A very confused newly natural... help

[ProtectiveStyling]

ok so i have been on here since december and youtube since maybe september. i thought i would understand everything about buying proper hair products, but the truth is i am very confusederplexed... i have a few questions that really need answering... when buying products i usually dont care because my hair likes just about everything... well i think it do... but here are my questions.. please help me you guys!

1. why do some ppl say their hair loves protein and then the next minute it breaks the hair and cause dryness??? its like protein is important one minute and then horrible the next... also how do you know if a product contains protein? im not use to reading the ingredients of the products i use.. which is probably a bad thing... some natural hair blogs love protein while others treat it like a dangerous chemical...

2. how can i tell if a shampoo contains sulfate??? whats the pros and cons of sulfate??

3. what about cones and pre-poo???... should i just google every ingredient of the product i am buying??? there are soooo many terms...

my questions may seem crazy, but many women like myself buy products and know nothing about these concepts. my hair has been healthy all my life, even before going natural, without me knowing any of these things.. yet they seem interesting and i am very curious... thank you guys in advance with answers

 

[ProtectiveStyling]

hmmmmm...

 

[miss stress]

Hey girl! I just want to assure you tht it will b ok

Here the thing with protein, (generally speaking) you will probably need much less of it as a natural head becasue natural hair tends to thrive off moisture. So on my daughter I just use a light protein like Aphogee green tea and keratin restructurizer as a leave in and thats is sufficent.

There is a long thread somewhere around here abt being able to identify protein in hair products and wht each type of protein is best used for. I dont know how to link threads but I'll c if I can find it.

As far as sulfate, the ingriedients will pretty much use tht word ex- sodium laural sulfate or any variation of tht (cause sometimes they try to get slick with it)

Cones I try to adviod em cause they tend to block moisture from the hair and pre-poos are used to coat the hair b4 washing so its not eaisily dried out. Alot of people use conditioner or oils for their pre poos

Hope this helps

 

[QueenFee]

well for me I'm still new to reading ingredients and what not but I know my hair loves certain types of protein and certain times of the year, like winter I use my Keratin Green Tea spray but in the summer my hair loves egg protein, Mega Tek from root to end, Hask Placenta pack which is a med protein...But like re constructor is a big NONO for my hair period my hair hated it and suffered...So I guess it's just trial error in the protein department.

 

[Katherina]

1. why do some ppl say their hair loves protein and then the next minute it breaks the hair and cause dryness??? ... also how do you know if a product contains protein?

Balance is key. There are products with different protein amounts. Some are called "hard protein" and have a lot of protein, and others are "light proteins" with a small amount of proteins. The hard proteins (e.g. Aphogee) are reconstructors for repairing majorly damaged hair (or relaxed / color treated). You must deep condition your hair with a very moisturizing treatment after using a hard protein, or your hair will dry up and break. The light proteins mixed in conditioners (e.g. Aubrey Organics Glycogen Protein Balancing Conditioner) are probably okay in most people for weekly use.

2. how can i tell if a shampoo contains sulfate??? whats the pros and cons of sulfate??

Most shampoos (pantene, herbal essnces) have sulfates. It will say sulfate in the ingredients list, usually in the form of sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. Sulfates are detergents, meaning that they break up oil particles into tiny rinsable pieces, leaving a squeaky clean.

Pros: leave hair very clean, cleans off most products (including cones, below)

Cons: can be stripping or drying to hair

Basically, if you don't use heavy products, products with cones, or a lot of products, you don't need to use shampoos with sulfates.

3. what about cones and pre-poo???... should i just google every ingredient of the product i am buying??? there are soooo many terms...

Cones (-cones) are usually found in conditioners (like pantene and herbal essences again), setting lotions, moisturizers, etc. It's a suffix on the ingredients list (e.g. dimethicone). Cones stick to your hair, smoothing the cuticle and protecting the hair, especially when using heat. Some people find that they help with detangling. They can sometimes cause buildup if not washed off properly (this is where the sulfate shampoos are useful).

Pre-poo is basically anything you do to prepare the hair for a shampoo. Usually it's done to protect the strands from being stripped and drying out.

NO you shouldn't just google every ingredient. . Don't feel overwhelmed. Just assess your own hair, and buy products based on that personal assessment. (e.g. If my hair feels weak, I use a product with a small amount of protein. If it's dry, I moisturize more or leave in my conditioner for an hour before rinsing to get a deep condition) Don't go overboard all at once because that's how setbacks happen, and product junkie-ism. Keep it simple and listen to your hair. Stick with what works.

HTH

 

[ProtectiveStyling]

thanks you guys!!! this was very helpful!!!