This post is a bit late, but I finally had my first (and few) instances of serious protein overload.
For those of you who might not know, hair has to have a healthy balance of moisture and protein in order to feel and look great. My hair usually loves protein, but I overdid it this last time.
Here’s what I did:
- I braided up my hair into sections.
- Shampoo’d while in braids, since I’d used cones to flat iron
- Applied homemade protein treatment to braids
- Rinsed after 15 minutes
- Applied moisturizing DC
- Rinsed after an hour or so
Protein Treatment
I should also mention that my hair was suffering from dryness due to the silicones I use to keep my hair from reverting. My hair felt fine until it dried and then I knew I had a problem. I thought perhaps my hair was just getting back to normal after being straightened. So I cowashed it the next day with a protein based conditioner (which I will be reviewing soon) and the problem got even worse. Bingo!
Protein overload.
Symptoms of protein overload (in my experience):
- unusually dry hair
- brittle, hard hair
- easily tangled…may lead to breakage
To rectify my problem, I washed my hair again and used another deep conditioner, and left it in overnight. This fixed my problem and my hair is back to a healthy balance.
So what you can you do if you’ve got protein overload?
- Avoid protein based products
- Use a moisturizing DC to help restore balance to your hair
One of my first posts on this blog was how I keep my naturally dry hair hair moisturized. I’ve decided that I can expand on this a bit more. So I present to you lovely ladies the second part of this post.
Deep conditioning on dry hair
I know I already mentioned deep conditioning on my last post. But have you tried deep conditioning on dry hair? Think about it. If the hair is clean and has not absorbed water or other products, it can absorb more moisture from your deep conditioner. I’m sure there’s a fancier, more scientific explanation, but there’s mine!
I don’t do this much anymore. Frankly, I hate waiting for my hair to dry these days. However, if you are really hurting for moisture, please give this a shot. I typically do the following:
- Shampoo or rinse hair
- Let hair air dry. Put it up in twists if your hair tangles and knots easily.
- Apply deep conditioner to completely dry or almost dry hair.
- Apply plastic cap/bag and let it sit for an hour or more
You will be blown away by the results. There are a few downfalls of deep conditioning on dry hair, so be warned:
- It will take longer to do your hair with the added step of waiting for your hair to dry
- It may make detangling worst if you let your hair dry naked
- You will use more deep conditioner because your hair will absorb more. Mine is quite thirsty and I use almost double what I use on wet hair.
I remember my mother doing this when I was a little girl. Funny how some of those hair practices keep coming back.
Baggying
When you “baggie” your hair, you are essentially apply a moisturizer of some sort and then putting a plastic cap or bag over it. You can do this overnight or for a few hours. I think I’ve pointed this out in another post before, but Chicoro, author of Grow It! , has a wonderful Baggie Tutorial on her fotki.
The only time I’ve ever done this was with my TWA. In most tutorials you find online, people just baggy their ends while it’s in a ponytail with sandwich bags. Of course you can’t do that if your hair is 2 inches long. I found that it worked just as well with a plastic cap and moisturizer applied to my whole head.
When doing the baggie method, watch out for:
- overmoisturizing. If your hair starts to feel mushy, then you may need to hold off on this for awhile.
- breakage. If you’re doing the bun method, your edges and also where the hair meets the elastic band may suffer. Take care.
- jherri curl jokes. Man, some people are so mean when you wear a plastic cap to bed!
The hair does not need to be wet or even damp, just well moisturized. There’s no need to wash beforehand, just apply your favorite moisturizer to dry hair. You can also seal with an oil if you desire, which leads me to my next point…
Sealing
Sealing is something I tried and then quickly dumped as a newly natural lady. It was just not needed at that point in my hair’s growth. But now I find myself doing it a lot.
Sealing is applying an oil, pomade, or butter following the application of a moisturizer. Think of it as “sealing” moisture into your hair. I also find that it keeps the dreaded single strand knots at bay.
I prefer a light oil when doing this so that my hair doesn’t feel too greasy. Grapeseed and coconut oil are nice choices.
Keneesha Hudson’s Winter Tips for Keeping Curly Hair Happy & Healthy!!
CEO of Urbanbella, the Curly, Kinky, & Wavy Hair Salon and Apothecary
www.urbanbella.com
Keneesha Hudson, CEO of Urbanbella
Hydrate
As the weather starts to cool down curly hair (already prone to dryness) gets even drier due to the crisper hair. Counteract this by increasing hydration hair therapy! Pump up moisture by giving your hair deep treatments more frequently than you normally do. Extremely dry textures can even do daily treatments. It’s also not a bad idea to head to the salon for a professional steam hydration therapy. For an at-home recession friendly (but still spa-worthy) experience, towel wrap your deeply conditioned tresses for 20 minutes after at least every other shampoo before rinsing.
