5 Best Protein Treatments For Natural Hair

Whenever I'm dealing with a hair crisis of my own I love to share and give advice (to do the opposite of everything I'm doing wrong). I spoke a few weeks ago about the importance of protein in your hair, and what do I do... avoid my own advice! That landed me in more trouble with my tresses, and I'm not making my way back to my own initial advice. If you've been following along with us on Instagram then you saw my post a few weeks ago about being completely frustrated with my hair. I have one half of my hair that is longer, thicker and healthier overall than the other half. Most people said this is normal but I think the great disparity is far from normal. I was told it may be because I sleep on one side more often than others, but I've come to the realization that I abandoned my go to hair regimen for quick fixes. Instead of following my steady regimen that brought me great success during my transition I was taking short cuts.

So this led me on a hunt for the best protein treatments to help with my specific needs and start to bring my hair back to life.

Hard Protein Treatment

Aphogee Two-step Treatment Protein for Damaged Hair (8.79): This treatment is to be used once every 6-8 weeks and it is for severely damaged hair. The bottle does say "FOR PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY" so you should use it only in dire situations. I used this treatment while I was transitioning and it worked very well to help with the transitioning process. I just did this treatment for the first time in two years to help battle my hair issues. It is a strong protein treatment and you must follow the directions to the T to prevent any further damage or breakage.

Ingredients: Deionized Water, Hydrolyzed Animal Protein, Magnesium Sulfate, Citric Acid, Ethylene Urea, Dimethylol Urea, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Magnesium Carbonate, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance

Mild Protein Treatments

Tropic Isle Jamaican Black Castor Oil Protein Hair Conditioner ($11.00)
I also started using this conditioner when I was transitioning a few years ago. As a mild protein treatment you can use it once a week on wash day as your deep conditioner. This treatment has JBCO as it's first ingredient so it also possesses moisturizing and thickening properties. What I like best about this conditioner is that it is made with all natural ingredients which helps guide me easily on my quest to eliminate or limit chemicals in my daily lifestyle products.

Ingredients: Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Avocado Oil, Mustard Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Lavender, Pimento Oil

Giovanni: Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor
(6.00)

This reconstructor is also a protein treatment that can/should be used weekly to see the best results from damaged hair. This treatment works best for hair that has been over treated or processed. So this means it works best for color treated hair.

Ingredients: Infusion rosemary extract, nettles extract, thyme extract, birch leaf extract, chamomile extract, sage extract, St. John's wort extract, coltsfoot extract, yarrow extract, mallow extract, balm mint extract, horsetail extract, red clover extract, quat 31, cetyl alcohol, PEG 40, hydrogenated castor oil, sterikonium chloride, safflower oil, grapefruit seed extract, soy, mineral trace elements, DL panthenol, cinnamate

Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise Treatment (6.99)

This was my first protein treatment that has been in my bathroom for years (even before I was natural). It was also the first step back into proper protein use. You can use this treatment once a week as your deep conditioner but I recommend using this once a month, alternating between moisturizing treatments the remaining weeks. It does contain several forms of protein in the ingredient list, but the first ingredient is water so there is a moisturizing aspect to it.

Ingredients: Water Aqua, Polyquaternium 32, Glycerin, Safflower Oil Carthamus Tinctorius, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol, Olive Oil Olea Europaea, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Lanolin, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Panthenol Vitamin B5, Cholesterol , Stinging Nettle Urtica Dioica , Capsicum Extract Paprika , Hydrolyzed Keratin, Egg Powder Ovum, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, DMDM Hydantoin, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Brown No. 1 CI 20170, Fragrance Parfum, Benzyl Benzoate, D'Limonene, Linalool, Alphaisomethylionone

Light Protein Treatment

Hydratherma Naturals Protein Balance Leave-In Conditioner (16.99):

This is one of my favorite leave in conditioners! It is light, natural and made with very few ingredients. It also has ceramides that naturally occur in your strands. This light protein treatment can be used often as a refresher (I used it 2-3xs a week). It does not weigh down your hair and helps keep the pH balanced which can often times be extremely difficult.

*disclaimer: Links direct to affiliate links. This does not hinder or alter my opinion of the products*

Have you used protein treatments in your hair regimen? If so what are some of your favorites? Leave your response below!

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