How can you tell if your hair needs more protein,

[motherof2]

or if you've used too much protei?. I ask this question because I've recently taken down individual braids. I experience some shedding, which was to be expected. I washed my hair and gave myself a protein treatment. Three days later, my hair is dry and brittle breaking and shedding. Should I give myself another protein treatment? Or is this my hairs way of saying that's enough protein and it's time to moisturize? How can you tell the difference?

 

[beana3]

that's a tricky call. Maybe you could try using a reconstructor (milder protein treatment) followed by a deep moisturizing condit. after that i would focus on keeping my hair moisturized sduring the week.
I;ve been known to do the following and i dont experience protein overload dryness from it:
deep protein (aphogee, penetraitt) followed by moisturizing condit week 1
moisturizing condit (D&L cholesterol) week2
reconstructor (ORS hair mayo) week3
ORS mayo again week4
moisturizing deep condit week 5

then start all over. basically i'm on a 5week rotation. As you can see I focus mianly on strengthening moreso than moisture. During the week i use s-curl spray for moisture every 3 days and in between i use mango butter or profectiv's breakfree.
I've never worn braids before, so maybe other ladies can help you out further. HTH

 

[Katrine]

Someone recently posted on longhaircommunity that too much protein or too little moisture make the hair feel the same: Brittle, dry and breaking.

I would say that you need to moisture your hair and lay off the protein until your hair feels good again.

If your hair starts to feel too soft and limp then use more protein.

-Katrine

 

[Armyqt]

Motherof2, I wouldn't do another protein treatment just yet. Did you follow up with a moisturizing conditioner after the protein treatment? If not, this could be the reason why your hair feels dry. Which protein conditioner did u use? Also the way I know I need protein is if I'm experiencing more shedding than usual. I always follow with a moistureizing conditioner though. A healthy head of hair should get a protein treatment about 1x per month, no more than 2. That recommendation could vary though depending on the strength of the protein treatment you're using. hth

 

[motherof2]

Thanks beana3 that 5 wk rotation sounds like a good idea.
Thanks Katrine, I'm thinking that a protein treatment may not be in my near future
Armyqt, yes I followed the IC Deep Penetrating Cream Moisture Conditioner with Elucence Conditioner. I rinsed out the Elucence after 30 minutes, and then put more in as a leave-in. Maybe I'll do a conditioner wash to day using only the Elucence Conditioner.

 

[Nikki]

Nexxus has a product called emergencee... it is quite expensive but it is known to stop breakage like almost immediatly.. I say almost because it depends on how baddly your hair is breaking. it works almost as well on bleached hair, ..it is worth the bucks

 

[beana3]

i use the emergencee from time to time, but i must say that I like my aphogee much better. The nexxus is easier to apply and less time consuming, its gives nice results, but its almost 4x the money as aphogee.
The aphogee, just responds better to my hair and the results last longer.

 

[AmilLion]

I've heard for relaxed hair, using a Mild protein every other week is sufficient. If you're using a strong protein, once every 6 weeks or something like that.

If your hair isn't damaged, I would use a mild protein bi-weekly and before relaxers and/or after relaxers, I would use a stronger protein conditioner to strengthen hair.