Know Your Protein

A Guide to Protein

Silk Amino Acids - Help to seal the hair cuticle, increase detangling & shine, and acts as a moisturizer by preventing dryness. Used to penetrate the hair to add body and strength.

Wheat Amino Acids - Wheat amino acids increase the hair's ability to retain moisture and impart shine and gloss to damaged and dull hair. Due to its low molecular weight, wheat amino acids easily penetrate the hair shaft and bind to hair's inner fibers.

Keratin Amino Acids - This amino acid helps to restructure damaged hair. Keratin helps strengthen and build healthy hair.

Hydrolyzed Soy Protein - Known to add strength and manageability to hair. It is able to keep the cuticle smooth, repair and strengthen hair. This vegetableprotein helps hair retain moisture. Hydrolyzed soy protein also adds shine, provides ease of combing, and reinforces the hair preventing breakage.

Hydrolyzed Silk Protein - Nourishes and strengthens while delivering natural sheen and softness. A film-forming agent used to care for dry, damaged hair. It binds moisture, increases hair volume, and improves its manageability and overall structure. Provides ease of combing and smoothness to feel of hair, provides control to the hair from application to completion of styling.

Hydrolyzed Rice Protein - Low molecular weight penetrates the hair shaft to rebuild and strengthen damaged hair. Rice Protein strengthens and expands the diameter of the hair shaft to create a noticeably thicker, more luxurious look.

Hydrolyzed Oat Protein - Derived from oats; adds texture and thickens hair, soothes, softens, and nourishes it.Restores strength and elasticity. Easily diffuses into the hair shaft to give a fuller, healthier look.

Hydrolyzed Milk Protein - Conditions and detangles the hair. Provides moisture, great softness and manageability.

Hydrolyzed Corn Protein - Corn Protein with mid-range molecular weight adds shine and luster.

Hydrolyzed Elastin: - Helps attract and retain moisture to smooth and soften the hair & give elasticity.

Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein: - Strengthens and thickens the hair. It attracts and retains moisture (Film-forming agent which retains water) thus improving hair manageability & elasticity. Excellent penetration into the outer protective layer of hair up to the outer cortex. This protein conditions the hair with its moistureretention and film forming properties, which will greatly improve the body, shine, and smoothness of hair.

Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein & Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch (normally you see these two together) - This is a naturally derived, unique hydrating complex offers a combination of moisture-balancing and film-forming properties that work synergistically to give hair better body control and a smoother, softer feel. Wheat starch, on the other hand, has a low molecular weight and are very hygroscopic (attracts moisture from the atmosphere). Together they penetrate and holdmoisture within the hair shaft.

Hydrolyzed Collagen - Adds body, resiliency, shine, and manageability as well as reduced static charge also provides moisturizing benefits. Used to strengthen hair structure. It is the primary element for hair elasticity.

Hydrolyzed Human Hair Keratin: -This protein is the best source, because it contains all 19 amino acids found in the hair. Human hair keratin protein has a low molecular weight. This enables it to penetrate the hair shaft. provide greater elasticity, reduce breakage and give a natural, healthy bounce.

Hydrolyzed Keratin - The true structural protein of hair. Penetrates the hair shaft to rebuild damaged hair and give it increased body . Keratin coats each individual strand of hair to strengthen and protect.

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein - A powerful hair strengthening protein complex that instantly & dramatically improves the condition of damaged hair. Vegetable protein absorbs more easily into the hair shaft (than animal protein) and does not create build-up, it leaves the hair very shiny, radiant, luxuriant, and healthy.

Hydrolyzed Animal Protein - Appears in many shampoos. Improves hair, adds shine and body to the hair and helps smooth split ends. Gives luster to the hair.

Hydrolyzed Animal Collagen - Animal derived collagen that gives body to the hair and helps protect it from sun, wind and weather damage. It leaves a protective emollient film.

I want my hair long now! What to do?

I want long healthy hair? Is it possible if I never had long hair and it is not in my family??? 

