PROTEIN IS MY FRIEND

[Patricia]

So i flatironed my hair and it feels really good. The silk remedy was a little heavy... but ive never used a heat protectnt before so maybe this is normal .. idk it feels good though.
Dry and still a 10

Girl I'm so happy for you and your new found staple. I used it and liked it but I still had to use my joico kpak for strength.

 

[jreagins]

Girl I'm so happy for you and your new found staple. I used it and liked it but I still had to use my joico kpak for strength.

Really?!?! See, different strokes for different folks. My hair laughs at Kpak. I'm so glad that the importance of the balance was brought to light! YAY!

 

[joyandfaith]

I'm about to get in the shower and do a wash and then some Aphogee 2 min reconstructor. I can't wait! This stuff is one of my absolute faves. It leaves the hair so strong and soft. I'm pre-poo/DCing now with a mixture of Mahabringaraj (sp) and Alter Ego Garlic Conditioning Treatment.

 

[gissellr78]

Hey ya'll today I did aphogee 2 minute reconstructor for like 10 minutes with heat and I also did a roux moisture recovery protein pack....I loved it !!!

Oh and I deep conditioned for like an hour with pantene relaxed and natural dc mask!!!!

 

[KeraKrazy]

ummm I'm a little late but can I join? this is exactly what my fine hair needs I switched my protein treatments to once a month from weekly and my already fine hair just got thinner and thinner. I then added baggying and it was all over. I'm ready to get back on track

 

[november wind]

It's official. I found out that everytime I clean my hair, there has to be some protein involved or else breakage city! Grrrr!!

 

[IndianAngel22]

Checking in for my weekly update. I'm not using a protein conditioner this week. RIght now I'm sitting with KeraCare for itchyscalp in my head, but I'm still going to use my Aphogee pro-vitamin leave in, and my Aphogee Green Tea Restructerizer. I use that every week anyway but I wanted to try to put more moisture in my hair after that Henna last week. This KeraCare is nice and tingly! I used to think KeraCare was for "old people" but I think I might like it. Will update.

 

[Patricia]

I'm about to get in the shower and do a wash and then some Aphogee 2 min reconstructor. I can't wait! This stuff is one of my absolute faves. It leaves the hair so strong and soft. I'm pre-poo/DCing now with a mixture of Mahabringaraj (sp) and Alter Ego Garlic Conditioning Treatment.

Sounds good. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Patricia]

ummm I'm a little late but can I join? this is exactly what my fine hair needs I switched my protein treatments to once a month from weekly and my already fine hair just got thinner and thinner. I then added baggying and it was all over. I'm ready to get back on track

Of course you can join. Welcome. What will be your regimine and products? We check in every shampoo day to rate how our hair feels on a scale of 1-10

 

[Patricia]

It's official. I found out that everytime I clean my hair, there has to be some protein involved or else breakage city! Grrrr!!

I'M FEELING YA. I HAVE TO USE PROTEIN EVERY WASH DAY. HOW IS THE OCT/MT WORKING FOR YOU?

 

[Patricia]

Checking in for my weekly update. I'm not using a protein conditioner this week. RIght now I'm sitting with KeraCare for itchyscalp in my head, but I'm still going to use my Aphogee pro-vitamin leave in, and my Aphogee Green Tea Restructerizer. I use that every week anyway but I wanted to try to put more moisture in my hair after that Henna last week. This KeraCare is nice and tingly! I used to think KeraCare was for "old people" but I think I might like it. Will update.

YEAH I'M HOOKED ON APHOGEE LEAVE IN AND GREEN TEA TOO! OH YOU GOT ME LAUGHING "OLD PEOPLE"

 

[Patricia]

Hey ya'll today I did aphogee 2 minute reconstructor for like 10 minutes with heat and I also did a roux moisture recovery protein pack....I loved it !!!

Oh and I deep conditioned for like an hour with pantene relaxed and natural dc mask!!!!

I THINK I WILL BE REVISITING THE 2 MIN RECONSTRUCTOR. YOUR HAIR IS LOVELY

 

[IndianAngel22]

Checking in for my weekly update. I'm not using a protein conditioner this week. RIght now I'm sitting with KeraCare for itchyscalp in my head, but I'm still going to use my Aphogee pro-vitamin leave in, and my Aphogee Green Tea Restructerizer. I use that every week anyway but I wanted to try to put more moisture in my hair after that Henna last week. This KeraCare is nice and tingly! I used to think KeraCare was for "old people" but I think I might like it. Will update.

UPDATE: After washing my hair with the KeraCare for itchy/dry scalp my hair had MAJOR shrinkage. And it didn't feel good It felt really dry. Trying to detangle in the shower felt like I was breaking hairs so I slathered my hair in some ORS Replinishing pack to help detangle. It felt a little better but that Kera Care was not my friend It felt good under the dryer though.

