has been rubbed the wrong way. It was getting bet at first then just, poof, even after several deep moisture treatments, it is all brillo padish and sticking out. It is really horendous and doesn't even feel like my hair anymore. I want to chop it all off, (it is at BSL right now) and my hairdresser doesn't even know what is wrong with it. Its like yeah, i purposly make my hair look teased and brittle and disgusting, yeah sure.

Don't cut it! Have you tried coconut oil? I haven't used it but I hear it works wonders, and also "It's a Miracle 10" is suppose to be amazing, although it's a bit pricey, you can get it at any salon, (even salons at like, Walmart and Meijer) I would try it, I've heard only good things about it, but I'm cheap lol )

[Hollyfire3]

Don't cut it! Have you tried coconut oil? I haven't used it but I hear it works wonders, and also "It's a Miracle 10" is suppose to be amazing, although it's a bit pricey, you can get it at any salon, (even salons at like, Walmart and Meijer) I would try it, I've heard only good things about it, but I'm cheap lol )


yes, i have tried the it's a Miracle 10 but it also had alot of protein (too much for my sensitive hair at this time) I read at alot of websites that coconut oil is pure protein and i have also tried coconut oil based products with not good results. i am SOO frusterated! I really hate my hair right now and i just want my pretty, thick, curly/wavy, silky hair back! sorry for rambling, i am just angry at my hair! I'm still tempted to shave it! (i don't want to but i fear this is not fixable)

[Diamond.Eyes]

I would suggest something like coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, evening primrose oil, or shea butter. They are all very natural and very moisturizing. You should check out your local health food store for some good oil.

[spidermom]

Personally, I would give away or at least put away everything you have that contains protein. You will know; such products always have the word "protein" or "keratin" or "reconstructor" in them. Then use only protein-free products, and give your hair some nice olive oil treatments. Warm the oil and apply liberally to length. To remove, apply conditioner to length, leave for at least 30 minutes, then shampoo. It may take a few days or a few weeks, but the excess protein will eventually erode away. Then you can use products that contain protein again, but only once a week or so.

P.S. - Coconut oil is not pure protein. It is pure essential fatty acids. The confusion is due to the fact that coconut oil can prevent your hair from losing protein. Since you're trying to get rid of protein, I advise you use olive oil instead.

[Hollyfire3]

Personally, I would give away or at least put away everything you have that contains protein. You will know; such products always have the word "protein" or "keratin" or "reconstructor" in them. Then use only protein-free products, and give your hair some nice olive oil treatments. Warm the oil and apply liberally to length. To remove, apply conditioner to length, leave for at least 30 minutes, then shampoo. It may take a few days or a few weeks, but the excess protein will eventually erode away. Then you can use products that contain protein again, but only once a week or so.


Thats a good idea but it seems everything i touch contains protein and i' m too cheap to buy new stuff. Do you think that using moisture shampoo with keratin pretty far down the list would help? it has worked a bit so far but i am worried the extent of the damage is too great for it to continue helping! darn protein!


P.S. - Coconut oil is not pure protein. It is pure essential fatty acids. The confusion is due to the fact that coconut oil can prevent your hair from losing protein. Since you're trying to get rid of protein, I advise you use olive oil instead.

would olive oil take out color?

you think i can mix a tablespoon of olive oil with my moisture shampoo and see if it helps? as long as it won't take out my color. . .

[Quahatundightu]

What about damp bunning your hair overnight? That restored a lot of moisture to my hair. I would put a little conditioner or coconut oil on it and it would be moisturised and soft in the morning once it dried.

[Mina17]

I second the olive oil recommendation. And I see you don't want to buy any more products right now, but for less than a dollar you could get one of the protein-free suave or VO5 conditioners and mix up an SMT. And for a couple of dollars more I think the Garnier Triple Nutrition conditioner is fabulous and money well spent.

[Hollyfire3]

I second the olive oil recommendation. And I see you don't want to buy any more products right now, but for less than a dollar you could get one of the protein-free suave or VO5 conditioners and mix up an SMT. And for a couple of dollars more I think the Garnier Triple Nutrition conditioner is fabulous and money well spent.
I have quite alot of those sauve or VO5 conditioner, which ones exactly are protein free? can i mix the olive oil with my shampoo and use the protein free condtionter after that?

