Whether bleaching or straightening, washing too often or brushing too roughly, most of us are guilty of doing at least one thing to challenge the condition of our hair. While a traditional hair mask remains the shortcut to strands that shine, when your hair fibre is more than simply a little thirsty, it pays to up the reparative action and invest in a protein treatment.
Your hair really needs two things in order to look its very best: moisture and protein. While the hair masks of old largely focused on the former, there’s now a host of treatments out there that tackle the latter, working to strengthen and repair strands that have been put through the wringer.
Protein Vs Moisture
But which should you invest in? Chances are, you’ll benefit from both. As hair needs moisture and protein to stay strong, the best move is to stick a formula that ticks each box on your shelf, alternating applications accordingly.
The key difference between protein and moisture-based hair treatments is that they were created to address different needs. Moisture-based treatments are designed to hydrate and add moisture back into the hair, ultimately improving elasticity and reducing the chance of breakage. Protein-based treatments are formulated to strengthen by adding protein onto the hair shaft, creating a protective barrier around the strand.
While the most potent protein treatments are best reserved for use in-salon (if you see a stylist for colour, they’ll likely recommend one to you), there’s now a host of supporting formulas on the market for using at home.
If you’re struggling with dry, damaged hair, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether you need a protein treatment or moisture mask. Typically, if you’re dealing with dryness, frizz, or overall lack of elasticity, you should opt for a moisture-based treatment. These products will restore hydration to the hair shaft and replenish its moisture levels, making the hair feel softer and smoother.
As for protein treatments, you could benefit from adding one in if you’re seeing an increased amount of breakage, split ends, and a brittle feeling. A protein treatment will work to strengthen and restore the hair, lessening the chance of further breakage and split ends. Additionally, if you’re experiencing extreme heat damage, protein treatments do a great job of repairing that damage.
A simple way to work out which your hair needs is to gently pull a single strand of your hair. If it snaps without stretching, you need moisture. But if it stretches too readily and feels akin to chewing gum, you’ll benefit from protein.
It's recommended to stay away from using too many products with protein to avoid protein overload, as this can actually further damage the hair. As at-home protein treatments are generally less potent than those used in salon, most people can benefit from using one every fortnight, then balancing those applications with a moisture mask on alternative weeks.
How Do Protein Treatments Work?
Understanding how a moisture mask works is easy: these rich formulas are packed with humectant and emollient ingredients that add hydration and smooth the surface of each strand, making it feel instantly softer. Protein works differently. In short, your hair is made up of chains of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. When hair is treated with heat or chemicals, these amino acid bonds are put under strain and can break. A protein treatment fills the gaps in roughed-up cuticles, helping them to maintain their strength without snapping.
Did you know that a single hair has a lifespan of about five years. And hair is the second fastest growing tissue in the body after bone marrow. Plus, on average, you shed around 50-150 strands of hair a day!
Hair salon Limoz Logli kindly answered some of our FAQ's...
WHAT’S YOUR BEST SUGGESTION FOR HAIR THAT IS SUPER FINE AND DOESN’T HOLD A CURL?
Our best suggestion is to use heated rollers, second option could be to pin the hair by blow drying with low heat. Generally speaking fine hair doesn’t like many products.
IS THERE ANY WAY TO REPAIR DAMAGED HAIR WITHOUT CUTTING IT ALL OFF?
Hair cannot repair itself, so if your hair is really damaged you will need to have a haircut. However you can maintain the damage and prevent it from getting worse, we would also do a metal detox treatment to remove all the build up.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU USE SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER?
It totally depends on the client’s scalp natural oil. If your hair is coloured (highlights or colour) you will need to use a mask/conditioner every time you wash your hair. Although we would always recommend not to wash your hair too often, this should be kept to a minimum.
IS COCONUT OIL AN ALTERNATIVE TO CONDITIONER OR TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION?
No, coconut oil is a natural product that sit’s on the surface of the cuticle. If you have coloured hair you need to use a more intense product such as moisture and protein. If you have natural hair (no colour or keratin treatments), coconut oil could be an alternative.
HOW SHOULD I COMB MY HAIR WHEN IT’S WET?
Always start from the bottom and work your way up
WHAT HAIRBRUSH DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR SPLIT END PREVENTION?
We would recommend a natural bristle brush.
ANY FURTHER TIPS FOR GROWING HAIR
Like you have mentioned, try to use protein and moisture, protein is going to help strengthen your hair and prevent split ends, moisture is going to leave your hair soft and smooth. If you think you’re losing hair or have very fine hair you can use PRP, (a therapy that uses the patient's own blood to promote healing and hair growth. The platelets in the blood are rich in growth factors and other proteins that are essential for tissue regeneration. When injected into the scalp, these growth factors can stimulate new hair growth and prevent further hair loss).
Or for people who are worried they’re going to loose hair, they can take supplements. The most important thing is that the iron level is normal or in the right direction, if your iron levels are low it can effect the hair condition
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