YES IT IS!
EVERYBODY hair grows, some slower or faster than some, but the average hair growth rate is 1/2 inch per month or 6 inches a year. Look at it this way, if your hair grows 0.5 inch per month but it breaks faster than it grows due to improper treatment or poor diet (which most of us have) then you will forever think your hair isn't growing.

So where should I start ?


Start by building a regimen that suits your hair (see post entitled regimen building). A hair regimen is a routine or a certain set way of things done to the  hair on a weekly, bi weekly or daily basis. Examine your hair before building a regimen and see what your hair needs. So for example, if you have plenty split ends, your hair is weak, and thin you may need to start by cutting off the damaged ends, and incorporate in your regimen, protein at least twice a month, followed by a moisture treatment, until  the hair condition has improved. Or a deep condition which contains light protein properties and moisture properties, maybe used on a weekly basis (see post for 'know your protein' to know what to look in your treatments'). Add more moisture to your regimen by moisturizing and sealing daily (everybody needs that), add a natural oil to a do pre poo (before shampoo) or hot oil treatment on a weekly basis or bi weekly basis and a growth aid may be added if your hair needs that extra boost to grow, for example, I take hair supplements which is correctly portioned with the right amount of individual vitamins needed for hair growth, or our very own castor oil itself is a growth aid and maybe used on the scalp daily or as a pre poo on  a weekly basis. An example of a hair regimen:


Example of Regimen :
Oil scalp daily with castor oil
Moisturize and seal with olive oil hair lotion and seal with coconut oil
Prepoo with a mixture of oils (for example olive oil, rosemary oil, coconut oil)
Followed by Shampooing with a moisture shampoo and using a protein conditioner afterwards (every week or bi weekly or both may be done alternatively on a weekly basis)
Clarify (removing all buildup) with a clarifying shampoo on a monthly basis





How long will it take?

Since hair grows 1/2 inch per month that equals 6 inches per year, for example, if you are shoulder length and you  want Bra Strap Length hair (see post 'different lengths' of hair) that usually takes  at most, 1 and 1/2 to two years, accounting for trims or minor set backs. Neck Length to Arm Pit length (an imaginary line drawn from where both arms meet on your back) usually takes a year and from full shoulder to arm pit length at most, seven months. All of which will ONLY be done with proper hair care routines. If you decide to grow out your hair, you have to learn the art of retention. Retaining hair length requires babying your hair ends, as it is the oldest part of the hair and the first to show damage, protecting styling, hiding away ends to preserves moisture and prevent damage, and moisturizing and sealing to prevent the hair ends from getting dry and thus preventing breakage, and doing protein treatments so that hair will be more resistant to hair damage, lessening the use of heat and how often you get a relaxer, are all ways of retaining hair length.

Protein or moisture, which one should I use?

Balancing Protein and Moisture 


Protein and Moisture are the corner stone to healthy hair, however, it is important we know how and when to use them. 


How to assess


(When Wet or Dry) If your hair stretches slightly and returns to its original length without breaking, you are balanced! Stick with maintaining!

(When Wet or Dry) If your hair stretches a little more than normal then breaks, you need more protein in your regimen.

(When Wet or Dry)If your hair stretches, stretches, stretches with no significant breakage yet, add a bit more protein to your regimen.

(Wet) Feels weak, gummy, mushy, or limp, you need to add more protein to your regimen.

(Wet or Dry) Experiences very little to no stretching, and simply snaps or breaks, you need to increase the moisture in your regimen.

(Dry) Feels rough, tough, hard, dry, tangly, brittle, or any combination of those, you need more moisture in your regimen.

Unsure? On the side of caution and give your hair more moisture.


When your hair is thrown off balance by too much protein, it will break easier on wet or dry hair because it lacks elasticity. Elasticity is what allows us to style, stretch, and manipulate our hair without brekage.