ETA: I REALLY need to know before i attempt this, does olive oil (not heated up, just room temp) take out hair color AT ALL? I will be willing to keep looking for a solution if olive oil will take out my hair color.

[Mina17]

I have quite alot of those sauve or VO5 conditioner, which ones exactly are protein free? can i mix the olive oil with my shampoo and use the protein free condtionter after that?

Off the top of my head, the conditioners that DO have protein are Suave Coconut and the VO5 Moisture Milks, so you'd want to avoid those. If there is "hydrolized" anything on the label that means there is protein. When I do an SMT (conditioner, honey, aloe) I don't shampoo; the SMT cleans well enough while giving your hair a deep moisture treatment.

As for the olive oil, I believe heated oil will remove color. I really don't know if it would if it wasn't heated.

[spidermom]

I've heard mixed reports regarding olive oil taking out color. It seems that when people hate their color and want it out, the olive oil doesn't work. But if they like their color and want to keep it, olive oil fades it. haha So who knows? Maybe try a strand test?

[Diamond.Eyes]

I used olive oil to fade black hair dye out of my hair:shrug:. So if you do use it, I'd be careful.

[Hollyfire3]

Off the top of my head, the conditioners that DO have protein are Suave Coconut and the VO5 Moisture Milks, so you'd want to avoid those. If there is "hydrolized" anything on the label that means there is protein. When I do an SMT (conditioner, honey, aloe) I don't shampoo; the SMT cleans well enough while giving your hair a deep moisture treatment.

As for the olive oil, I believe heated oil will remove color. I really don't know if it would if it wasn't heated.


I just tried mixing olive oil with my shampoo and deep conditioner, lets see if it helps when it dries in about 4 hrs. . . the wait is endless. i don't know exactly what kind of aloe to use in the smt and i am also worried the honey will lighten my hair.

[DarleneH]

I think oil shampoo would help you. I've been using a spoonful of coconut oil + spoonful of shampoo together in a small bottle, shake it up, apply to wet hair. You will likely need to melt the coconut oil in the microwave first for a few seconds (or put the bottle in a cup of hot water), and then get it into your hair very quickly before it sets up solid again. Coconut oil can be gotten at most grocery stores so not a major investment and you can still use up some of the shampoo you already have.

[Hollyfire3]

i just tried something similar to oil shampoo and it did not seem to take out any color. I think it is only hot oil that takes out color. I am nervous to use coconut oil on my hair because it keeps protein in and i want protein out. Just for future reference, how can you tell (for sure, no if it feels like this or maybe like that stuff) if you hair needs protein or moisture?

[WaterMusic]

Check out this article (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=194). You are likely going to have the best results by clarifying and then using protein free products. I know you say that you don't want to buy anything else, but you've come to us saying that the products you've been using have got you into this mess. You might want to consider at least picking up some cheap protein free stuff. Suave Tangerine is protein free.

[cnd0020]

A list of conditioners that might help with moisture:

- Suave Naturals Green Apple (protein free)
- Suave Naturals Ocean Breeze (humectant and protein free)
- Suave Naturals Wild Cherry Bark (humectant and protein free)
- Tresemme Naturals Radiant Volume (contains humectants but protein free)
- Aubrey Organics White Camellia, and A.O. Honeysuckle Rose (protein free)
- Beyond The Zone Last Call Hair Masque (from Sally's, protein free)
- Garnier Triple Nutrition (contains humectants)

I'm confident you can bring it back from the brink. It'll just take patience and T.L.C.

[Mina17]

I just tried mixing olive oil with my shampoo and deep conditioner, lets see if it helps when it dries in about 4 hrs. . . the wait is endless. i don't know exactly what kind of aloe to use in the smt and i am also worried the honey will lighten my hair.

You should check out the SMT thread. I'm not good with links, but it's under the Recipes, Henna, and Herbal Haircare part of the forum. There is a list of aloe gels and conditioners that have been reported to work well. Honey won't lighten your hair if it has been microwaved.

Also, if you go under the Hair Polls & Projects subforum there is a sticky called "Useful Links: All You Need to Know". There is a protein-free list there you can click on.

[BlondieHepburn]

Honey treatments make my hair very soft, and since honey is a natural humectant it may assist in bringing moisture to your locks.

