What's the deal with protein?

If you're thinking about switching to a CO-wash regimen, or are currently CO-washing and trying to find the best conditioner for your hair, you'll want to figure out if your hair likes or dislikes protein. Some conditioners contain proteins, sometimes under names like biotin, or other times under more direct names like soy protein. Some conditioners don't contain proteins at all. Figuring this out is necessary for you to get the most benefits from CO-washing.

There are a couple of things you can look for as symptoms of protein-sensitive hair. If, when using a conditioner that contains protein, your hair becomes drier, tangles easier, becomes more straw or hay-like, these are the first signs that your hair dislikes protein. These are not typically resolved by adding more moisturizing products to your hair. Increasing the frequency of conditioning with the protein conditioner, or continuing it over a long period of time will increase these negative effects on the hair. These effects can only be combated by ceasing to use the protein conditioner altogether and switching to a non-protein conditioner.

On the other hand, some hair absolutely loves protein, and a protein containing conditioner will leave the hair silky smooth and beautiful. The only way to figure out what your hair likes is to experiment with different conditioners. In my personal experience, my hair is not a fan of protein, and I experience drier hair and a gross buildup-y type of feeling. I don't experience any of these problems with non-protein conditioners.