Moisture Rich Products Favorites: Ouidad 12 minute Deep Treatment
Phytokarite
Miss Jessie’s Rapid Recovery
Update Your Look
Everyone loves to rock a new look as the season changes. Try a new play on color by leaning toward the cinnamon and bronze hues. Have 2 to 3 tones foiled in at the salon blending both highlights and low lights for a more natural look. Don’t be afraid to throw a splash or two of honey blonde to pick-up the beautiful colors of the fall season!
Longer Lasting Styles
Cooler weather means that us ladies rockin’ the curls, kinks and waves like to spend less time washing our hair and having to let it air dry. Some of the best ways to avoid this is to “preserve” your style at night and refresh your look each morning. For loose waves, twist hair in large (cigar size) or larger plaits/braids at night. For tighter curls and kinks use clips or bobby pins to secure hair close to the head or twist at night. Remove clips in the morning and fluff hair at the roots. Be sure to use a firm styling gel or styling cream on wash day to help preserve your look. Is your hair prone to frizzies and fly-aways? For dry, loose curls spray a light refresher spay that contains a balance of oil and water and twirl curls with finger to pull frizz together for a defined curl. Tighter curls and kinks need a heavier refresher blend of water and glycerin product to hydrate the ends and then simply finger comb curls to de-frizz.
Product Favorites for Refreshing Curls: Kinky Curly Spiral Spritz – Create Hydration with minimum hold
DevaCurl Set It Free
Jane Carter Solution Revitalizing Leave-In Spray
CURLS Quenched Curls- Use daily or alone as a second day curl refresher
Scalp
The cool crispy winter air is a trigger for scalp problems for those who typically never have to worry about scalp issues and it is torture season for the rest of us who battle with it all year long! Before the temperature dips from low to lower, start a regimen of regular scalp treatments. Treatments like these balance out the scalp flora preventing fungus and also provide excellent hydration. Use a good blend of essential oils such as Phytopolliene or Jane Carter Solution Scalp Renew prior to shampoo and your seasonal dry scalp with be a thing of the past. For the flaky, itchy dry scalp, pump up the treatment by using Phytosquame or Jane Carter Solution Scalp Nourishing Serum. These potions exfoliate the scalp and eliminate flakes associated with eczema, psoriasis, and cradle cap, all conditions aggravated by the dry fall and winter air.
Contents copyright 2009, Urbanbella. All rights reserved.
Mahisha Dellinger, curly hair expert and creator of the CURLS (www.curls.biz) natural/organic line offers some End of Summer Hair Tips and an At-Home Milk & Honey Tress Smoothie Treatment to bring those dull tresses back to life. Along with those hot summer months comes the daily assault of taxing chlorine compounds, drying sea salt, and damaging sun rays – not to mention all of the havoc everyone does to their hair from daily styling. If there is a time to be extra gentle on hair, it is now. Chlorine and salt water both dry, discolor, and damage hair. Chlorine binds to the hairs cuticle layer, stripping it of its natural protein, and fills in gaps in the hair shaft with its damaging chemicals. Mineral deposits in salt water make hair brassy and brittle. Both, chlorine and salt water severely dehydrates hair. Imagine how these elements affect delicate curly, kinky, wavy, natural and/or relaxed hair which tends to be much drier than straight hair.
Here are SIX of Mahisha’s summertime tips to help put damaged, split, brittle, frizzy hair at bay!
1. Before entering a pool, lake, ocean, or any body of water, drench your hair with water and apply a coat of conditioner to protect and coat the hair. See below – Mahisha’s At-Home Milk & Honey Tress Smoothie (a pre and post conditioner). Made from pure coconut milk, avocado, olive oil and honey, this delectable delight will fill up the gaps in your hair shaft and act as a barrier from the chlorinated water.
2. Immediately after swimming in chlorinated or salt water, purify your curls with a clarifying shampoo. CURLS Pure Curls Clarifying Shampoo was formulated to rid the hair of these curl killing chemicals. It is the ideal summer cleanser to gently, and effectively remove chlorine. Pineapple extract nourishes as grapefruit extract adds sheen while removing buildup from unwanted chemicals. Follow up with a deep conditioner.
3. Over-shampooing and under-conditioning are common culprits to dry and frizzy hair…especially in the summer months. Shampooing more than 1x a week is not recommended on naturally curly hair. On “shampoo-less” days, simply do a conditioning rinse – rinse hair to remove styling products (this is when using the right products that are water soluble come in). Apply an ample amount of your favorite Conditioner (CURLS Curl Ecstasy Hair Conditioner), comb through, rinse, and proceed with styling. Doing so will pump much needed moisture back into your hair without stripping away essential nutrients, rinse away unnecessary dirt and oil, and give you a fresh, clean start.
