What are the benefits of a protein treatment?

Have you ever heard of protein treatments for hair? Proteins contain amino acids that are essential for strengthening your hair and promoting its growth. But what exactly is a protein treatment? Allow me to tell you more about it

Protein treatments are a temporary solution for cure hair weakness, fast but yet very effective. The hair strands are made out of keratin, a natural hair protein, however is a very delicate protein that can be damaged very easily by heat exposure, like sun exposure or frequent use of blowdryers, curling irons, and flat irons. It can also be damaged due to pollution and chemical treatments.

The whole point of protein treatments is to nourish and strengthen externally your hair, creating a protective layer around the hair strand. It can also help with moisturizing, by getting rid of the dead cells in your scalp and injecting proteins during the treatment, and directly infusing hydrolyzed proteins into your hair follicles, and hardens the cuticles, thereby strengthening your strands.

Another benefit can relate to people with no hair volume, since protein treatments make your hair thicker, longer, and way healthier, adding volume and movement to your hair.

You can prepare your protein treatment at home, buy it from a store, or go to a salon to get it done. However, one thing you need to remember is that your hair can harden or experience breakage if you use these treatments too often or for too long. So you need to assess your hair’s needs and plan your protein treatments accordingly.

How to tell if you need a protein treatment:

There are two different tests that can tell if your hair needs a protein treatment, first is the porosity test, when your hair lacks the protein it gets more porous absorbing water more easily, leading it to break. To test the porosity just take a few strands from your hair and place them in a glass full of water, if the strands sink it means your hair is lacking protein since the holes in the cuticle allow water into the hair. If the strands float a protein treatment is not needed, and indicates low porosity.

The second test is the elasticity test, verifying your hair´s ability to stretch and return without breaking, that just hold a single hair strand and gently stretch it, the lack of protein will cause your hair to break or get severely damaged not returning to its natural structure and form.

There are many different protein treatments products in the Market, just like many DIY recipes, if you don´t wanna spend money the DIY treatments are a great option, however is not guaranteed they will work perfectly. If the results are not what expected go see a hair dermatologist or specialist before getting a professional product or going to a salon.