I then put in my leave in and restructurizer and it softened back up, a little more that I usually put in. Blowdrying is always easy after I do this. I haven't straightened yet but hopefully it will turn out well. Probably won't be as nice as after my Henna but we'll see. Update later

 

[november wind]

I'M FEELING YA. I HAVE TO USE PROTEIN EVERY WASH DAY. HOW IS THE OCT/MT WORKING FOR YOU?

Hey Patricia. It was a lesson learned. The OCT/MT is working fantastic! It seems to be making my new growth thick and strong Usually I just put it on my scalp, but I also applied it to my hair tonight and the breakage stopped in it's tracks. I love it Hair went from zero back to 10

 

[november wind]

UPDATE: After washing my hair with the KeraCare for itchy/dry scalp my hair had MAJOR shrinkage. And it didn't feel good It felt really dry. Trying to detangle in the shower felt like I was breaking hairs so I slathered my hair in some ORS Replinishing pack to help detangle. It felt a little better but that Kera Care was not my friend It felt good under the dryer though.

I then put in my leave in and restructurizer and it softened back up, a little more that I usually put in. Blowdrying is always easy after I do this. I haven't straightened yet but hopefully it will turn out well. Probably won't be as nice as after my Henna but we'll see. Update later

Hope it turns out okay =)

 

[IndianAngel22]

UPDATE: After washing my hair with the KeraCare for itchy/dry scalp my hair had MAJOR shrinkage. And it didn't feel good It felt really dry. Trying to detangle in the shower felt like I was breaking hairs so I slathered my hair in some ORS Replinishing pack to help detangle. It felt a little better but that Kera Care was not my friend It felt good under the dryer though.

I then put in my leave in and restructurizer and it softened back up, a little more that I usually put in. Blowdrying is always easy after I do this. I haven't straightened yet but hopefully it will turn out well. Probably won't be as nice as after my Henna but we'll see. Update later

UPDATE: WOrst wash day EVER.... That KeraCare really did a number on my hair. Thank God i tried this product before buying a bottle of it because my PJ self was about to buy the huge bottle of it off of ebay. This stuff is TERRIBLE for my hair. It felt great though but after washing out my hair was pretty much hard, worse than any protein treatment I've ever done. Instead of being moisturized it was hard. It was even more difficult to straighten my hair I had so many little nots in my hair that pulled out multiple strands. I definatly believe today may have been a setback. Not major though. Each week my hair gets thicker but this was THE worse. Even after running my fingers through it I had more little knots all through my hair that hurt so bad and felt like I was snapping my hair off.

How does my hair feel? I can't even give it a number. But I can give a products review, and KeraCare for Itchy Scalp is officially a thumbs down. NEVER again. I'm going to try to doctor my hair throughout the week with my Vatika coconut oil and see if the silkyness returns.

Why didn't anyone tell me this stuff was so bad? LOL! Ateyaaa fooled me

 

[jerseygurl]

Okay so I did a protein treatment on saturday with GVP Joico K-Pak. It was ok but I still had some breakage but it wasn't as bad as I though it would given that I had just removed my braids. Then I conditioned with GVP Conditioning Balm and my hair detangled beautifully. I would give my hair right now a 7.

I think I have to do protein treatments with every wash (twice weekly) rather than every other week. But so far so good.

 

[VirGoViXxEn]

I just used Aphogee 2 Min Keratin Reconstuctor. I love this stuff. My shedding is almost gone just after one treatment. Since I am a MT/OCT user i will do this every two weeks. I tend to have strong hair so I dont think I'll get the protein overload. I use LOTS of moisturizing products also, mainly Keracare and AO HSR.

 

[JDandBeyond]

I washed and used aphogee 2 minute. I'm always tempted to just stop there because my hair feels so good after applying it, but I then DCed with Alter ego garlic treatment and hairveda sitrinillah mix which worked really well. I used more alter ego than sitrinillah, but hair felt strong with nice slip. Will def be using that combo again. I am also using mega tek and I kindda slacked off the last 3 days but I'll be back on my grind tonight.

 

[divinempress]

UPDATE: So last week I used my conditioner (Essentious) for the first time and added an egg to it as a protein treatment, covering with a shower cap with no heat. This weekend I did a relaxer and had zero shedding in the shower which is so rare. But then during the air dry and blow dry process I had lots of shedding to make up for that Not to mention that the egg and conditioner mixture is smelly and left particles in my hair after washing out...ICK!

I'll say i'm at a 7. Back to Emergencee I go.

