moisture or protein??

[Nilyenea]

Hello all, I am new to these forums and so very glad I've found them! So much wonderful information all in one place.

I do have a question for anyone that is willing to give me some advice. My question is on if I need to use more moisturizing treatments or try some protein. The reason I'm asking this is that I've notice my ends becoming more dry and not quite brittle, but I did notice that they tend to feel more dry after I've washed and conditioned my hair. I confess I color my hair about every 3months. My stylist uses a peroxide free color that I don't remember the name of I'm afraid. The color is actually a little darker then my natural dark brown color. My hair is currently BSL, 2a/2b, F, ii/iii. I've tried my regular conditions, I use the sulfate free Kenra shampoo/conditioner, and recently started using a leave in spray conditioner as well.

Today I tried the coconut milk soak to see if that would have a better affect then my usual routine. I have to wash my hair daily, I'm a dental hygienist and there are a lot of aerosol (air/water/saliva) sprays.... so yeah, have to wash my hair daily. I also have to wear my hair up at work and when I sleep. I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea and have to use a CPAP, to get the head gear to fit properly my hair has to be up. I typically use a scrunchi for this . I know this can cause a lot of damage to your hair so I want to do everything I can to keep it as healthy as possible without having to give up my color:o . I hate my natural color lol. The coconut soak, (had to try it, I love the smell of coconut!), seems to have helped some, my hair is very shiny and soft except for the ends. So I was wondering if I should try the SMT treatment from here on the site or possibly should I do a protein treatment? And if a protein treatment what type? I've never done one of them before so I'm a bit clueless aside from what I've researched. Any insight would be helpful and much appreciated.

[amanda_the_tall]

since when have you noticed the ends being dry? it might be buildup if you're using a non-sulfate shampoo (i'm not sure how well they get rid of buildup, i haven't used one before). do you use conditioners with cones in them? and i've found that if i put my hair up while it's still wet, the ends get dry/crunchy. i don't really know why, i've just found air drying with it down, then putting it up helps alleviate that some. i would start with an smt, then if that doesn't help go to a protein treatment. but that's because my hair doesn't really need a lot of protein (mine is also fine).

[Shermie Girl]

Hello all, I am new to these forums and so very glad I've found them! So much wonderful information all in one place.

I do have a question for anyone that is willing to give me some advice. My question is on if I need to use more moisturizing treatments or try some protein. The reason I'm asking this is that I've notice my ends becoming more dry and not quite brittle, but I did notice that they tend to feel more dry after I've washed and conditioned my hair. I confess I color my hair about every 3months. My stylist uses a peroxide free color that I don't remember the name of I'm afraid. The color is actually a little darker then my natural dark brown color. My hair is currently BSL, 2a/2b, F, ii/iii. I've tried my regular conditions, I use the sulfate free Kenra shampoo/conditioner, and recently started using a leave in spray conditioner as well.

Today I tried the coconut milk soak to see if that would have a better affect then my usual routine. I have to wash my hair daily, I'm a dental hygienist and there are a lot of aerosol (air/water/saliva) sprays.... so yeah, have to wash my hair daily. I also have to wear my hair up at work and when I sleep. I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea and have to use a CPAP, to get the head gear to fit properly my hair has to be up. I typically use a scrunchi for this . I know this can cause a lot of damage to your hair so I want to do everything I can to keep it as healthy as possible without having to give up my color:o . I hate my natural color lol. The coconut soak, (had to try it, I love the smell of coconut!), seems to have helped some, my hair is very shiny and soft except for the ends. So I was wondering if I should try the SMT treatment from here on the site or possibly should I do a protein treatment? And if a protein treatment what type? I've never done one of them before so I'm a bit clueless aside from what I've researched. Any insight would be helpful and much appreciated.

Protein and moisture are both good treatments. If you want to do protein, be sure that you follow it up with a moisture. If you do just protein, you can end up with crunchy hair. The moisture balances the protein and results in soft hair.

Have you tried oiling your ends? Oil can soften and smooth your hair, seal in moisture and give you more slip and shine. Wonderful stuff.

Since you have to wash daily CO or conditioner only washing may be an option for you. CO washing can cleanse your hair and bathe it in moisture, too.

Another thing that helps ends is damp bunning. Before work, try leaving your ends damp, apply a little leave in or oil and bun your hair. Your ends will stay damp a long time, infusing even more moisture into your ends.

A small trim may be beneficial. Just a micro trim can make a difference in how your ends look and feel.

I hope that this helps a little and welcome to LHC! :cheese:

[fridgee]

The first thing I would recommend is to clarify your hair to rule out build up as the cause, then try an SMT to add plenty of moisture back. If that still doesn't help then try a protein treatment (always followed by a moisture treatment). Damp Bunning and oiling your ends as Shermie Girl suggested is a good idea too, especially since you already wear your hair up all the time.

