Protein Protein and more

Not all home made protein treatments are equal, I know for a fact that hydrolyzed proteins penetrate my hair simply because of the size of the protein, it's much smaller. Traditional homemade treatments of eggs, mayonnaise, yoghurt, and avocados contain proteins that are far to big to penetrate the hair so they merely coat the hair and give it a nice shine.

What is a hydrolyzed protein? It's a protein that has being broken down into component amino acids, this is achieved either by prolonged boiling in acid or using enzymes, this effectively makes the amino acids smaller than those you get from eggs, yoghurt or avocados. I first heard about hydrolyzed protein from a +My Natural Sistas video and I couldn't wait to get my hands on bottle to add to my treatments, unfortunately not a single store or online store in Johannesburg sold hydrolyzed protein.

my own gelatin mix

When a friend asked me if it was true that if you added gelatin to your shampoo it would make you hair grow I knew I had found my Hydrolyzed Protein, I quickly checked ingredients of the gelatin in my pantry, and wouldn't you know it, all this time I was searching the internet and it was sitting in my cupboard the whole time. GELATIN is a hydrolyzed protein made from animal based protein, you can only imagine how excited I was. I started with what was the  simplest treatment I have ever done, which was to dissolve 10g of gelatin to 1/2 a cup hibiscus infused water and VOILA I had a pretty awesome protein re-constructor treatment.

For the method, I borrowed from the Aphogee 2 step Protein treatment, here is what I did:

1. Clarify your hair, I used Apple Cider Vinegar, clarifying is important as it raises the cuticles on your  hair so that the protein can adhere to the hair

2. Apply the gelatin mix, as soon as you put it on your hair you can feel your hair immediately start to get coarse and almost brittle, it can be a bit messy so apply as quickly as possible, it is extremely important that you DO NOT MANIPULATE your hair as it is drying as this could cause major breakage. Sit under a hooded dryer or use you hair dryer to completely dry the hair. Do not be alarmed this will harden the hair and it will feel as if you are wearing a helmet.

3.Deep Condition your hair, I used Tresemme Naturals Aloe and Avocado and warm Honey,  I kept the deep condition on for at least two hours

RESULTS 
I find this to be a much better treatment than eggs and mayonnaise my hair always feels much stronger after the treatment and there is 70% less shedding. I have tried the traditional home made protein treatments, yes my hair had a nice shine and bounce to it but that quickly faded after the first wash.

I have also used the Aphogee Protein treatment and I am a huge fan, of course it is a professional treatment that has being tested and has the right balance of everything, but I can say with confidence that my gelatin mix comes pretty close.

NB: Before you do any protein treatment on your hair it is important that you do a strand test to check whether, you have any protein sensitivity, not everyone can actually handle excessive proteins on their hair and it could actually damage your hair.

Do you use protein treamtents? What are your favorite mixes? Please comment below and let me know! 

Xxx

Isabel