Are you trying to grow your hair? Whether you are a natural hair girlie, texturized, or colored, everyone needs a protein treatment. How often you get them depends on your hair needs and routine.
If you have been struggling with weak hair strands, the best solution will be to get a protein treatment. A protein treatment is a conditioning treatment that helps add proteins to hair, repairing it and thus making it stronger.
As the protein we eat helps us build muscle for stronger bodies, so does protein in hair. Day-to-day activities, chemical treatments, and hair dyes can compromise the protein in our hair.
Note that the original hair proteins can not be replicated. Therefore, the protein treatment imitates the structure of this protein, acting as a mask until new strands sprout.
Signs and symptoms of protein deficiency in hair
Low elasticity or lack of elasticity
Healthy hair should stretch and bounce back without breaking. To test your hair’s elasticity, wet a strand of hair, hold it tight then gently pull it. The hair should stretch and bounce back without breaking. If your hair breaks then you have low elasticity, meaning your hair is prone to breakage.
Increased shedding and breakage
Do you remember the amount of hair you lose in a day? If you lose more than 100 strands a day, it indicates a lack of protein. Hair that is low in protein has low elasticity, which means your hair breaks easily.
Limp and stringy hair
When your hair lacks protein, it appears flat, dull, and not as full as it would normally be.
Brittle and sticky hair
Brittle hair is hair that is dry, breakable, and dull. As mentioned, a lack of protein results in low elasticity, and weak hair bonds. To remedy this, layer a protein treatment with a deep conditioner. The deep conditioner will moisturize your hair curbing the dryness.
Hair that feels like bubblegum, indicates the protein bonds have been weakened. This mostly happens with over processed hair.
Porous hair
This is hair that absorbs a lot of water fast and looses it just as fast. This type of hair has open cuticles which can be filled by hair protein, strengthening the strands thus reducing the moisture loss. After a protein treatment use the LCO (leave-in conditioner, cream then oil) method to lock in the moisture.
Remedying low protein levels in hair
Just like the saying goes, “you are what you eat.” Incorporating foods rich in protein will remedy this. Foods such as eggs, lean meats, nuts, legumes, and dairy products are good for your hair. Also incorporate hair products with protein to your hair care routine. These treatments help strengthen your hair and improve its texture.
Although protein treatments are necessary, protein overload leads to stiff strands, which leads to breakage. Therefore, protein treatments should be followed by a deep conditioner. Your hair routine would look like: shampoo then rinse, conditioner then rinse, protein treatment then rinse, deep conditioner rinse, then style as desired.
So, if you wish to grow your hair, a protein treatment might be your answer.
Fashion9 years ago