My hair is breaking? What should I do

Hair Breakage 


If your hair is breaking you need a protein treatment IMMEDIATELY! Hair that breaks is damaged hair and the ends must be removed to save the hair's health or you may opt for a hard protein treatment that will temporarily repair the hair (for example aphogee 2 step, see post about aphogee review) but eventually the damaged ends must be removed, as it can never be permanently repaired.  Adding an egg to your regular deep conditioner or conditioner is a great protein treatment for severely damaged hair. Hair breakage may be caused by dry hair which may be as a result of the lack of moisture, too much protein, too much heat or heat used on a regular basis and number one reason for breakage is...... Overprocessed hair. Hair that is overprocessed is that which is relaxed too often, or bleached or any chemicals service that may damage the hair if left on too long or used too frequently. All of which break down protein in the hair, making it thin, having less versatility and thus it breaks. Here in Jamaica, we think we need to relax every 6 weeks, and eventually when this is done, the hair becomes thinner and thinner and is damaged overtime.


Signs of damaged hair that is breaking or may lead to breakage is thin lifeless hair, which may be dry and bare uneven ends. Once you have any of the latter signs, right after you do an emergency hard protein treatment, re-evaluate your regimen. Ask yourself , what is it that I did wrong before? or what wasn't I doing?( Refer to the post "Building a hair regimen" if you are not familiar with the term and how to construct one). Add more moisture to your regimen if it appears extremely dry, by moisturizing and sealing daily (which is moisturizing the hair and locking or sealing the moisture in the hair shaft with oil) , sleeping with a satin scarf, doing hot oil treatments or pre poo (before you shampoo) with natural oils overnight and deep condition regularly. The hair may also be damaged from chemical services, as said before, so it may be important to incorporate the use of protein more often in your regimen, or just until the hair is healthy, nonetheless protein is still important to maintain healthy hair which is resistant to breakage.

What's a good protein treatment.

It has been said in many posts before, hair is made up of protein, as a matter of a fact the hair is made up of 70 percent protein by nature, L cysteine, and L Methionine are the sulfur amino acids that form 'keratin', which is the protein structure of hair, egg yolk which contains the two amino acids naturally.The remaining 30 % is moisture.


By adding protein to your regimen, the hair will be stronger and more resistant to breakage and ultimately healthy and full. As mentioned before, women with relaxed hair or color treated hair need more protein as the chemical process breaks down protein in the hair. In other words, relaxing or colour treating your hair compromises the protein structure of the hair and weakens it by breaking the protein bonds in the hair shaft. The stronger the relaxer or dye and the longer it is left on the hair, the weaker the protein bonds become and for this reason, the hair will be thin and lifeless.



How can I replenish my hair with protein?


There are two types of protein treatment, the first kind may be washed out and the second is leave in. Usually the former type of protein treatment should be applied to towel dried hair after shampooing and usually requires staying in the hair before rinsing. Whilst, the leave in treatment, as the names suggests requires the treatment to be left in the hair without rinsing it out. You may opt for either treatment. The first kind of treatment which may be washed out, may also come in the form of hard and light protein .


The fact that  hard and light protein treatment are distinguished, clearly, all protein treatments are not created equal. For a light protein treatment, look for products that bare the name "re constructor" for routine care. This may be applied two to three times a month, but is highly recommended to be used with a moisture treatment after the application to counteract the dryness that may be associated with protein. Too much protein will make the hair brittle and crunchy. Some Deep Conditioners may also contain light protein  which may be used on a regular basis and may too replenish the hair with protein.


Contrastingly, if your hair is breaking off due to damage which may come from chemical damage, you will need a hard protein treatment to save as much hair as you can. Though, ladies who have chemically treated hair can also opt to do hard protein treatments, whether or not the hair is severely damaged, but as a preventative measure but is recommended to be kept at a minimum, to prevent overload protein in the hair which may lead to dryness and ultimately breakage.




How will I know when to use protein? 