I also rinse with a mix of 1 part vinegar to 4-5 parts water (or rosemary & horsetail tea!) and add a few drops of essential oil, usually rosemary, lavender, or peppermint. I soak my length in it, then pour the rest over my head, and don't rinse. This leaves my hair incredibly soft and shiny and smelling great!

Good luck, and don't chop it off, you can fix this!

[BlondieHepburn]

I almost forgot, almond oil! Sometimes coconut oil can actually leave my hair a bit dry, but almond oil is amazing. My hair loves it. I am usually quite reserved with it as it tends to be rather expensive in Paris, but you can always find it somewhere. And it is not as heavy as olive oil, so it is a nice balance.

[kittymallow]

The absolute best moist treatment i know is either biolage ultra hydrating balm or the redken all soft heavy cream.. they are amazing for dry brittle hair :)

[Hollyfire3]

Thanks you for all the help! I will be taking some of thise sugestions and getting back with you guys! I am also wondering now, maybe the protein/moisture balance of my hair is completly throw off and i need a bit of both? I tried the olive oil thing and my hair got worse but i tried a strengthening conditioner (after moisture shampoo) and my hair now feels a bit better. I am not ready to venture back into protein treatments but am wondering if a deep treatment (at a salon) and a 1/2 inch trim will fix this all the way?

[UltraBella]

Thanks you for all the help! I will be taking some of thise sugestions and getting back with you guys! I am also wondering now, maybe the protein/moisture balance of my hair is completly throw off and i need a bit of both? I tried the olive oil thing and my hair got worse but i tried a strengthening conditioner (after moisture shampoo) and my hair now feels a bit better. I am not ready to venture back into protein treatments but am wondering if a deep treatment (at a salon) and a 1/2 inch trim will fix this all the way?

I own two salons, and I prefer the deep treatments I do at home. An SMT is better than a salon treatment full of cones any day.

[Danni5173]

I use the VO5 Strengthing Condish- no protein in that one.

There is protein in the VO5 Kiwi Lime Squeeze Condish- not sure about the Shampoo.

I read that Avocado Oil is chock full of proteins so I would stay away from that too- just to be on the safe side.
I'm in Protein overload myself and the condish I was using for CO washing- contributed to it because of the Avocado oil among other hair products I was using.

[Hollyfire3]

I own two salons, and I prefer the deep treatments I do at home. An SMT is better than a salon treatment full of cones any day.

I am always nervous to use any at-home treatment. Any starter sugestions or encouragment? what is the exact recipe version you use of the SMT treatment?

[Ravenwind]

If you have too much build up from using too many products, I would use a clarifying shampoo to get rid of all of it. It usually helps with dryness too, but if you use it too much it can dry out your hair even more, so use it every once in a while with a deep conditioner afterwards.

[Henrietta]

If you have too much build up from using too many products, I would use a clarifying shampoo to get rid of all of it. It usually helps with dryness too, but if you use it too much it can dry out your hair even more, so use it every once in a while with a deep conditioner afterwards.

This for the beginning.

And then... I recently discovered myself that there is a huge difference between moisturising and repairing products and I have no idea why producers always connect those two. "For dry and damaged hair", blah, blah, blah. the truth is that a purely repairing mask (yes, I know that it's not possible to repair damaged hair. It;s not about repairing, it's about the overall effect, whatever is is) works COMPLETELY different that moisturising mask, or whatever product. In my region (Poland:) ) we have 90% of repairing stuff and only 10% of purely moisturising.
So. The core of my message: try to find a product that is moisturising. If you are sure that lack of moisture is the case, of course. I recommend Gliss Kur Shea Cashmere, and, above all, Herbal Essences Hello Hydration. The latter one is one of those "love me or hate me" products, I guess. Some people don't like it, for others it's a miracle product.
Plus, keep the mask on your hair as long as you can, under a towel or whatever can give you heat. Any product won't work in a minute or even five minutes, so ignore producers in this part of instructions :)

[spidermom]

I own two salons, and I prefer the deep treatments I do at home. An SMT is better than a salon treatment full of cones any day.

Funny - I prefer the salon treatment. It makes my hair shiny and smooth like glass. You can practically see your reflection in my hair after one of those.

Cones are very, very good to me.

[teb]

@ultrabella what is SMT?