Signs Your Hair Needs a Protein Treatment

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Dianne Austin

Dianne is the co-founder of Natural Haircare News and Coils To Locs.com. She's been blogging about natural hair ever since she made the decision to break free of the creamy crack in 2012.

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Does your hair need a protein treatment?

Even if you wear your hair 100% natural and you shun any styling method that involves the use of heat or harmful chemicals, your daily care routine can still chip away at the outer layer of your curls. A protein treatment will re-invigorate hair by repairing damages to the outer layer or cuticle.

Treat your hair with protein if you notice any of the following signs:

Your hair is too dry. Black hair is prone to dryness, it’s true, but healthy curly and kinky hair still feels soft to the touch. Dry, damaged hair looks and feels like seaweed when wet and feels rough like a wire sponge when dry.

Your hair lost its elasticity. Healthy hair won’t break easily when stretched. You can test the elasticity of your hair. When your hair is wet, stretch it to see if it will snap back easily without breaking. If your hair springs back easily without breaking, that means you have healthy hair. If it breaks easily when you stretch it, your hair is lacking in protein.

Serious hair breakage. Everyone experiences hair breakage on a daily basis and you may have noticed hair on your comb or brush as you detangle. That’s normal. But if you see hair everywhere like on your pillow, on your dress, on the back of your seat, and there’s way too many strands caught in your brush or comb, then that is an indication of weak hair.

A protein treatment can help eliminate any of these signs but if your hair is really damaged i.e. due to over processing or using too many chemicals on your hair, regular protein treatments can only do so much. Adding protein can prevent too much shedding but cutting off the severely damaged hair and encouraging new and healthier hair growth is still the best solution.

When using protein treatments, it is important to note that protein must be balanced with moisture because too much protein will cause hair to dry out.

Author: Pamela

“Changing attitudes about natural hair” is what we do at Natural Haircare News. Through informative articles, podcasts and videos, we go beyond just sharing the latest advice and tips on kinky, curly, wavy haircare – We shake things up and focus on the realities of wearing our hair natural.