4. Avoid products that contain synthetic oils such as mineral and/or petrolatum oil, as they sit on the hair, blocking out moisture further dehydrating your hair. Also avoid products that contain drying alcohol, such as hair spray, mousse and some gels. Instead, opt for a curl creams and lotions.
5. Pay special attention to the ends of your hair; after all, they are the oldest part of the hair. Mix a bit of a conditioner with a natural oil, apply, and comb through ends; leave in for extra protection.
6. Hydrate curls DAILY…this is very important! Quenched Curls Moisturizer is excellent as it softens the hair, eases comb ability, moisturizes and conditions, preps it for the next step, and leaves a little goodness behind. This product can be used daily under any styling product you use. Consider this “underwear for your hair. It is a great “2nd day hair” reviver as it tames “bed head.”
Mahisha’s At-Home Milk & Honey Tress Smoothie – Pre/Post Swim Treatment
- 1 can of pure coconut milk (rich moisturize - hydrates, conditions and de-frizzes hair)
- 1 ripe avocado (natural source of protein – chlorine robs the hair of protein)
- 2 tablespoons of pure honey (conditions and adds sheen)
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil (hydrophobic oil that acts as a barrier to chlorine and salt water)
Directions:
Add ingredients to blender. Mix at high speed until your concoction reaches a smoothie consistency. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
You can warm up your hair smoothie in the microwave before next application.
Instructions for Use:
- Section hair into 4 segments.
- Generously apply evenly to hair, from root to ends concentrating on ends…as they are the most prone to damage.
- Smooth hair into a protective style (e.g. braided ponytail, or bun).
- Enjoy your day at the pool, lake, or ocean!
I plan to do a more indepth review on this book once I finish it completely, but here are a couple of tips I read in it about hair and diet. I am working on doing a major diet overhaul (or rather I’m working on getting back to the way I used to eat) and am adding the extra incentive of the effects of a healthy diet on hair.
- Foods that contain the fat DHA-omega-3 make your hair and skin look healthier and younger. Here is a pretty good article that mentions foods that are high in that fat. Mostly though it’s fish.
- Each hair follicle has its own blood supply which is why diet is so important
- There is a strong connection between eating animal fat and male balding. It causes an increase in DHT, which is a product of the metabolism of testosterone. DHT shrinks hair follicles.
- Caffeine has been shown to decrease DHT levels. The book recommends getting it via green tea which slows DHT levels.
- B group vitamins are good supplements for healthy hair. B vitamins can also be absorbed from foods like beans, peas, carrots, cauliflower, and eggs.
Here‘s a link to the book on Amazaon.
Raw, unrefined shea butter at room temperature
One of the first things I ran out to get upon becoming a newly natural (once I got some senes and did some research 
) was shea butter. Unfortunately for me, the local wholefoods grocery store was always out of raw, unrefined shea butter. I finally caught one last container of it after weeks of wait.
It took me awhile to learn to use it in a way that works for me, but once I did, it became a staple for me. No matter what products I try, I always come back to shea butter for my twists.
Here are a few facts about shea butter:
- Obtained from the nut of the shea tree found in Africa
- Rich in beat carotene and Vitamin E
- Is a deep, penetrating moisturizer for the skin and hair
- Offers sun protection factor of 6
- Increases local capillary circulation
- helps healing bruises
- solidifies at 70 degrees (F)
- Is said to lighten dark spots, such as liver spots
I use only raw unrefined shea butter as it is the least processed type without fragrance added. It can be any color from cream to greyish. If it’s creamy white then you have the most proccessed kind. The fragrance is very natural smelling. I didn’t like it at first but now it smells fine to me, though I will add my beloved peppermint essential oil to it. It does have a shelf life of about 12-18 months, or at least the brand I use does. However, it’s rare that it makes is past 2 months around my house (8 oz jar).
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My shea butter, from Moutain Rose Herbs
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I have used it on my scalp to soothe as well as my skin. It is a bit greasy feeling at first but absorbs and leaves my hair and scalp feeling soft and moisturized. It’s a solid, but melts very easily between the fingers. I will sometimes microwave it a bit to soften it though. And very often I will whip it with a hand blender until it’s creamy.
A lot of health food, beauty supply stores and drug stores carry shea butter. If you can’t find it locally, there are a lot of online vendors.
I only use shea butter on twists, my main protective style, but another hair blogger, CurlyNikki, suggests using it to smooth down edges. I’ve tried this along with a scarf and it does indeed work better than gels for me, and it’s a lot better for your edges than gel (however nothing will replace my beloved Almond Glaze for my edges).
Shea butter gives me a lovely shine as well. I like to add jojoba oil, aloe vera gel and other fragrant oils to it. There are a lot of recipes out there, if you are looking to be a mixtress. Here is a recipe that a lot of people like:
MoeSheAloe Recipe
References and sites you might want to check out:
Beauty by Nature By Brigitte Mars
WIkipedia article -Shea butter
Treasure Locs Shea butter info