 

[darlingdiva]

I knew because my hair was weak. Not only a lot of shedding (from the root) but also breakage (from various points on the hair itself). I would comb my hair with a wide tooth comb and there would be hair all over the place. I attributed it to the cold weather, but it just got to be too much. There are different levels of protien deficiency, but I think mine was on the more severe side because I was having issues at the root and along the shaft. I used a hardcore treatment (aphogee 2 step) and have been trying to maintain since then. So far so good

JDandBeyond, what you were going through is exactly what I am going through. When I comb my hair, the ends are always popping and breaking. I see my hair all over the place. Using castor oil on the ends helps, but it's still more breakage than it's supposed to be. I think I actually have a moisture overload. My conditioner (Herbal Essences Rainforest Flowers) has hydrolized wheat protein and hydrolized wheat starch as the 5th and 6th ingredients, respectively, but that isn't enough protein. I have also been using mayonnaise (the supermarket kind) for 20-30 minutes on low heat. Last night, I did a mayonnaise treatment for 30 minutes on medium heat, and there's still breakage. There's less breakage because I combed my wet hair w/ my fingers instead of a comb, but there was still more breakage than there should have been. Maybe I need to use a treatment that is marketed as a protein instead of using mayonnaise as my protein treatment. Mayonnaise does work well on my hair, but maybe I need something more in terms of protein.

Having said that, I'm terrified of protein. All the ones I've tried before (Mane and Tail, ORS Pak) have made my hair hard. I know that's because I haven't really had a deep moisturizing conditioner. I've just used an instant conditioner or ACV after the protein. That's going to change, though. This week, I'm going to Karen's Body Beautiful for a deep moisturizing conditioner, and I'm going to pick up the Aphoghee 2-minute Keratin reconstructor.

So, fearfully, I say, Patricia, sign me up too.

 

[Mrs.Fitness]

Just checking in....

I decided to switch my baggy product from Aphogee Pro Vit to BB w/ Castor Oil Moisturizer mixed with my own castor oil. I have changed my baggie regimen from all day to nights only. I think my hair has been getting too much moisture. My ends still have a little relaxer on them and I dont want them to break from moisture overload. I did two protein treatments last week, so I am taking a break this week. I applied Megatek to my scalp only with my Castor oil mixture. This is how my hair will be every day this month after cowashes, DCs, and protein treatments. I wear a headwrap 24-7 (stay-at- home mom). I am also switching my DC back to ORS this month.

I am officially starting my Feburary fitness challenge today so I am taking a break from hair to focus on fitness this week. I will check in with you guys next Monday when I prepoo with egg and evoo overnight to clarify.

 

[morehairplease]

dc now with Lanza healing moisture co & colorful neutral protein filler for 1 hour without heat.

 

[JDandBeyond]

JDandBeyond, what you were going through is exactly what I am going through. When I comb my hair, the ends are always popping and breaking. I see my hair all over the place. Using castor oil on the ends helps, but it's still more breakage than it's supposed to be. I think I actually have a moisture overload. My conditioner (Herbal Essences Rainforest Flowers) has hydrolized wheat protein and hydrolized wheat starch as the 5th and 6th ingredients, respectively, but that isn't enough protein. I have also been using mayonnaise (the supermarket kind) for 20-30 minutes on low heat. Last night, I did a mayonnaise treatment for 30 minutes on medium heat, and there's still breakage. There's less breakage because I combed my wet hair w/ my fingers instead of a comb, but there was still more breakage than there should have been. Maybe I need to use a treatment that is marketed as a protein instead of using mayonnaise as my protein treatment. Mayonnaise does work well on my hair, but maybe I need something more in terms of protein.

Having said that, I'm terrified of protein. All the ones I've tried before (Mane and Tail, ORS Pak) have made my hair hard. I know that's because I haven't really had a deep moisturizing conditioner. I've just used an instant conditioner or ACV after the protein. That's going to change, though. This week, I'm going to Karen's Body Beautiful for a deep moisturizing conditioner, and I'm going to pick up the Aphoghee 2-minute Keratin reconstructor.

So, fearfully, I say, Patricia, sign me up too.

It is scary when you know something is wrong, but just don't know the root of the problem/how to fix it.

You may want to think about the state your hair was in when you used protein previously. I say that because for me, ORS Replenishing Pak is not a hardcore protein and it actually leaves my hair very soft and manageable without following it up with any moisture. I have never had a hard feeling post ORS, but everyone is different. If your hair was in the same situation it is in now, then maybe some other form of protein would work better if those didnt work for you. If you think you have moisture overload, then ORS shouldn't bring you all the way to the protein side because it is rather mild. You may need something a little stronger like nexxus emergencee.

I feel like I'm rambling now, but just listen to your hair. It sounds like you are getting a handle of what is going on and what you need to do.