There is an article (in the articles section!) about how to tell if your hair needs protein or moisture, maybe that will help you decide (sorry can't link it I'm on my phone!) :flower:

[Nilyenea]

I want to thank you all for the suggestions. The shampoo I use does have some protein in it, it is Kenra platinum for color treated hair. I use the Kenra platinum conditioner for color treated hair as well, mosturizing mango butter. I went back and read the article on oiling, not sure how I missed that one. I used some olive oil I had in the pantry and oiled my ends pretty heavily, and the rest of my hair on a lighter scale. Put my hair up in a bun rather then my usual twist with my scrunci and went to bed. Used a CO to cleanse my hair of the oil around noon today after re-reading the artice on it. And then let air dry. I was amazed at the difference. Still a bit dry but much improved! I did notice that before I did the CO the hair wasn't as oily as whrn I went to bed last night.

I decided to go ahead and do the SMT, have it on now as a matter of fact. I will see how long I can keep it on. Shower cal drives me nuts lol. Went ahead and bought some coconut oil while I was out today so I can try that. Hopefuly my hair will like it as much or better as it seems to like the olive oil. Hopefuly won't need to use any aditional protien. I think I will try to just stick to doing CO to cleanse my hair and see how it goes.

[fridgee]

Great! I'm glad your seeing improvement already! :)

[afu]

yay, glad you've had a good start :) CO is fantastic if you have to wash hair daily, i find that any shampoo, however 'gentle' strips my hair too much. how did your SMT go? i've still not gotten round to trying one as ive been finding it hard getting hold of aloe vera gel.

[Nilyenea]

the SMT went really well though I think I overheated it a bit in the microwave. After rinsing everything out and finishing with a cold water rinse I let my hair air dry. I actually had some of my curl back! I had noticed as my hair got longer it lost most of the curl and just really had waves. Ends are much better and I put some extra virgin coconut oil on the end and lightly over every where else.

[fridgee]

the SMT went really well though I think I overheated it a bit in the microwave. After rinsing everything out and finishing with a cold water rinse I let my hair air dry. I actually had some of my curl back! I had noticed as my hair got longer it lost most of the curl and just really had waves. Ends are much better and I put some extra virgin coconut oil on the end and lightly over every where else.

:cheese: :cheese: :cheese:

[earthnut]

I'm afraid the only real answer is that you have to experiment and see what works best for you. Different hair needs different things, and different people have different wants and expectations for their hair. I prefer smoothness and shine, another person might prefer fluffiness and volume.

For my hair, I find that just massaging my natural sebum onto my hair and adding plant oils as necessary is enough. I prefer olive oil so far, but I'm still experimenting with oils.

About moisturizers (http://www.makingcosmetics.com/articles/13-humectants-moisturizing-agents-in-cosmetics.pdf)
About oils (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=2094528&postcount=117)
Massaging the scalp and hair (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=181)

[Nilyenea]

I have come to believe I have trouble with the concept of a little oil is enough lol. Oiled my hair, especially the ends and well, overdid it :). had to remove it in the shower. still on the learning curve. My ends are much better, I'd noticed they'd been getting a little dryer over the last couple of months, but really noticed it after my surgery. I do have another question for anyone that has a moment to give me some insight. I know that to much protein can be bad for your hair, make it kind of crunchy, correct? But the same isn't true for moisture, right? I was just wondering if I did another SMT it couldn't hurt, just help from what I understand. unless I'm totally confused.

[Anje]

I know that to much protein can be bad for your hair, make it kind of crunchy, correct? But the same isn't true for moisture, right? I was just wondering if I did another SMT it couldn't hurt, just help from what I understand. unless I'm totally confused.
With my hair (which seems to be very sensitive to protein and rather dislikes it), too much protein causes the ends to be brittle and rough. It feels grabby when you run your fingers down the hairs, when it doesn't when the hair is normal. Also, it tangles very readily, even during the detangling process, and the hairs tend to form little kinks near the ends (probably directly from the tangling and indirectly because of the protein).

I haven't been over-moisturized, but my understanding is that over-moisturized hair can sometimes feel dry, but when it's wet it's very soft and often seems a bit stretchy. I've seen descriptions of it being gummy, mushy, or like wet paper in extreme circumstances (those circumstances often involve hair that has also been treated harshly with heat, chemicals, or a lot of UV). It tends to be rather limp and lifeless. Some people find that when their hair is like this but seems dry, a protein treatment seems to help the moisture stick in the hair.

I really like the descriptions found here (http://blackbeautyblackhair86911.yuku.com/topic/511/t/Hair-Breakage-and-Shedding-101.html) on the topic. Hope that helps!