Find out the importance of protein in black hair care

To understand why black hair requires protein treatments, you must first understand what the purpose of protein in the hair is. Hair is made up of Keratin a kind of protein. When hair undergoes any chemical service or is damaged by misuse of heat tools, protein is lost hence the hair loses some its elasticity or strength.

By using products that contain protein in them, you improve the hair’s elasticity and strength properties. Very curly and kinky hair tends to be dry and quite fragile even in its natural state. With the addition of relaxers or colour services, the hair tends to become weaker. Using a protein based conditioner improves the health of the hair immensely and should be applied to any regimen.

Depending on the kind of protein used in the hair product it can perform a variety of functions. Here are some examples:

Hydrolyzed Human Hair Keratin – This is the most potent of the proteins and matches the keratin in hair exactly. It keeps the hair pliable and strong.

Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein – The protein has been broken down so it can penetrate all layers of the hair better and as such is excellent for deep conditioning. It also keeps the hair pliable and strong.

Silk Protein – Silk is the strongest natural fibres and has very small molecules that can penetrate the hair shaft. It is excellent for deep conditioning as it’s known to soften the hair.

Animal Protein – This will generally just coat the hair shaft and repair damage on the outer layers.

Vegetable Protein – This absorbs more easily into the hair without leaving any build up on the hair shaft.

Wheat Protein – Used in many conditioning products, this is a moisturizing and strengthening protein which also improves the hair’s ability to maintain moisture levels.

Collagen Protein – This increases the elasticity of the hair.

Protein treatments range from relatively light to quite strong. The light proteins include protein shampoos and conditioners and protein reconstructors. They can safely be used weekly without adversely affecting the hair. A good light protein is Motions CPR Protein Reconstructor. Strong proteins on the other hand are neither shampoos nor conditioners. Their sole purpose is to impart protein to the hair so they are referred to as protein treatments. Good examples are Aphogee 2 Step Protein Treatment and Nexxus Emergencee. These should only ever be used when extreme breakage is being experienced or where breakage is anticipated e.g. before a chemical service. Their recommended use is every 6-8 weeks and should always be followed up with a moisturizing conditioner. See the article on how to choose a conditioner.

Find out how to soften kinky and curly hair with this all natural treatment

The caramel treatment is a product in the E’tae product line. Boasting an all natural line up of ingredients from honey, bananas to olive oil, this product delivers in its ability to seriously soften and hydrate the driest and roughest hair textures. It helps people who relax their hair to ‘stretch’ their relaxer for longer periods and helps people with natural hair by softening its texture for easier detangling and manageability.

The results of the caramel treatment are not permanent; they last for up to 4 weeks so should be reapplied monthly for continued benefits. Many report ‘loosening’ of hair texture as well as less shrinkage after the treatment but this is likely due to the added weight of the product as well as the increased moisture levels in the hair. For this reason, the caramel treatment is excellent for helping to straightening the natural hair as it takes less heat to get smoother results as well as better moisture retention.

No doubt the product is excellent but due to its perishable nature (no preservatives are used), the price tag for monthly treatments can become quite unappealing. Most of the ingredients in the product can be found in many average kitchens so making your own caramel treatment seems a more attractive approach for those who wish to use it on a regular basis.

By understanding the purpose of each ingredient, you can adjust the recipe every time you make it depending on your hair’s needs.

Honey – An excellent humectant good for moisture
Olive Oil – For lubrication and helps with moisture retention
Bananas – Good for moisture and some protein benefits as well
Molasses (Treacle) – Another excellent humectant with some protein benefits
Water – This is the best natural moisturizer and is used to thin the mixture
Apple Cider Vinegar – For the shine it imparts to the hair
Cornstarch – For thickening purposes
Wheat germ oil – For added strength and lubrication

Here outlined is a simple recipe based on the ingredients above:

Honey – 6 tablespoons
Olive Oil – 6 tablespoons
Bananas – 2-3 overripe and very soft
Molasses (Treacle) – 3 tablespoons
Water – 4-6 tablespoons
Apple Cider Vinegar – 1 tablespoon
Cornstarch – 1-2 tablespoons depending on how thick you want the mixture to be
Wheat germ oil – 1 teaspoon – This can be substituted for any other natural oil of your choice

• Place all the ingredients except for the water into a blender and process until smooth. You may need to add the water bit by bit if it looks too dry.
• To ensure that there are no bits of banana in the mixture, sieve it through a fine sieve.
• Pour the mixture into a saucepan and put it on a medium heat while stirring constantly. You don’t want to ‘cook’ the mixture but you want the cornstarch to cause it to thicken and this will take just moments. You may need to add more water to thin it down if it gets too thick or add a bit more cornstarch if it is still too runny. You want to end up with a caramel coloured mixture that is the consistency of a thick batter. If the mixture is too thin it will start dripping from your hair as soon as you apply it.
• Decant the mixture into a container, depending on the length of your hair it will likely be enough for two applications.

