DIY Protein Treatments for Stronger Natural Hair
Hair is made of protein and protein treatments can help your hair stay healthy and strong. Protein treatments help to strengthen your hair by binding to the keratin in hair.
There is a lot of emphasis on properly moisturizing natural hair within the natural hair community. When I first went natural, I never even considered doing a protein treatment. I didn’t think there would be any benefit for a protein treatment on natural hair.
When I was relaxed, I would use a protein treatment after each relaxer. Since I was no longer chemically altering my hair I assumed my hair didn’t need protein for my hair. The truth is that even natural hair can benefit from protein treatments.
Everyday styling, sun, swimming all damage the hair cuticle. Using protein treatments and other strengthening treatments help to restore strength to natural hair. According to Naturally Curly, protein treatments should be done every 4 to 6 weeks on naturally kinky and curly hair.
Protein Treatments from the Beauty Supply
You can pick up a protein treatment from the beauty supply store and apply it at home. When I was relaxed I used Apogee two-step protein treatment. This stuff has a weird smell to it, and when applied it makes the hair very hard. So You have to follow it up with a moisturizing treatment.
I haven’t tried them but these are a few of the other protein treatments I have seen on the
Market:
Pros: The major benefit of protein treatments from the beauty supply store is that most of the work is already done for you. You simply need to follow the application instructions.
Cons: The downside of beauty supply protein treatments is the price. It is less expensive to make protein treatments at home. If you don’t like the results of a beauty supply protein treatment, you will have to decide if you want to keep the product or throw it away. When you use ingredients that you may already have on hand as protein treatments, you can make one batch and still use the ingredients for other applications.
Homemade Protein & Hair Strengthening Treatments for Natural Hair
Here are 6 Simple Protein & Strengthen Treatments you can make at home. You probably already have some of the ingredients at home. I will talk about a few of the pros & cons of each treatment and hopefully, you will be able to decide which one will work best for you.
Egg & Mayo
Yogurt & Honey
Avocado & Olive Oil
Rice Water
Coconut Oil
Henna
Egg & Mayo Protein Treatment for Natural Hair
There are treatments that you can make at home. There are lots of ingredients in the kitchen that contain protein. One easy protein treatment that you probably already have and your kitchen is the egg and mayonnaise conditioner.
Simply mix one egg with about half a cup of mayonnaise. Apply it to your hair and allow it to sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
When I use conditioners that have food-based ingredients, I like to apply them before I shampoo my hair. It just seems weird to me to put food on my hair and simply rinse it out and then style. I still notice the benefit of this treatment even when it’s applied before washing my hair.
After shampooing I still follow up with a conditioner. If time is short, I just use a regular rinse-out conditioner.
Pros: Quick and Easy Protein Treatment using Ingredients that you probably already have laying around the house.
Cons: Treatment is applied prior to shampooing hair. While it still works on “dirty” hair, I always wondered if it would be more effective on clean hair.
Curly Chemistry is a YouTube channel that is run by a hair chemist. Watch her give the scoop on the effectiveness of protein treatments.
Yogurt & Honey Treatment for Natural Hair
Greek Yogurt contains both protein and fat that are beneficial for Natural Hair. Adding honey to this protein treatment gives it a moisture boost. Honey is a humectant that attracts water into the hair.
According to Naturally Curly, the proteins in Greek Yogurt are able to penetrate the hair shaft.
“There are some proteins in Greek yogurt we buy in the store that are small enough to penetrate the hair shaft. It brings down the pH level and strengthens the hair by way of it smaller proteins, amino acids, lactic acids, and unique lipids from the milk.
PGreek yogurt from the store is perfect to help rebuild the damaged cuticle and strengthen the hair.”
Avocado & Olive Oil
Avocados contain a small number of proteins and also has beneficial nutrients that strengthen natural hair.
According to Healthline
“Avocado is a great source of biotin, and adding this B-complex vitamin back into the diet may help hair to grow more healthily.
found that minerals in avocado oil, including potassium and magnesium, may seal cuticle cells, which can help hair look smooth and shiny and prevent it from breaking.”
Rice Water to Strengthen Natural Hair
Rice water is trending on YouTube. People are loving the benefits and getting great results. I have not yet tried rice water but I hope to in the near future.
According to Medical News Today, rice water contains B Vitamins, Vitamin E and amino acids. Rice is not an abundant source of protein, but amino acids are the building blocks of proteins.