Your Natural Protein Hair Treatment

Are you looking for a natural protein hair treatment at home? Protein is one of the best nutrients you can provide to your hair. Used both to treat damaged hair and to encourage healthy, lustrous hair, protein is a great ingredient to incorporate into your regular hair routine. It is a smart, economical hair treatment option that can both be purchased commercially or applied through DIY recipes at home. If you’re looking for homemade protein hair treatments, here is your guide.

Benefits of Natural Protein for Hair

While beneficial to skin and nails as well, protein is a key part of shiny, lustrous hair. That’s because hair is actually composed of protein—hair cells are composed of a type of protein called keratin that is produced in the hair follicles. As these follicles produce new hair cells, the old cells are pushed out of the skin in the form of fallen hair, usually just a strand or two at a time. The average person actually loses between 50 to 100 strands of hair per day in this manner—it is part of the natural hair growth cycle.

Each individual strand of hair is made up of protein fibers, which means that it requires an adequate dose of protein in order to grow. This protein not only keeps hairs growing but helps strengthen each individual hair shaft, making it healthier, more durable, and less prone to breakage or fallout.

Protein also plays a monumental role with damaged hair, as it helps to repair cell tissue. If you do not ingest or otherwise consume an adequate amount of protein in your diet, your body will retaliate. It will proceed to ration the protein you do ingest. It will try to apply it evenly around the body, thus supplying less of it to your hair follicles. Without natural protein for hair, it can become dull, dry and brittle.

Left untreated, brittle hair can contribute to premature hair fallout and thinning. Moreover, because hair strands grow in phases, if your hair strands do not receive enough protein during their growing phase, more hair strands may prematurely enter the resting phase at the same time, expediting the appearance of hair loss.

Homemade Protein Hair Treatments

There are a number of ways to get natural protein for hair and what better place to reach for nutrition than nature’s bounty? There are many homemade protein hair treatments you can use, many of which use natural or household items, either for treating damaged hair or as protein treatment for healthy hair. Homemade protein hair treatments are good for nourishing the outside of the hair and strengthening each hair shaft externally to help prevent fallout and breakage.

Here are some options for at-home protein treatments for hair:

• Egg mask.
  You can make a protein treatment for natural hair with eggs you have at home. Eggs are probably the best protein treatment for heat damaged natural hair because they are rich not only in protein, but in beneficial enzymes. Egg is a good natural protein treatment for damaged hair because hair that has been treated via heat or product tends to be very brittle and very dry. For a protein treatment for natural fine hair, use the entire egg. Beat until frothy and apply evenly to hair and scalp, cover with a cap or warm towel, and let mixture sit for 20 minutes. For a natural protein treatment for frizzy hair or oily hair, use only the egg whites. This egg protein treatment for natural hair can be used as an at-home protein treatment for hair every two weeks or on a monthly basis.
• Yogurt.
  Yogurt, sour cream and similar dairy products contain not only protein, but lactic acid, which cleanses your hair while the fat in the dairy moisturizes it. This is a great weekly treatment that will revitalize and bring luster back to your hair. To create an extra powerful homemade protein conditioner, add an egg into your yogurt mixture. Let your mixture sit for up to 20 minutes before washing out.
• Avocado.
  For powerful results, try a protein treatment for natural hair with avocado. Avocados are not only loaded with protein and nutrients, but their high-fat content has great benefits when applied to hair. Avocados repair hair damage, strengthen hair strands, and make hair less dry, brittle and prone to breakage. Mix half of a smashed up avocado with 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise (which contains egg protein) and apply this homemade protein conditioner to your hair weekly.
• Coconut oil.
  Coconut oil or coconut butter is rich in healthy fats and proteins that are great as a natural protein treatment for damaged hair. Applying a mask of coconut oil to your hair can provide a very economical, deep-moisturizing treatment that can give you great results.

Make Sure You Get Enough Natural Protein for Hair

While homemade protein hair treatments are good treatment options, they should not be used in isolation. Homemade protein hair treatments only target and nourish the outside of the hair, helping to strengthen the integrity of hair shafts from the outside in. However, for maximum results, you have to target your hair follicles too. This means that you need to address treatment that works from the inside out as well by ensuring your body ingests enough protein each day. Eating enough protein will ensure lustrous, strong hair. Understandably, it can be difficult to get enough of this protein through your diet. A great additional treatment option is Viviscal Extra Strength hair supplements, an easy way to make sure your hair gets the marine protein complex and nutrients that it needs.

Supplements, paired with a healthy diet and at-home treatments, can yield incredible results!