5 Indicators That Your Hair Needs Protein Treatment

I asked my Kid brother, what is protein? He was like “Protein is a body building food, it makes me strong by building my muscle” lol Yeah protein is a body building food and it’s associated with building strong muscle but did you know that our hair is made up of protein? Yes, Our hair is made up of a tough protein called keratin. Not 100% though but Keratin makes up the majority of a hair strand.

Protein deficiency will not only affect our body but also affect our hair health hence maintaining a balanced, protein-rich diet is not only important for formation and repairing of body cells but it’s essential for healthy hair growth. Not consuming enough protein can lead to hair loss. 

What is protein treatment? Why do we need protein treatment if the majority of the substances that make up hair is protein called keratin? I will answer that shortly but before that, read up our recent article if you are aiming to have longer hair. 

Strategy for longer hair from Atlanta Hairstylist

What is Protein Treatment For Hair?

Why do we need protein treatment if the majority of the substances that make up hair is protein called keratin? Keratin can be broken down or depleted due to over-styling your hair, pollution, coloring and constantly applying heat or chemicals to it. So protein treatment is simply the process of replacing the damaged protein in our hair.

According to the The Right Hairstyle, “A protein treatment for hair is a product loaded with a protein that hair can easily absorb, and it works to strengthen and repair the keratin. It can either be a treatment you purchase from a beauty store, or a homemade protein treatment. A protein hair treatment will work to repair hair strands by attaching hydrolyzed proteins to the hair cuticle and hardening the cuticle layer. If there are holes in the hair cuticle, protein treatment will patch up these gaps and place a barrier around the hair shaft to lessen future damage. This way, it works to strengthen and repair your severely damaged hair.”

5 Indicators That Your Hair Needs Protein Treatment

1. Hair Shedding: Losing 100 strands of hair per day is normal according to experts but are we supposed to count how many strands of hair we lose per day to know when it has exceeded the normal rate? Nope, I mean that would be crazy, don’t you think so? But intuitively, we know when our hair is shedding! We know when we are losing excessive hair. Excessive shedding can be a warning sign that your hair lacks protein. Especially, if you find that you’re losing hair that isn’t coming from the root (has a white bulb at the end), then it’s a sign you’re experiencing hair breakage and need to turn to protein treatment to strengthen the hair.
2. Hair Weakness: Another way to know if your hair needs protein treatment is to observe the following signs;  limp, droopy, thin or falling out, Split ends, extreme dryness or excessive oiliness can all be signs of weak hair. Hair grows from the hair follicles. Strong hair roots allow hair follicles to complete their growth cycle and then shed. Due to various physical, chemical and hormonal factors, the hair roots become weak, making the hair strands brittle, which leads to increased hair fall and breakage.
3. Loss of Elasticity: If your hair breaks or doesn’t return to its natural shape when stretched, it has lost its elasticity. Hair elasticity refers to your hair’s natural stretch; a healthy hair ought to return to its natural shape when stretched hence loss of elasticity is a sign that your hair needs protein treatment. While moisturizing your hair is important, moisture and protein needs to be in equilibrium(they need to be balanced). Hence, loss of elasticity can also be a consequence of over-moisturizing the hair. 
4. Gummy or Sticky Feels: Another tell-tale sign that your hair needs protein treatment is when your hair feels gummy or sticky. A gummy or sticky hair means that your hair is experiencing internal support system damage. A sticky hair could also be secondary to product residue, dandruff, infrequent shampooing, and/or substitution with dry shampoo. 
5. Protein treatment is also essential for color-treated hair. Color-treated hair is susceptible to damage hence implementing protein treatment can help minimize the damage. 

What Does Protein Treatment Really Do? 

The major function of protein treatment is to reconstruct and strengthen hair strands by creating a layer of protection between your hair’s cuticle and external factors like heat, chemicals from hair styling products, pollution and other things that can damage the hair. According to The Right Hairstyles,  “A protein hair treatment will work to repair hair strands by attaching hydrolysed proteins to the hair cuticle and hardening the cuticle layer. If there are holes in the hair cuticle, protein treatment will patch up these gaps and place a barrier around the hair shaft to lessen future damage. This way, it works to strengthen and repair your severely damaged hair.”

According to Morale Ocain, Master Cosmetologist and the founder of The Hair Debate, “When you start experiencing all these signs: shedding, curl pattern, hair splitting and as well as your hair starting to feel weak. That’s an indicator that you need to create a strategy and the strategy will look like a protein treatment every six weeks. We are not talking about a cream base protein conditioner; we are talking about a liquid base protein re-constructor. With the influence protein re-constructor( that’s what I use), you have to go and see a hair care provider in order to get that” She adds, “ the influence protein re-constructor  is too concentrated for clients to purchase. It can only be administered by professionals” 

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