Protein or moisture?

Hi there! Welcome to Carefree Curls.

In this post, I will explain how to tell when your hair needs protein & when it needs moisture.
Generally, high porosity hair needs a lot of moisture, and fine hair needs a lot of protein (if you don't know your porosity or texture, click here).
   High porosity hair tends to need more moisture because it absorbs moisture quickly but also releases it quickly. Fine hair usually needs more protein because it's thinner & weaker than coarse hair.

An easy way to tell if your hair needs protein is if your hair is very stretchy or weak. Take a shed strand of hair and see how much you can stretch it without it snapping. If it stretches a lot & your hair feels weak, it probably needs protein; if it snaps quickly & your hair feels dry or straw-like, it probably needs moisture; if it stretches a little and then snaps, you probably have a good balance of moisture & protein. Usually, if you don't have enough of one or the other, your hair will be frizzy. My hair tends to begin feeling more limp when it needs more protein.

If your hair needs protein, you should probably do a PT (protein treatment). A quick, simple, and cheap way to give your hair a PT is gelatin. It sounds a little weird, I know, but give it a chance! Here is a link to the recipe for a DIY protein treatment with gelatin: [link]
Of course, if you'd rather not put gelatin in your hair, you can always grab a protein treatment product. There are other ways to do DIY protein treatments as well, but I have no experience with them. :)

If it needs moisture, I suggest doing a DT (deep treatment). Here's what I do for a DT: [link]


I hope this helped you understand the difference between needing protein & needing moisture! :)

-CK


What do you do for a PT/DT? Post a comment and share your experience!