I'll Take My Eggs Scrambled, Please!

With the rising popularity of natural home hair care, there aren't many people who havent heard of egg protein treatments. Protein is a very important part of the diet, when ingested. It is attributed to tissue repair and construction of new tissue. our muscles, vital organs, hair, skin, and nails are all made up of protein.

Protein and Hair
Protein is made up of amino acids that form peptide bonds. It is what gives hair strength and elasticity. Complete protein comes from meat, fish, eggs, soy and dairy. Incomplete proteins come from vegetables, plants, and legumes. In order for proteinss to be useful for hair, it has to be broken down into smaller parts since the linked peptide bonds are just too large to attach to the hair strand. Amino acids, on their own are too small. Amino acids are very water soluable meaning that they rinse out easily and pass through the strand. Protein broken into smaller strands are called hydrolyzed protein... just right. In order to benefit from protein it must be able to bond to the hair. Complete and incomplete proteins are simply to large to bond. Hydrolyzed protein helps to temporarily patch and repair the cuticle damaged from heat, bleaching, manipulation, washing, combing, and so on.

So why do so many people swear by this old wive's tale? Well, anything slippery will make the cuticle feel smoother, right?

And since I'm on the subject, neither coconut oil or henna contain protein. Coconut oil is not as viscous as other oils, meaning it is not as slippery. It solidifies at temps lower than 76 degrees F.
Henna reacts with the collagen, keratin, and protein already in hair and deposits a protective layer over the strands. It aide in strengthing the hair because it reduces protein loss.

So what does all this mean for me? I wont stop using a product because it contains amino acids, maybe it works well with everything else! I do henna treatments every 4-6 weeks. I'm now thinking of adding a protein treatment somewhere in between. Curl Junkie Repair Me may be the lucky winner!

What are your thoughts? Does this change your routine?

Coming Soon: different hydrolyzed proteins