To apply, divide the hair into 3-4 sections and clip. Starting with 1 section, part the hair and apply on the roots generously rubbing in with your fingers. Once applied on the roots of the section, apply the mixture all the way to the ends. Complete all sections in this manner and once done, cover the hair with a plastic cap. Let the mixture sit in your hair for 1-2 hours or overnight for really dry hair.

Wash hair with a sulfate free shampoo, deep condition and style as usual. You can freeze the remainder until you are ready to use it. The treatment is suitable for both natural and relaxed hair.

Also see the article about The Coconut And Lime Treatment For Natural Black Hair

Treat your hair and scalp to a shop bought or home made hot oil treatment

Daily brushing, overuse of heated hair styling tools and dry weather conditions can take its toll on hair. The effect on black hair is even more pronounced due to its inherent nature of being dry to begin with! Giving your hair a hot oil treatment is one of the best ways to nurse dry, brittle hair back to health. It is also a great treatment for dry scalp conditions and dandruff and you also cannot ignore the incredible shine this treatment imparts to the hair!

There are various recipes for hot oil treatments but for a homemade version, it should just depend on what you’ve got at home but you may want to buy a few extra natural oils to incorporate into your mix.

Here’s a quick and easy hot oil treatment to give your tresses a new lease of life:

• Add 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive oil to a microwaveable bowl and add to it 3 tablespoons of Canola oil. You can also add a few drops of essential oils into the mix for fragrance but this is optional.
• Stir the mixture and heat on high in the microwave for a minute or two until warm. You want the mixture to be warm but not piping hot!
• Wet the hair slightly so that it’s damp but not soaking. Section the hair into 4 or more sections for ease of application. Apply the mixture evenly from root to tip and massage generously into the scalp. This is especially helpful if you suffer from dandruff.
• Once the oil is applied to all the hair cover with a plastic cap and apply a warm towel over the top. Let the oil sit in your hair for about 30 minutes to allow for maximum penetration.
• Follow this up with 1-2 lathers of a mild shampoo
• Proceed to deep condition the hair as normal.

The hair should never be left feeling coated or weighed down, just thoroughly moisturized. The health and strength of the hair will improve greatly with continued use of the hot oil treatment. You may also add the oils to your favourite conditioner as a pre-shampoo treatment for your hair. The oils counter the effects of sulphate containing drying shampoo so that the hair is not left feeling stripped after the wash.

As a rule of thumb, a hot oil treatment should be used once per month for black hair to ensure the moisture balance of the hair is maintained. Hair with the correct moisture balance will have more elasticity hence length retention, which in the long run leads to long luscious locks!

Discover this technique of temporarily straightening natural hair with no damage to the hair structure

If you have natural black hair chances are that you are already in love with your texture and wouldn’t change it for the world. As well it should be! But like anyone else, you don’t mind the occasional bout of ‘the grass is greener on the other side’ and would like to change your look temporarily.

If you have natural very curly/kinky hair, particularly 4a/b hair types, you will appreciate that it will take more heat to get ‘relaxer straight’ results when you flat iron your hair. The downfall of using too much heat on your hair is that it may damage it irreparably i.e. burn it straight! Nobody wants to risk the health of their hair for the sake of straight locks for a week. An alternative is required.

This is where the coconut and lime ‘relaxer’ could help you. The ‘straightening’ effect achieved is most noticeable in slightly wavy hair. In African American (black) hair, the results are more subtle and with continued application, it results in loosening or elongating the curl pattern which makes heat styling much easier. This technique is by no means new; it has been used for years by Asian women to straighten their curly hair safely without the use of chemicals.

The original recipe involves mixing coconut juice with the lime juice and leaving in the fridge overnight until a cream forms on top. This cream is then applied to the hair and left for a few hours then rinsed off. The remainder of the mixture is then discarded. The main issue with this recipe is that even though the coconut milk with solidify slightly when put in the fridge, the natural heat from your body once applied to the hair will make it runny again and you may find that a lot of the treatment will end up running down your face and neck! Another problem is the wastage involved as only a small percentage of the coconut milk is being used.  The recipe below is a version of the original allowing both for the dryness of natural black hair with minimum wastage of the ingredients.  Here’s how to make the treatment:

1 tin of coconut milk

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons of lime juice

2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch

Empty the coconut milk into a saucepan add the extra virgin olive oil and whisk until well blended.  Coconut milk varies in consistency by brand so depending on how thin the mixture in the saucepan is, add 2-3 tablespoons in a separate bowl and mix this with the lime juice until the mixture is lump free then add to the coconut milk & olive oil mixture. Put the saucepan over a medium heat whisking constantly. The purpose is not to cook the mixture but to activate the cornstarch which will thicken the mixture to a ‘conditioner’ type consistency. This should take a couple of minutes. If you find the mixture is still too thin then add a bit more cornstarch or if you get a brand of coconut milk that that is very thick to begin with, you may omit the corn starch altogether.