If you have chemically treated or perform chemical services on the hair, whether it is bleached, relaxed or you use a lot of heat, you will require more protein than someone who is natural, as all the aforementioned services, break down or alter protein bonds in the hair shaft and as such, must be replenished  and a protein treatment now becomes necessary. But as stated times and times before, too much protein will lead to dryness and eventually breakage so be careful. It is usually recommended that women who have chemical services done to the hair use protein 2 times a month, while someone who is completely natural may only need protein once a month. And of course, protein must be counteracted with moisture.


See post "Protein and Moisture treatments, what's the difference"?

Review on the aphogee protein line

I would definitely recommend the aphogee line, it is sold in Jamaica that is of course, number one before recommending the product, it is a great protein line and maybe used on severely damaged hair for greater improvement. The number one product in the aphogee line is the Aphogee 2 step protein treatment which is used to repair damaged hair and split ends, though damaged hair cannot be repaired permanently, a hard protein treatment of this nature will do so temporarily and overtime it may improve its condition and then you may clip the remaining damaged hair. It saves you length overtime as it guards the hair and make it more resistant to breakage, split ends and damage on a whole. It is to be applied every 6 weeks and MUST be followed up with the second part of the treatment, which is the Aphogee Balancing Moisturizer.

How it works?
 Upon applying the first part to the treatment and using the blow dryer or staying under a hooded dryer for a few minutes without a plastic cap, the hair is now 'hard'. How this works is since the treatment is a concentrated blend of modified proteins and magnesium, when the heat is applied the hair hardens as the bonding and repair process beings, as mentioned previously,  damaged hair  cannot be repaired but will save you length if the hair is damaged and at first instance you do not want to cut. After rinsing out the first part to the treatment, the protein, you should follow up with  moisture which is the Aphogee balancing moisturizer to return the hair to its normal PH and counteract the dryness that may be associated with protein.

The aphogee 2 min reconstructor may be used in place of the aphogee 2 step protein treatment if you only need a light protein treatment at the moment. It is fortified with vitamins, oils, and of course protein and it helped me with growing my  hair when I using it as a weekly protein conditioner. (To  differentiate between a hard protein treatment and a light, if you are new to the term, refer to the post entitled "What is a good protein treatment?")

The line also has leave in treatments both protein and moisture. The aphogee green tea reconstructor is the protein leave in treatment while the aphogee pro vitamin leave in conditioner is a moisture leave in.

All of these products are sold in Jamaica and I have seen it in many places. It is usually sold in a combo, for example the aphogee 2 step protein treatment (16 oz), the aphogee balancing moisturizer (16 oz) and the aphogee green tea reconstructor is usually sold as a combo for less than $2500 JMD. So if you want a good protein line if you are more prone to split ends, your hair is severely damaged or you just want to maintain your hair's versatility in tip top shape, check it out.

STOP! Cutting your hair does not make your hair grow

Its a myth people cutting your hair will NOT make it grow!!!. Your hair will grow with proper hair care routine and an effective regimen that is properly constructed. The end result of the latter is healthy strong hair, with healthy hair, the need for trimming or cutting will be reduced. Let's get technical, the average hair growth rate is 1/2 inch per month or 6 inches a year. If the hair is constantly cut on a monthly or bi monthly basis, let's say an inch, whether or not you had lots of new growth, you really have no length to show for it.Therefore, the obvious thing to do here is RETAIN your length. How do you do that? By making sure your hair is healthy and immune to breakage or damage which is done by doing protein and moisture treatments, by protective styling which hides away the ends from external conditions which may make it dry or damaged and making sure the hair is always moisturized by moisturizing and sealing on a daily basis. However, needless to say, cutting the hair does get rid of the damaged or potentially damaged hair and helps to keep the hair neatly maintained but, cutting hair is only necessary if your hair is damaged and you want to start a fresh. If you are planning to start your hair journey getting a fresh cut is always recommended, but as you go along you will notice you need not cut your hair, but a minor trim may be necessary to maintain the ends.

Note: Refer to other posts about what is moisturizing and sealing, 10 steps to grow long hair and building a regimen.