Protein questions

[Hollyfire3]

My hair does not like protein very much but the mousse i use has protein in it and works wonderful at times. Do you think it is okay to cut protein out of my shampoos and conditioners and only use the mousse with protein? I love the mousse when it works but do not want breakage in my hair. I have aleady encountered a horrible case of protein overload and my hair is still acting up because of it. As long as the mousse works sometimes, can i continue to use it and just use protein free everythign else? Also, what Vo5 products are protein free? Or products in general that are protein free.

[Arctic]

My personal experience was, that I had to cut ALL protein off from my products, before my hair got better.

In my case I was very hesitant to give up my shampoo, which had wheat proteins. It suited my scalp so well and I have very sensitive scalp. I thought it's just shampoo and doesn't stay long in the hair anyway, so it can't be bad. But as my problem did not go away I finally ditched that shampoo and it was only after that my hair got really better.

Based on my own experience I'd say YES you should not use that mousse, if you really have a protein overload. Especially as it something you leave on the hair. You should stop using any and all proteins until you have gotten the moisture levels up, which might take several weeks or more.

[akilina]

id continue to use your product if you like it. maybe not every day though. its all up to you. personally id only use it once a week. i only use products with protein every few weeks because my hair does not like it.

[Hollyfire3]

id continue to use your product if you like it. maybe not every day though. its all up to you. personally id only use it once a week. i only use products with protein every few weeks because my hair does not like it.


I only wash my hair 1-2 times a week, so i should be good. Honestly, i do not think the mousse is an issue because my hair actually got BETTER when i used it and the protein overload was due to other products (heavy protein treatments, blow dryer activated protein products) Plus, my hair is only back to normal on certain days while using this product. What concerns me is that, no matter what i do, 3 out of every 4 washes, my hair is horrible, yucky, not curly like usual and flater looking. It really bothers me because this now means i must wash my hair 4 times in order for the 4th time to be great. I was hoping to stop this insantity by using protein free shampoo and conditioner, but still using my mousse.

[Maddy_T]

Is one of the symptoms of protein intolerance on hair crunchy ends on normally healthy hair? I just did a protein treatment and my ends are a bit crunchy... :( hmmm

[Hollyfire3]

Is one of the symptoms of protein intolerance on hair crunchy ends on normally healthy hair? I just did a protein treatment and my ends are a bit crunchy... :( hmmm


It depends on what products you added to your hair after the trreatment. It takes a few tries with protein before you know for sure your hair is intolerant. Even if it is, it might be minor. For instance, i used bits of protein for years and just now realized an overdose is not good. It greatly depends on how often you use it, in what form and what kind of product it is. Try a deep moisture treatment and see if the ends are back to normal. If they are, your hair may not LOVE protein, but it still does not mean it hates it. Look at your shampoo, conditioner, styling products and such, if they contain protein and you have been using them for any extended amount of time without problems, that treatment might have just had a wee bit too much protein than your hair prefers. It is always fixable...gosh i live on this phrase now days...if only my hair would fix magically...

[Amber_Maiden]

I cut protein- which I though my hair liked- and it looks so much better now. Seriously. Maybe cut it all out and be surprised by the results?

[Hollyfire3]

I cut protein- which I though my hair liked- and it looks so much better now. Seriously. Maybe cut it all out and be surprised by the results?


The what do i use to sub for the mousse? I think nearly all my styling products have proteins...i do not want to buy anything but want to use something to calm my hair down...could a homemade mousse work? Also, what vo5 shampoos and conditioners are protein free, i have the clarifyign ones (both kiwi lime and tea therapy) but also color my hair and do not want to make the color fade by using a clarifyign shampoo all the time. Suggestions for protein free products? Also, what are the absolute signs of protein obverload?

[Arctic]

You propably can use the mousse after you get your moisture-protein balance back to normal.

You should clarify (clarifying removes not only silicones, etc, but also some of the excess protein), then moisturize a lot, every day even. And cut all proteins out from the products you use, until your hair is back to normal.

I can't say about the protein free products, as I'm not in the USA, I'm sure you can find something with the search function. And maybe product review section.

I believe there are some great articles in the articles section of this site, as well as on the net (like this one (http://blackhairscience.com/hair_breakage.html), it's the best article ever imho!)

[rock007junkie]

Mousse stays longer in your hair than shampoo or conditioner would so I would take that into consideration when thinking about the amount of protein you are exposing your hair to.

[Hollyfire3]

Thanks for the help everyone, i would like to know how to tell if i exactly have protein overload before i cut the only hair product i use out of my routine. Thanks again.:)