Apply the mixture to your hair in sections to ensure it is evenly covered. Cover with a plastic cap then under a steam cap for ½ hour to an hour. If you don’t have a steam cap but you have a hooded dryer, read this article on how to give your hair a steam treatment without a steam cap.

Depending on the length and thickness of you hair, the mixture will be enough for 1-2 applications. Place any remaining treatment into a plastic jar/container and freeze until you require it next.

Proceed to shampoo the mixture out of your hair thoroughly then proceed to deep condition as usual with an ultra moisturizing conditioner. Remember, the final rinse should be done with cold/lukewarm water to close the hair cuticles and seal in the moisture.

Roller set your hair with only a glycerine containing product like S Curl along with some heat protectant for the softest results. Sit under a dryer for up to 90 minutes or until the hair is thoroughly dry. To complete the look flat iron the hair in sections with one swipe on a medium heat (you will not need much heat to get your hair straight). Style as desired.

Many ladies think that they are protein sensitive. Are they denying their hair the necessary strength it needs to retain growth?

Protein sensitivity is a sometimes controversial but always a hot topic in hair care. Simply put, protein sensitivity is when hair will overreact in the presence of protein making it dry and brittle and more prone to breakage. On the other hand, in the presence of constant protein, ALL hair will behave this way, so how can you tell if you are actually protein sensitive or if you’ve simply been using too much protein conditioner?

It’s amazing how quickly people will declare themselves protein sensitive before looking at the facts. Recently a dear friend mentioned that she thought that she was protein sensitive. Her reason for this was that she had recently done an Aphogee two step protein treatment and her hair had turned out hard and brittle. On touching her hair, I could see that she was right. She said that she’d followed the instructions on the bottle and deep conditioned straight after. I couldn’t think of why her hair would react like this when it usually responded really well to protein conditioners. I then asked her what she had used to deep condition after the Aphogee and it turn out that she had used her favourite protein conditioner as “her hair always felt lovely after it”!

That was the problem. She had effectively done a double protein treatment! Instead of following up the Aphogee with a moisturizing conditioner, she had cancelled out the positive effects of the first protein treatment by adding more protein on top of it! I recommended that she co-wash her hair with a moisturizing conditioner every other day for the next week or two and also reduce manipulation until her hair returned to normal.

Now maybe the above is an extreme example of someone getting it completely wrong on protein sensitivity. There are ladies who may use a regular protein conditioner which then causes an adverse effect on their hair but without trying a different brand protein conditioner, can they be sure that this is protein sensitivity or just a conditioner that did not agree with their hair?

Are you protein sensitive? Happily, this is a question that many curly haired ladies don’t need to answer. Protein does nothing but good things for our hair which craves the structure that protein provides to hold on to moisture that our hair needs. However, there are curly haired ladies who’s hair genuinely hates protein and as such they should continue with the moisturizing conditioners maybe every once in a while using light natural protein treatments like yoghurt or molasses.

There are some ladies however who are unsure if they are protein sensitive or not. Some days, their hair will ‘behave’ after a protein conditioner or treatment but sometimes, they get the dreaded dryness.

To answer the question, protein sensitivity is likely to occur when the subject is getting a good amount of protein in their diet and their bodies are efficient at using said protein. It’s likely that many of us have come across a person, male or female who’s nails grow long and strong naturally without any hardeners. Those people have bodies which are efficient at utilizing the protein that they are getting from their diet. In this instance, if they tried to use nail hardener, their nails would start breaking due to having too much protein and the same may be true for their hair. Protein conditioners in their case would likely be detrimental.

If you are this person who’s nails are naturally hard and strong and your hair also happens to overreact to protein conditioners, then it’s very likely that you are protein sensitive.

This is not a hard and fast rule but rather a guideline in proclaiming protein sensitivity. If your nails grow soft without much structure and break easily then clearly your body is not efficient at using the protein it gets or you are likely not getting enough protein in your diet. However, if at the same time your hair overreacts to a protein conditioner, the best thing to do would be to try another protein conditioner to see if that helps. If not and you are convinced that your hair is protein sensitive, then concentrate on moisturizing conditioners but increase the amount of protein in your diet.