 

[JDandBeyond]

Just checking in....

I decided to switch my baggy product from Aphogee Pro Vit to BB w/ Castor Oil Moisturizer mixed with my own castor oil. I have changed my baggie regimen from all day to nights only. I think my hair has been getting too much moisture. My ends still have a little relaxer on them and I dont want them to break from moisture overload. I did two protein treatments last week, so I am taking a break this week. I applied Megatek to my scalp only with my Castor oil mixture. This is how my hair will be every day this month after cowashes, DCs, and protein treatments. I wear a headwrap 24-7 (stay-at- home mom). I am also switching my DC back to ORS this month.

I am officially starting my Feburary fitness challenge today so I am taking a break from hair to focus on fitness this week. I will check in with you guys next Monday when I prepoo with egg and evoo overnight to clarify.

It is so funny how you can come onto this forum for one thing, and get so many other things from it! I have exactly 5 months and 1 day before I need to fit in a wedding dress, and your post actually helped motivate me. I was thinking of all the excuses under the sun not to workout tonight, but that helped. Thanks. Also, your hair looks great in your siggy pic - very healthy and full.

 

[november wind]

UPDATE: WOrst wash day EVER.... That KeraCare really did a number on my hair. Thank God i tried this product before buying a bottle of it because my PJ self was about to buy the huge bottle of it off of ebay. This stuff is TERRIBLE for my hair. It felt great though but after washing out my hair was pretty much hard, worse than any protein treatment I've ever done. Instead of being moisturized it was hard. It was even more difficult to straighten my hair I had so many little nots in my hair that pulled out multiple strands. I definatly believe today may have been a setback. Not major though. Each week my hair gets thicker but this was THE worse. Even after running my fingers through it I had more little knots all through my hair that hurt so bad and felt like I was snapping my hair off.

How does my hair feel? I can't even give it a number. But I can give a products review, and KeraCare for Itchy Scalp is officially a thumbs down. NEVER again. I'm going to try to doctor my hair throughout the week with my Vatika coconut oil and see if the silkyness returns.

Why didn't anyone tell me this stuff was so bad? LOL! Ateyaaa fooled me

Don't you hate when that happens? I hope you can get your silkiness back.

 

[Mrs.Fitness]

It is so funny how you can come onto this forum for one thing, and get so many other things from it! I have exactly 5 months and 1 day before I need to fit in a wedding dress, and your post actually helped motivate me. I was thinking of all the excuses under the sun not to workout tonight, but that helped. Thanks. Also, your hair looks great in your siggy pic - very healthy and full.

If you are interested, PM me and we can work together to get you into that dress.

 

[Aggie]

I'm sitting under my dryer right now with some Nioxin Reconstructive Mask on my hair - this thing is really tingling my scalp in a good way. I'll be DCing with some Biolage Conditioning balm I think.

I gorgot to add that I used my FAST protein poo by NISIM to wash with. My hair felt a bit stronger and thicker too. I wasn't using this for a while but now I think it's time to usae it up because I have like 3 bottles of it still left along with the conditioner.

 

[darlingdiva]

It is scary when you know something is wrong, but just don't know the root of the problem/how to fix it.

You may want to think about the state your hair was in when you used protein previously. I say that because for me, ORS Replenishing Pak is not a hardcore protein and it actually leaves my hair very soft and manageable without following it up with any moisture. I have never had a hard feeling post ORS, but everyone is different. If your hair was in the same situation it is in now, then maybe some other form of protein would work better if those didnt work for you. If you think you have moisture overload, then ORS shouldn't bring you all the way to the protein side because it is rather mild. You may need something a little stronger like nexxus emergencee.

I feel like I'm rambling now, but just listen to your hair. It sounds like you are getting a handle of what is going on and what you need to do.

I am a fine-haired natural. Do you think Nexxus Emergencee would be okay for me? I'm going to try the Aphogee 2-minute keratin first b/c I've heard that it specifically treats breakage and it isn't too heavy. I'll keep Nexxus Emergencee in mind if you think it works for fine-haired naturals and Aphogee doesn't work.

 

[sqzbly1908]

Had a long weekend as well as a revelation - I am tired of messin' with my hair!!! I am definitely cutting out some of the things I was doing...

From Friday night until Sunday morning - I had coconut oil in my hair until I washed it Sunday morning (getting ready for Superbowl party) I washed my hair with Nexxus Diametress Shampoo - used Aphogee 2 minute mixed with Kenra MC w/cap in shower (left in about 3-5 minutes) -rinsed-sprayed a little Joico Liquid reconstructor in my hand and massaged in my hair - rollerset w/lottabody- that is it....

Note to self: Less is MORE!!!