Does Your hair Have Protein Build Up?
Healthy hair has plenty of protein in it. After all, your hair is made of it!
Protein gives your hair fullness, bounce and sheen. It is essential for hair growth and length retention.
Keratin, the natural protein your hair is made of, can be found in a ton of hair care products on the market from leave- ins to deep conditioners that coat your hair to make it stronger.
But when it comes to hair protein, too much of a good thing has negative side effects and you may be over doing it...
How to Tell if Your Hair has Protein Build-Up
Protein build up occurs when you are using too many products with protein in it or one product with a lot of it. Here's some tell tale signs that you may be experiencing protein overload:
Your hair is dry and brittle
Your hair is difficult to style
Your hair is stiff and feels straw-like
When you stretch your hair it breaks easily (low elasticity)
Your hair is dull and lacks shine
You experience a lot of split ends, tangles and breakage
Your hair sheds more than normal
How to Fix Protein Build-Up
Once you've figured out if your hair is suffering from protein overload, now is the time to get to work. The mission is to balance out your hair by putting moisture back in it.
Cleanse with a clarifying shampoo
A clarifying shampoo is strong enough to break apart proteins that are bonded to your hair. A gentle clarifying shampoo like the Volume Shampoo, will detox your hair from protein build up and other pollutants but won't strip your hair of it's natural oils and moisture. You should wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo once a week to get rid of build up.
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
Dry hair always leads to split ends and breakage. It is so important to balance your hair out with moisture when using protein to prevent dryness. You don't want to forgo protein altogether because your hair can then go into moisture overload.
Opt for products that strike a balance like the Deep Repair Treatment that will infuse moisture into your hair while repairing damage, or the Emergency Miracle Treatment that will keep your hair moisturized in between wash days.
Book a trim
If your hair is hard to maintain and style, it's time to book a trim. Cutting off split ends and damage will not only make your hair easier to manage but it will cut off the protein that accumulated on the ends of your hair, causing it to weigh your hair down.
