Do I need protein besides moisture?

mebarb · 09-25-2012, 01:02 PM

My hairdresser told me that my hair is sooooo dry from over processing that I must deep condition (it is a DevaCurl salon so of course she sold me Heaven in Hair) 3 or 4 times a week. That seems like a whole lot to me, but my hair is really dry. She told me to put it on dry hair and sleep in it.

What I don't understand is the "protein" issue. I didn't think to ask her at the time. How do I know if I need protein, and how do I know if Heaven in Hair has protein in it? I did have breakage from the flat iron just before going natural.

My hair is fine, extremely porous, and I don't know the other factors I'm supposed to know about it (sorry).

One more thing about putting the conditioner in: when it's time to wash my hair, do I wash it at night before putting the conditioner in or do I put the conditioner in and wash it the next day?

Sorry, but this is all so confusing to me!

(is there a drugstore deep conditioner that would work as well because this one is too expensive to use so often?)

Corrina777 · 09-25-2012, 01:36 PM

The Heaven in Hair contains a pretty good amount of protein (I personally didn't find it very moisturizing at all). It does sound like you need both moisture and protein.

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artemis513 · 09-26-2012, 09:03 AM

Got the ingredients directly from the Deva site:

Heaven In Hair
Water (Aqua, Eau), Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Esters, Glycol Distearate, Polyquaternium-7, Cetrimonium Chloride, Behentrimonium Chloride, Ceteareth-20, Quaternium-82, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Melissa Officinalis Extract, Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Polyquaternium-10, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Propylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance (Parfum), Blue 1 (CI 42090), Yellow 5 (CI 19140)

There is no protein in this...if OP has porous hair that needs moisture and frequent moisturizing is not working a stronger protein than a scant amount of hops is needed--the emollients outweigh the rest of the ingredients, for sure. OP, look for another treatment that contains "hydrolyzed" proteins. Maybe try soy or even keratin. Plenty of recs in the "Protein-craving" section of the boards, just do a search. Might be good to try using it 1-2x a week for a few weeks to see if your moisture levels get better, then pull back. The protein will fill in the cracks in the hair shaft that allow your moisture to escape so quickly.

Good luck!

Edit: I just noticed you said your hair is fine. Because of that you need more protein than moisture. You'll have to figure out what that ratio actually is though because it's different for everyone.

Corrina777 · 09-26-2012, 10:40 AM

Hops is a protein source and it's actually one that some people have problems with. My hair loves protein and hated this product.

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artemis513 · 09-26-2012, 01:14 PM

A lot of people also have issues with polyquats, which are also listed. I happen to be one of those people that believe that one ingredient does not make or break a product. Rather, it is the way the whole product is formulated. Polyquaternium-7, -10, and Quaternium-82 are more likely provide a protein-like feeling (a fortifying feeling to be more accurate) than the hops, from a molecular standpoint. Hydroxyethylcellulose, too.

I have not seen any studies that show that hops has any strengthening properties. Hops may be considered a source of protein to some on this board, but it would not work the way hydrolyzed keratin would on the hair. As far as this ingredients list goes, that is in there for the "botanical" aspect IMO.

Since your hair likes protein, it makes sense that your hair would respond adversely to this product.