WHY YOUR HAIR NEEDS A MOISTURE-PROTEIN BALANCE

Helloooooo guys!!!

How’ve you been?? Sorry that this post is a day late – technical difficulties lol. Technology can be so annoying sometimes. I hope you’re all having a great week so far!! We have a long weekend coming up so I’m definitely looking forward to that! Much needed!

So the same way we need balance in all aspects of our lives, we also need balance in our hair! I think I’ve mentioned this before but our hair is made up of a protein called keratin. Therefore, to keep our hair strong, sometimes we need to top up that protein – particularly if you play with or style your hair a lot. Having adequate levels of protein strengthens your hair and fills in any gaps in the hair strands caused by chemical or physical damage. If you relax/texturise/dye your hair or you use a lot of heat in your hair, chances are that your hair will need more protein than people with ‘virgin’ hair. However, too much of a good thing isn’t always so good! Too much protein can cause your hair to get extremely brittle and hard, often resulting in breakage and dryness.

This is where moisture comes in. The moisture softens and conditions the hair to ensure the hair doesn’t break as a result of dryness. If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know I go on about moisture all the time because it’s so important. Our hair is naturally dry so that moisture is key to maintaining a healthy head of hair. Again, you don’t wanna go overboard. Too much moisture will make your hair limp, mushy and unable to hold styles. You need to balance out the two to maintain your hair’s elasticity! For me personally, my hair tends to lack moisture more than it lacks protein so I tend to focus more on moisturising treatments rather than protein ones.

The diagram below accurately sums up what I’m talking about and gives a little overview of how to tell if your hair needs moisture or protein:

So what can you use to restore that moisture-protein balance?

Protein

• For my protein treatments, I love to use the Palmers Coconut Oil Deep Conditioning Protein Pack. They are super cheap, they work quickly and they’re effective! I usually use 2 for my entire head. I use this treatment every 5-6 weeks.
• If you’re the DIY type, you can mix 2 eggs (depending on your length/thickness), olive/coconut oil and honey together and apply it to clean hair. You can also use mayonnaise as it contains eggs. Don’t keep it on for longer than 20 minutes or else it will overload your hair with protein.
• When I need a little protein boost, I use the Aphogee Keratin & Green Tea Restructurizer. I use this only once every 2-3 weeks. After I wash my hair, I spray this on to wet or damp hair before I moisturise and style my hair.
• IMPORTANT: whenever you do a protein treatment, always be sure to follow up with a moisturising treatment to restore softness to your strands.

Moisture

• The number one way to get moisture into your hair is through deep conditioning. I deep condition my hair once a week and I usually use something from Shea Moisture or Crece Pelo – in my opinion, these two companies do the best deep conditioners.
• I also like to steam my hair sometimes, especially when I deep condition my hair. It really allows the moisture to penetrate the strands.
• I also use nourishing creams and moisturisers to really get the moisture into the strands. Some of my faves include Camille Rose Naturals Almond Jai Twisting Butter and the DevaCurl One Condition Original Daily Cream Conditioner.

There we have it guys!! My quick and easy guide to getting that balance. The balance is SO key to having healthy hair and retaining length! Let me know how you get on.

Love,

Tara xXx