Its the protein killing my hair!!!!!

[krispy99]

hello all,
i'm a newbie here...actually i'm a "religious" lurker. i really like this site. its nice to see a site where people help each other out regardless of being relaxed, texturized, or natural. I'm natural by the way, for almost 3yrs. I'm still in the twa stage though b/c i keep cutting my hair off. i have chronically dry hair (partly due to hard water) so I keep it short.

here is my other dilema. i have spent a fortune on tons of hair products trying to find one that works for me. Come to find out all conditioners dry my hair out because of the protein. Is there any way to "neutralize" the effects of protein (i.e. by adding something to the conditioner). I have been trying to find moisturizing conditioners with no protein in them but have had no luck (i live in europe, so any european brands are also welcome). Thanks in advance for the recommendations.

 

[pebbles]

Hi Krispy99, Welcome!

Just wanted to know, what conditioners have you tried or been using?

 

[krispy99]

hi pebbles, thanks for responding.

i have tried,

Kenra moisturizing conditioner
suave humecant& others
ORS
Kemi
Aubrey (swimmers, aloe & jojoba, GBP)
Queen Helene Cholesterol
LeKair Cholesterol
Pantene
aphogee balance mositurizer
The body shop palmshine
Two dominican conditioners (aloe vera based)
Kiehls (can't remember which one)

I can't remeber the rest, but there are many. Natural conditioners dry my hair out the least, but they all dry it out to some degree.

 

[sweetcocoa]

Welcome. It is hard to find just moisturizing conditioners.
What are you currently using?

 

[beana3]

Hmm.. you listed some very moisturizing condits. I was going to rec lekair cholesterol or Pantene smooth and sleek.. but these dont work well for you.

All i can think of is Elucence moisture balancing condit (i liked it a lot)
Mizani moisturfuse (many women here like this)
Kercare humecto (which i personally didn't care for, but it generates mostly raves)

 

[karezone]

Just try doing oil treatments. That way you are guaranteed that there isn't any protein in it.

 

[sassygirl125]

I can't think of a conditoner that doesn't have any protein in it...

IMO, your problem might have more to do with your hard water. Check the recent threads about rinsing and spraying with distilled water. And earlier threads on shower filters.

I am transitioning to natural hair. At first my hair looked and felt like a cheap bath mat!

After I got a shower filter (the Aquasana AQ-4100) and some products that were better suited for my hair, my hair was soft and fluffy instead of being hard and dry and clumped up on my head.

Edited to add:
Try an acv rinse, too.